Today is my true 30th birthday and the first time in 23 years that I have celebrated it on the proper day! It is true that I was born on June 23rd, but I was born on the 23rd in Makati, Philippines, not in the United States. How awesome is it that this year I get to celebrate after only waiting 364 short days!
I am forced to reflect (I think that is what I’m supposed to at the 30 year mark. At 40 I buy a convertible and get a gold earing, right?) on the last 30 years of my life and what God has done. I think all I have to do is look out my window and it is pretty clear that God is nothing short of amazing! I’m not talking about the pollution and nasty concrete overcrowded jungle that I see. I am talking about the city of Makati, and the place it has in my life. It sits less than 2 miles away and in perfect view of my bedroom window.
It was in Makati on June 23, 1979 that I was born into a family that was near the end of Tagalog study and beginning to study the Batak language so that they could plant a church among the Batak people who had never before heard the Gospel. I “grew up” there and now am on the tail end of language study myself. We are getting ready to help enable other missionaries to do the same thing my parents did.
Click to See Video of the Bataks Today
It really is hard for me to wrap my head around the amazingness of God to work all of this out to bring us here. I am excited for the next 30 years and charge ahead knowing that our God who was amazing, is still amazing.