On May 9th I turned 27. I think my mom is amazed by how old I am and my mother-in-law by how young I am. It’s a good place to be. Birthdays are a big deal to me - growing up the whole day was always sacred to whichever family member was celebrating. David, who in previous years has forgotten his own birthday, has graciously learned to celebrate my day in a way that makes me feel really loved.
This year I had no idea what to expect and was a little sad that my birthday comes at a time in our team calendar when we are all dispersed and traveling. I couldn’t have had a better time, despite a recurrence of sickness on our last night in Bushara, which left me on meds over my birthday for possible malaria (those meds are really a doozy,wow.) It was our first of a two day stop in Kampala for stocking up and we spent the day doing fun errands, including girl time with a few team mates who were also in KLA. I opened several very fun packages from home and got lots of great phone calls from the States including a speaker call from the whole prayer team at Mariners, our home church - talk about a surprise!! What a wonderful gift.
In one of those unmistakable moments when God lets us know that He loves us and knows our hearts, one of my favorite authors was speaking in Kampala the night of my birthday. What are the chances. It was my first time to ever hear an American speaker in Kampala and here it was on my birthday and one of the few speakers I would have really wanted to hear. After that, David and I went out for a late dinner at a darling Kampala restaurant - Thai food!! (Sometimes I am amazed by this city.)
I’m so thankful for the ways that God continues to show me how high, deep and wide His love for me is. I’m thankful for all the wonderful friends and family members He’s given me. I’m thankful for the cards, gifts, phone calls and words that have been spoken to me. I’m thankful for that this life I’m living is dedicated to Him - that I belong to Him.