7:00 am
My day started with many birthday wishes as people poked their heads into my room to say happy birthday while getting their daily morning bread from the kitchen.
9:00 am
The Less Thans and #Agapetos headed to see Elias for the last time.
He showed us around the neighborhood and gathered all these kids to hang out with us.
Then Elias and the men on my team disappeared for about 3 hours to get us some surprise birthday pizza from the city of Beira.
The women at Elias's home worked all day to cook us beans, rice, fried fish, homemade fries and cut us some fresh papaya (right off the tree)!
Meanwhile, we got to play with the kids and relax.
Chillin like this baby!
2:00 pm
Everyone gathered and Elias gave the most special birthday speech I had ever recieved and everyone sang Happy Birthday in mixed portuguese and english.
Then we feasted!
4:00 pm
We returned to Iris around dinner time with full stomachs.
I returned to my room to find cookies and a letter from our lovely squad leaders (thank you!)
After eating some delicious cookies, I started doing my laundry and the men of our squad kept telling us to eat dinner.
“I'm good, I'm full and I'm doing my laundry!”
But they were extremely persistent so we went to the church and BAM ice-cream for the women!
Then the men spoke, blessing us as sisters in Christ and then went on to do something odd..
they washed our feet because Jesus washed feet!
Jesus said in John 13:13
“You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord', and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also would wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
Then my birthday wish came true.
The squad gathered around me to prophesy over me.
Words of heart origami unfolding, being the frosting on cake, splashes of color on a white canvas, abundance, power and humor to be used for the kingdom of God..
I don't usually celebrate my birthday but with a family of 47+ brothers and sisters, I couldn't really escape it.
Thanks P-Squad for speaking life and making my 22nd birthday unforgettable!
