birthday blessings

Yesterday I celebrated my 26th birthday... in Liberia. What an incredible gift.The day started off with coffee and some sweet porch time with God and ended with me on the beach, gazing out at the ocean and up at a starry sky so beautiful that it left me breathless. I got to spend my birthday with my amazing Liberian family and even had the chance to visit some of the precious children I fell in love with one year ago. Throughout the day, I was struck over and over again by how deeply and richly blessed I am. I know that's one of those words that Christians tend to just toss around, using it so lightly and loosely that it loses its impact. But it's the only word I can think of right now; I truly am blessed. For an entire year, I've been praying for God to send me back to Liberia--and now I'm here. For an entire year, I've been praying from a distance for these children--and now I'm praying for them as they crawl into my lap or wrap themselves in my arms. For an entire year, I've been praying for this team of people--and now I spend my days serving alongside them. I am thankful and happy as I look back at all God has done this past year, and filled with excitement and hope as I look ahead. For "I am still confident of this: I will see [and have seen!] the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." (Psalm 27.13)