December 5 – Halfway Around the Globe

On my 50^th birthday, my family put together an amazing birthday event at church that was a great blessing to me.  On that same day, somewhere in Zambia – halfway around the globe from BelAir, MD – a woman was giving birth to twins.  A little girl and a little boy joined a family that already had several children.  As the years began to pass, it became evident that this mother was unable to care for her children.  There was no one else in the family that could take care of these twins and their older sister Mary.  At the age of 7 these 2 children and their sister came to live at Village of Hope.  

So today, on my 61^st birthday, I will celebrate with Gift and Exildah who are turning 11 years old.  They are very average kids.  Gift and Exildah have always been very close and very protective of each other.  Gift has been fine at math, but he has struggled to read.  With extra attention he seems to be catching up.  Exildah doesn’t have learning difficulties.   She just has a hard time sitting still.  As a result, all of us at School of Hope are learning how to organize the school day in such a way that she stays engaged and has opportunities to move around and do lots of different things.

They are sweet kids and there is a special connection between the 3 of us, knowing that we were born on the same day.

Advent season is all about a birthday, the birthday of the King.  Do we have a special connection with His birthday because his birth put in place the plan that brought a rebirth of spirit and new life to us?    That is the reason we celebrate and rejoice at the remembrance of the most wonderful birth of all babies ever born on this earth!

“Knowing you, Jesus, know you,
There is no greater thing,
You’re my all, You’re the best,
You’re my joy, my righteousness,
And I love you, Lord.”

Dear Jesus, Thank you for being obedient to come and be born as a baby in a manger.  It is a birthday unlike any other and we worship and bow down before you, our King, and Savior.  Amen, Come, Lord Jesus.