My 44th Birthday

I'm in a season of life where all I want for my bday is to go away for a night.   There is something about having someone else take care of my kids for an evening and next day.

I slept so good last night.   I woke up and didn't even remember where I was.   There is something about the comfort of a hotel.   Sleeping in AC.  I'm used to sleeping to the whirr of fans and dogs barking in the night.  Motorcycles racing up and down the street.   I'm used to these things, but the quiet and darkness of our getaway.   Just the relaxation of not having a time to get up.   Or children to tend to.  I slept so good last night.

And then this new place we have found serves complementary breakfast with free room service.   So, I enjoyed the best Belizean breakfast in bed this morning.  It was glorious.   They have a garden here and all of the food is scrumptious as it's homemade goodness.   The freshest johnny cakes I've ever had with smooth retried beans.   Yes, I love the Belizean way of breakfast.   We also got a beautiful fruit plate with watermelon, pineapple, dragon fruit, guava.   Fresh jellies were brought for the johnny cakes.

Today, we will enjoy a leisurely lunch overlooking beautiful San Ignacio.   It's always a little strange to me when we are tourists in the country we serve.   The place we came on several mission trips as our two oldest children were growing up.  A place where we had long, sweaty days where we gave it all we had and then slept soundly at night.   Streets we walked many times, but now that are our home.

I always hesitate to share on my blog the treats of mission life.   But this morning, I just woke up with a full heart.  Mission life is hard.   In my Net on Thursday, my Net leader talked about dying to our flesh to follow Jesus and then pointed me out.   She realizes the cost of mission life...even though she is Belizean.  She realizes there is cost to my family living here.   But where you give your life to Him, there are also blessings.

I feel that Lee and my marriage has been tested and stretched and challenged like no other the last seven years.  But the blessing?   We have a deeper, stronger marriage now than ever before.

Living without AC in a very hot climate has challenged me in ways that I cannot explain.  But you know what?   I've survived.  And I've realized what a strong person I am.  And that strength comes from the Lord.   I have cried out to Him so many times.  And every time He's been faithful.

When Erika's hands were hurt, I remember standing next to her as she lay on the bed and cried and sometimes screamed.  I prayed God would protect her from disease and infection as I worried how dirty the ER room was.  I prayed for the doctors to sew her up properly (as I was planning my trip to the states with her in my head).  I prayed for God to help me when I felt so weak and helpless and sad and angry.  And He was faithful.   He helped us every step of the way.   And we survived.

So this overnight, getting away, is a blessing from the Lord.   We will stay until checkout and just relax.   We will thank Him that a man in our church got us a free upgrade.  We will appreciate Him providing someone to stay with our girls so I could relax.  And I will rejoice that even though there is much sacrifice in living on the mission field, we have also been blessed to stay at some beautiful places for an off season price.  

It has been a great 44th birthday.