Long time, no talk, huh? Part of that reason is that I have very limited access to wifi but more of it is **moment of honesty** that I just haven’t taken time to put time into blogs and I’ve taken that time to sleep or hang out.
But I’m back! And giving you followers my word that blogs will be out much more frequently!
So as I catch up on the past few months through blogging, I want to highlight some of my favorite moments, moments that changed me, and moments of adventure. So get ready for a lot of stories!!
So here we go!
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January 14, 2017 – Bacolod, Philippines
I wake myself up from the loud Dorito bag- crinkly – sound of my sleeping mat. I groggily unzip my tent and brush my teeth. My team and I load up our bags for a day of ministry and before I’m even two feet out the door I see giant HAPPY BIRTHDAY balloons in our front yard.
Wait, it’s my birthday? IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!!
I almost forgot, because this birthday looks a lot different that it ever has before.
After thanking my team for their awesome surprise, we walk over to Sunshine Baptist Church, our homebase for the month. Before I even have time to say good morning, I am surrounded by my squad mates and Filipino friends giving me hugs and love. One of the Filipino moms then does all but shove me into the church sanctuary.
Here I find a whole birthday breakfast prepared for me. But not just any breakfast.
Spaghetti. And white bread. To make spaghetti sandwiches.
Now if that isn’t a memorable birthday breakfast, I don’t know what is.
They also had made purple ‘rice muffins’ (thanks Asia for having rice for every meal) and good ole instant coffee. But it’s really didn’t matter what we were eating – I was just overwhelmed by the fact that I was loved and cared about so much that people who barely knew me did this for me.
And it didn’t stop there. After carb-loading my stomach for the day, I hear the Birthday Song break out.
And here comes what I think is a birthday cake?……
No……It’s not cake…..It’s……It’s………
IT’S KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUTS!!!!
With (hilariously melted) Happy Birthday Candles stuck in them. My team knew I loved KKD and they went out of their way to find them, somehow sneak them around me, and give them to me for my Birthday. I’m not kidding, when I saw those doughnuts I teared up a little. On the race you live for and love moments that remind you of home. This was one of those moments
I blew out my candles and blinked away happy tears. As I munched on my American-tasting desert, I looked around the room. I thought about how counting down to my birthday, I was worried it wouldn’t feel the same. I wouldn’t be surrounded by my family and friends, I wouldn’t be in my house, I would feel homesick. But it felt the opposite of just that. As I looked around the room, it was full of people that I loved and people that loved me. This was my new family, my new friends. And although it wasn’t what it would be at home, it was memorable and full of love and stories.
The rest of my day was filled with learning Filipino dances, hanging out with our new friends, my entire squad (#blessed that I got to be with my whole squad for my birthday), and video chatting and texting my friends and family back home.
At the end of the day after dinner, my Filipino family continued to spoil me, after rounds of hugs and pictures, I hear the birthday song break out again. And here comes a huge chocolate cake. With my name on it!!! One of the ladies who worked at the church had a son who’s birthday was the next day. So the cake had both of our names on it. How many people can say they got to share a cake’s frosting name with an awesome Filipino person??
After stuffing ourselves again with sugar, I headed home with my team. When we got home, I was showered with balloons. Each balloon had a note inside, written by the members of the team. I opened them up they were full of wishes, encouraging words, and funny stories. That night I fell asleep with a smile on my face and a bubble of love around my tent.
Birthdays are weird. And hard when you are away from home. But I want to say thank you to every squad member that made me feel loved, my team for making my day special, my Filipino family for making my day memorable, and my friends and family back home that reached out to me from across the world. Thank you.
Here’s to a birthday that can top spaghetti sandwiches for breakfast.
Recklessly,
Haley
