So, as some of you may know, today is my 19th birthday. If you would’ve told me a year ago that I would be celebrating my birthday in Malawi, I would’ve laughed and told you that you were crazy. But God called me to be here, and I am so glad that he did. My 19th birthday has certainly been one for the books, and I am positive that there will never be another one like it. Usually, my birthday is a day that’s all about me. My mom always asks me what I want for dinner, and I always get so excited to see what presents I got or the Instagram posts about me or the Happy Birthday notifications on Facebook. I absolutely LOVE spending time with family and friends on my birthday, and it’s kind of fun to have a day that is solely dedicated to you but today was different, and I’m so glad it was. For once, my birthday wasn’t about what I was getting but what I was giving.
We had ministry with the widows today, which is one of my absolute favorite days. These ladies love and trust the Lord so much and love to sing and dance. God filled me with a lot of joy that I haven’t had in a while. It was the type of joy that you can’t contain or hide because it’s literally bubbling out of you. I spontaneously shared a testimony today about my family and the power of prayer. My teammates also shared some incredible testimonies and a sermon concerning how faithful our Lord is when we lift our voices to Him. The energy in that room today was so real, and the Holy Spirit’s presence was SO evident. After we shared our testimonies, one of the widows shared about her experience with prayer and how her son was healed. Even though we don’t all speak the same language, we all worship the same God and recognize His goodness and that in itself is a testament of God’s love for his children.
We got home from ministry and were greeted by all the sweet kids that live along our street. My heart is full of love for these kids and even though they speak Chichewa to me and there’s a significant language barrier, I’m always welcomed with hugs and the little bit of English they know. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to celebrate my birthday in Malawi. Even though it looked a bit different from all my other birthdays, I made a lot of unforgettable memories that I wouldn’t have made if I had not listened to God’s “go.”
P.S. The widows sang me happy birthday today!! Click the link at the top to see it!!
