Most people get treated pretty well on their birthday’s. You know the usual… texts from your friends, phone calls from your siblings, cards from your aunts and uncles with a whopping $5-$10 inside, and a birthday dinner paid for by your closest friends. Well, this was not one of those birthdays. 27 brought me a TP’d tent, French pressed coffee (which is highly sought after), sour gummy worms and 5 of the best teammates (and 1 squad leader) a girl could ask for. We also like cake. Cake was had…2 cakes actually…all before 10am.
We were in Molepolole, Botswana and on my birthday we were packing to take a 3 day trip to the Kalahari Desert. How cool!! How many people can say they spent their birthday in the Kalahari Desert, surrounded by sand, huts and bright stars? Not many. Little did I know that the in the next 3 days, I would preach on the porch of the village clinic (where, by the way, the mayor of the town was there for a check-up), give countless testimonies to people from ages 6-96 and lead several of them to the Lord, and sit before the elders of the village in their outdoor town meeting hall while one of my teammates preached the gospel.
There are always things that people will remember about their birthdays. Sometimes it’s the gifts given, sometimes it’s the people you are with, but sometimes it’s the love you feel and the memories you share. Because our WiFi was pretty spotty; I received no texts, no birthday cards, no phone calls and no friend dinners. Instead I got encouraging words, laughter, love and dancing. I will never forget the year I turned 27. I have love in my life and I have Jesus in my heart. I don’t need anything else. J
26 was great, but 27 is going to be even better. The best is yet to come!
P.S. I really appreciated and LOVED all the Facebook messages and texts I did get once WiFi came back and am fully expecting a free dinner at Three Margaritas for 28!
