HAPPY BIRTHDAY...

One of the first things I was able to experience in the Dominican Republic, aside from the first -sight culture shock (which I will write about later) is MY 24TH BIRTHDAY! We got into the Bateys pretty late, so we didn't do a whole lot upon our arrival - other than meet people and get settled in! We were all so tired by the time we arrived!

I woke up the next day a year older!! I didn't expect much for my birthday -since we were in another country and had a pretty busy day ahead of us! I didn't even remember that it was my birthday until we were getting ready to load up for church! We all went throughout our day, touring Batey Nueve and playing ball with the nationals.

After dinner I was serenaded with a birthday song - and doused with WATER, which apparently is what people in the Dominican do to those who are having a birthday! Yes, they poured water down my back, which resulted with me going to church.. wet! haha!

Monday was Felix's birthday (one of our construction workers), and Pastor William went to town and got a very special cake for our birthdays!!! Apparently birthday cakes are not common there, so I felt so absolutely blown away by such a simple thing! Actually - birthdays are hardly celebrated! Cakes are so common to us, so having one on our birthday is something that we almost expect. But this year, it absolutely moved me. The fact that Pastor William would go out of his way to celebrate my birthday. Wow!!

Later in the week Felix thanked us for making his birthday so special. Birthdays aren't celebrated often, so it was an honor to him... and such a blessing to us!!

Oh - and Felix was celebrated with the traditional water dumping as well! Notice his shirt. The down side is.. I sat next to him, so I experienced his birthday "gift" too!!

Hands down, best birthday ever!