40-1 Years Old!

Well folks ... I have to admit it ... I am now officially only one year away from the big 4-0! Today was my 39th Birthday! I know, I know ... I don't look or act 39, but the facts are there to see. On 28th May 1969 (last century!!) an extremely young 18 year old young woman called Mary West Ritchie gave birth to a cute wee baby bot weighing just 6lbs! Incredible. And here I am, almost 4 decades later at the other side of the world!

But, hey, if you are into celebrating your birthday with style ... the Philippines is the place to be. There may be not a lot of money going around here, but Filipinos are BIG in love, care and respect. Birthdays are big deals here. In the UK you can almost go a whole day without anyone really bothering too much about your 'big day' but here it is the opposite! A year of life is something to be thankful for and cherished. In a typhoon hit - disaster prone - storm ravaged - country that is short on finance and food - a year is a 12 months survived.

So here was my day today ...

At 6am I was in the living room with the kids when I heard the strumming of the guitar and the noise of people singing. I went out and there were around 30-40 of my friends there - Cornerstone pastors and their families, Cornerstone members, some of the Sefton staff etc. They sang beautifully and had the biggest smiles! They came into the house ... laden with home made banana cakes, puto cakes, hot bread and coke! What a team! We just sat and talked and laughed for an hour. Fantastic.

They went and various friends and staff members popped in with cards and hugs. Sefton Village is becoming a 'huggy' place now after 8 years of trying to turn cold handshakes into warm hugs! Some of the kids from the Children's Home gave me some lovely cards that Lydia had given them. Check this one out from wee Cristina on the left...


But what she wrote inside made up for her glaring error...

At 230pm the cake arrived. Huge! It was made of 55 queen cakes with an iced topping. So instead of cutting a cake and making a mess we just took a cake off and made a mess of our faces! Check out these kids below! So cute.

Later on in the afternoon I managed to take Mary for a wee 'merienda' or snack at a new place in town. We said on the way that we would not talk about Sefton Village or School (which has taken up Mary's attention for a wee while now!) Guess what? In the queue we met a parent from the school who wanted to sit beside us. She is lovely but she had about 101 questions about the school! Never mind ... we tried!

We came home at 530pm and at 6pm the Pastors arrived again with their families and food. Yup, its time to celebrate. I told Lorenz and Joy - our new Deans at SBTC - '"Don't worry, this Sefton family are always eating!" And we did! Around 50 were there - Pastors and their families, young people from the churches ... everyone and their dog (well two dogs to be exact). But it was a great night and it was so kind of them all to cook a meal, bring it here and fellowship with us. It's a big deal here.


So here I am, well fed and even more appreciative of the family I have here at Sefton. I really miss my own family - by the way 'Happy Birthday' to my brother Paul tomorrow! - but God has given us friends and family here that we feel part of and feel loved by. Their love is genuine and their care is sincere ... and for that I am so thankful.

I am thankful for a great wife that I am walking through this life with. I am thankful for two lovely kids that I think the world of and who are happy and healthy. I thank the Lord for great families at home who encourage, support and love us more than anyone knows. I am thankful for friends that are always there or us - even though for 90% of the time we are not part of their day to day worlds. I am thankful for churches that are not only behind our vision but are behind us as a family. I am thankful, most of all, to a wonderful God who has chosen us, saved us and called us to walk in His ways and extend His Kingdom... even in a far away land.

I am thankful. I am amazed. I am blessed. And I am tired!

Tomorrow I am well on the way to 40 .... but I will never forget my first day of my 40th year!

Live your dreams ...

Love ya

Mark