Well, I must say that this past Friday was a good day. I have a dear Arab friend here, Fadia, and I believe that she's part of the reason I've come back to Palestine for another year of teaching school. Friday was her birthday and I felt very ill-prepared for it when the day arrived. I had wanted to buy some perfume for her that I had heard her say she loved. I looked at the prices earlier in the week and I found the perfume for 489 shekels (about $122) - way more than I had planned on spending. So, if you know me, you will know that once I make up my mind about what birthday present to get someone, it's very difficult for me to change my mind. What was I to do? I decided to wait and try to find it somewhere else. On Friday, I hadn't had the chance to go shopping again, and so I had to find something that day. Erin and I went shopping and went to a department store to check the prices there. God is so good. I found the perfume there on sale for 245 shekels! And split between Wilma, Erin, and myself, that came to about 82 shekels (about $20) each. So, I made the purchase and Erin bought some flowers and we made plans for the evening. Fadia, Ameer (Fadia's 8 year-old son), Rula, Erin, and I had a wonderful dinner at Azkedinya (very nice), and at the table I heard the most exciting thing: Fadia and Ameer were talking about the day and how Fadia had asked Ameer to make a birthday wish for her. His wish was that she would get J'adore - the very perfume that we had gotten her that day! I was so excited; I couldn't wait to give her the present. We left and came back to our apartment for dessert and the presentation of the gift. It was so nice - the flowers were beautiful, the birthday cards were great (Erin hand-made hers - really cute), and then it was time to open the gift, which was very beautifully wrapped, I must say. (Another display of Erin's craftiness). The perfume was inside a cute little make-up bag with a matching scarf and mirror case. When she opened up the bag, her mouth dropped opened and she was in shock. Rula and Ameer were too, actually. Rula kept asking Ameer if he had said anything to us about the perfume, and he hadn't, of course. His birthday wish for his mom had come true. How awesome is that? I LOVE when God does things like that. The best part was when I took Fadia and Ameer home and she was almost in tears because she was so happy. She said that this had been the best birthday she had ever had. She also said that her birthday prayer for this next year had been that she would have a new beginning, and she truly felt like it was happening. I am so awed that God uses His children the way that He does. He absolutely loves us and so many times we have the priviledge of being the vessels of His love and provision for each other. Little things like a birthday present can be a reminder of His presence and His total knowledge of our needs and even our seemingly insignificant desires. He must take such delight in showing His heart for us.
Fadia had the best birthday of her life, and I had one of the best days of mine.
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