We boarded the flight at 11 am on January 1st. We wouldn’t land in Manila, our final destination, until 11:55 pm on January 2nd. That would leave approximately 5 minutes to celebrate my 24th birthday…
Little did I know what God had in store…
After examining our tickets we realized that our 3 hour layover in Hong Kong would leave a little bit more time to celebrate. But before we even got on the plane, one of the women on the squad brought me a fruit tart to get the celebrating started. I have more than enough chocolate to last me a year, along with some Starburst and a bag of gummy bears. There’s a thick pile of notes, full of life-giving words and love in my purse that I will treasure forever. I had enough room on our 14-hour flight to stretch out a bit and tons of new movies to keep me entertained. Lunch on the flight had cheesecake (my favorite) for dessert. A tray full of champagne and a box of chocolates made it’s way all the way to my seat from first class. I was the center of attention in the Hong Kong airport as my 61 loves belted Happy Birthday as soon as we landed. The sweet taste of Starbucks Vanilla Soy Mocha blessed my tastebuds during our layover. An entire production of skits and games was planned as we waited for our last flight. Even at the ministry site here, a yummy cake made an appearance before being quickly devoured by the 100+ people here doing ministry. And I honestly can’t remember if there was ever more than 5 minutes without someone wishing me a happy birthday.
After we landed I did the math: 14 hours. My 24th birthday was technically only 14 hours. But I’ve never felt more loved in any 24-hour day than I did in those 14 hours. Thank you Abby for your hours of planning and undercover secrecy. Thank you Brooks and Tim for your whispery wake-up serenade on the plane. Thank you Suttles and Julie for being my other in-flight entertainment. Thank you Angela Grit for my yummy fruit tart in LAX. Thank you Cathay Pacific for first-class champagne and first-class chocolates. Thank you skit participants for teaching Hong Kong just how awkward my life really has been. Thank you S-squaders who played the blindfold game for letting me win (and for letting me feel you up). Thank you Paul for your continual pursuit of a first-class upgrade — your relentless pursuit was more than enough. And thank you S Squad for your abundant love. Know that above all else, the best part of my birthday was getting to spend it with all of you.
Here’s a few photographs to sum up the adventure:
hanging out in the San Jose airport. we invade every where we go!
(photo by Christina Palmer)
celebrating New Years in LAX!
(photo by Christina Palmer)
my view for my birthday. well phil’s version of it…
(photo by Phil Khamoua)
in-flight birthday feast. complete with cheesecake!
(photo by Phil Khamoua)
our flight path. we went over Russia!
(photo by Phil Khamoua)
the Lord’s (and the squad’s) abundant gfits! (don’t worry i’m sharing)
And here’s a little video Mac Mitchell made during our layover in LAX 🙂
