This year was a little different because breakfast in bed could mean crumbs and let me suffice to say that we don’t crumbs since that could equal bugs and we don’t want them in bed!!!
So we meandered out to the dock where we started our day with thanks to God. Bob took this very wind blown picture of me there.
Instead of breakfast in bed we went to Que Tal, a lovely air conditioned restaurant at Lawson Rock. They have high speed internet so part of my gift was being able to communicate freely and quickly with all of family and friends. I can’t thank you enough for the birthday wishes and emails. Precious.
And gifts…some of you were really on the ball and actually gave me early bday gifts in Canada. I saved them for my actual birthday so I thank you for the chocolate, the earrings, the bracelets, the journal, and the cash. So very blessed!!! Thank you, thank you!!
;In the afternoon our friend Zenola called to wish me a Happy Birthday and then she dropped by our place to give me two seashell necklaces!! People are so giving here…it is refreshing.
Later that evening we went out for dinner in West End at a Thai restaurant. I thought we were going to Blue Bahai but they changed their minds. It was still great!! I had some delicious chicken curry!!
(how is that for being windblown again, but I am not complaining because wind means no bugs!! I am wearing the necklace Zenola gave me)
There were 12 of us there, and it was good to continue getting to know the other Americans who have opted to move here. I was shocked to hear that there are about 10,000 foreigners here on the island!! WOW!
After dinner the staff brought out special birthday fried banana wraps for dessert, sang Happy Birthday, and made us blow out candles!!!
One thing I am in the process of trying to get started here is a social games night happening regularly. Not surprising eh??! J
I know Lisa likes to play games and at dinner I found another British women, Carol who loves games (maybe even more then I do!) There is something wonderful that happens when people gather to ‘play’ together. In the process of it all, you learn things about each other, laugh together and grow closer in a natural way.
After dinner, Lisa, Charlie, Bob and I went back to her place to play Cranium. It was girls against the guys. We lost. Oh well.
It was a fun and memorable day!!
Early today Bob went with an Islander to look at some land nearby. It was owned by a lady who had lost everything and then had her house stolen! Yes, you read correctly, her whole house! Bob was able to encourage her, then share Christ with the Islander on the way back. Pray for his salvation (Dugard).
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Then we met with our lawyer to start the whole process of residency. We can’t work until we get that whole thing started. It would be nice to retire here but we can’t afford that so we are trusting God to help us start an honest property management business here. What an opportunity to serve people here and bless them!
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I had a chance to share my testimony with our lawyer today and it still brings tears to my eyes that He would have mercy on me and so radically set me free from so many addictions that had gripped me. I hope never to forget His grace in my life.
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I met a lady in the bank today and we chatted. They put couches in banks because the line-ups are so long. How nice is that eh?! So she was waiting for her aunt and I was waiting for Bob (sitting with our bags, and computer) Anyways, I love her perspective on life and I want to briefly share it with you .. I hope it will help you to know why we love it here so much.
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She told me that she loves the island. It is a good place to live (she grew up here) There are things that she loves and of course there are some things she doesn’t like. But everyday she decides to be happy (pretty basic philosophy eh?!) She said today I made a nice lunch for my sister and that made her happy. She said "I will never be wealthy, and I don’t want that. But if I can help others then that is good." I agreed wholeheartedly. So there we sat in the bank smiling, and connecting in ways that truly matter.
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It is as simple as this: do to others as you would have them do to you. They don’t call it the golden rule for nothing.
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Well fine friends, I need to go. Tonight I am going to a women’s bible study. They meet at Calvary Church at 5:35 (that made me laugh because I don’t think most people here think in terms of :35’s!!) then we go to someone’s house for supper and are studying being Mary in a Martha world. I am looking forward to it!
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Blessings
xox
Happy birthday, Deb. Sounds like a great day. Hooray!!! 50th birthdays always remind me of mine, although the memory is fading, it was so long ago. :-) Still loving the blog. Read it every day. Love you both very much.
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