They say it's your birthday....

I had a fabulous birthday.

Mostly, I always have a fabulous birthday.

You know why? Because I have a family.

I have a family, and I have friends that are family. Although my blood-family are thousands of miles away from me, they show me they love me by showering me with gifts, cards, emails, phone calls and flowers on my birthday. My family of friends here in South Africa do much the same. It's wonderful. It makes me feel special. Like I matter. Like my life means something.

I guess this might be a cultural thing.

Where you grew up, were birthdays a big thing? Perhaps this is a creation of the Western world to sell more cards? I don't know.

I tell you what I do know: when it's my birthday, I feel loved.

I asked these beautiful family and friends-who-are-family if, instead of showering gifts on me for my birthday this year, if they would consider showering any money they would have spent on my kids instead. On the kids we support through Turn The Tide. No, they are not "mine", but these kids were born in my heart, if not my body, and I will continue to invest in their souls and spirits as long as God gives me breath.

And, you lovely people, you did. You showered my kids with blessing. With almost £400 worth of blessing, in fact.
When I know that it takes £14 a month for one of these little ones to survive and thrive, it brings me great joy to share my birthday blessings with them.

Birthday blessings are in short supply in that place. By "that place", of course, I mean in "poverty". When you have nothing to give and no birth date that you know of, there is little reason to celebrate another person, you know?

Christopher's was the very first family I met those years ago in Malawi. In the look Christopher's eyes gave me, Turn The Tide was born. Christopher, Limbonazi and Milka had never had one birthday.

In fact, they can barely work out how old they are. They know vaguely they must be kind of around the age of 10,13 and 15, but a newborn baby in this village of Malawi is sometimes not the source of joy to their parents that it is to angels. They often don't mark the day, perhaps because they would rather concentrate on working out how to feed that extra mouth.

On my last visit, we worked out it was around the time Limbonazi should be having a birthday. And it was such a joy to help him celebrate the beauty and reality and thanksgiving of his life. I loved him so much in those moments. I imagine it has something to do with the Father's heart in mine, beating for love of Limbonazi also.

Celebrating Limbonazi - His 'first' bottle of Fanta

Limbonazi - A beautiful boy with a beautiful heart

And as I geared up to celebrate my Saviour on His birthday this year, I imagined I could hear his heart saying "No, not for me. Share something you would reserve for me with one of the little ones I love. The cattle on a thousand hills are mine. What you would give to me, lavish on them. Please."

I would add my plea to his. I love them so much.