More than I could have imagined. More than I could've asked for. It was a wonderful day.
Birthdays are always a celebration at our house. The night before, someone decorates the kitchen and the living room and sets out gifts. We have breakfast as a family, and love on the person with the birthday. It's one tradition I knew I would miss this year.
Now, I'm usually away at college for my actual birthday, but I usually am able to travel home soon after, and spend time with family. So the idea of being away from home on my special day was a little sad.
What I would have never expected was how well my squad, ministry family, and God would love me.
We had heard rumors of a waterfall near Palacaguina, so for my birthday, we were going to find it. My team, Awakening, and a couple stragglers from Adelphoi, loaded up the van in the morning. We made our way through a nearby city, and ended up…in the middle of nowhere. We were surrounded by dry, treeless hills, with no sign of water anywhere.
I began to get worried. All these people chose to do this on their day off, and what if it's a bust? We started hiking downward, still surrounded by dust and rocks. We descended down a flight of stairs and behold: an oasis.
It was gorgeous. A tall waterfall ending in a dark pool. We took in the beauty and waded into the water. It was a blast. I couldn't help thinking that God knew someday I would be here, celebrating another year. It was kind of like His birthday present to me.
Little did I know, the celebration didn't end here.
We are it back home in time for dinner, and replayed the day to our host family. Then, we geared up for our evening ritual of team time and feedback. I was a little impatient, wanting to Skype my family before the internet cafe closed, but my team took their time. It became dark, and I was really ready to go.
I turn to the door and all I can see are unlit faces surrounding the glow of a candle. I hear a guitar playing and I realize it isn't just our family – they've brought a crowd. It turned out to be a lot of members from the youth group. They had brought cake and ice cream and soda to celebrate my day.
These sweet people, who I barely knew, took time out of their evening to bless me. I was so touched, and felt so loved. Definitely a birthday to remember
