I woke up at 7 this morning to little voices shouting “Happy
Birthday Auntie Ashley!” through my window. And it only got better. Saying I’m
blessed doesn’t even cut it. I can’t find the words to even begin describing
the joy this place brings me. My heart is more than full…it’s overflowing.
The guests visiting from America took me out to lunch at the
best juice bar EVER. I received over 40 letters and hundreds of birthday wishes
throughout the day. I was sang to, hugged, kissed, and loved on ALL DAY LONG.
Auntie Marie baked me a cake and fixed my favorite meal for dinner- pizza and
french fries. There were balloons all over the guesthouse! I road in a poda
full of boys who sang Happy Birthday to me at the top of their lungs for the
whole city to hear.
At the end of the day I went to one of the girls’ rooms for bedtime prayers.As soon as I walked in the belted out Happy Birthday and we
danced. During bedtime prayers the auntie in that room told the girls to pray
for me. I sat there as 12 girls, big and small, thanked God for my life. My
eyes welled up with tears. This day was more than wonderful and there was
nothing left to do but cry, tears of pure joy.
Sometimes most of my tears are from sadness. Not from being
homesick but from what my eyes have been opened to this last month. Orphan
care, poverty, and illness, is hard…it’s everywhere. These beautiful children
who represent TRS, who I get to spend every single day with- they’ve been
through it all. They know this hurt and this pain because they’ve experienced
it. And yet they are filled with an inspiring joy living inside their hearts.
They make me want to become more like them.
I will NEVER EVER forget my 19th birthday. It was
absolutely incredible. And I can only thank the incredible people who have
welcomed me into their lives over the past month and a half. I am oh so very
blessed <3
