The Noonday Birthday Party...

Y'all, can I be honest and confess I'm not really sure where to start?

Not sure how to explain the night.  Especially a night of only God stories that brought me to tears.

I guess I'll start by saying, apparently, no one reads my emails.  

Look, let's face it.  I tend to be a little verbose ("wordy," Chris).  When I drafted my Save the Date email for the Noonday Ambassador, Nicole, to read through, I had to warn her I might, possibly, maybe kinda drag on.  And on.  And on.  

My friends seem to have responded by just scanning my emails.  

I love them.  They love me regardless of the length of my messages.

I had asked everyone to bring an item to represent their "only God" story to share with the group.  Nicole would ask us to pick out an item from the Noonday Collection to wear.  She would then tell us about the community or artisan who handmade the item.  I wanted us to have an item to share about us as well.  

I am fascinated by how God puts people together.  It always blows my mind.  

A group of friends...from all different places...meets at a house in America to hear about people supporting their families and communities...from all different parts of the world...and all our stories combine.  God's hand-crafted stories meet.

So despite the fact that no one...but me...brought an item, we still told and heard amazing stories.  

The only detail I will share (because they're not my stories to share) is that out of a group of eight women, FOUR of us were infertile.

HALF.

Y'all, sitting there, these women gave me the greatest gift they ever could.  They built up my own faith.  Hearing them call our Father by the name that meant the most to them...

...Healer, Redeemer, Provider, Creator.  

He has poured into each of us an unbelievable Love.  Mercy.  Never-ending Grace.  

And for several of us, a ministry calling.  

All that was the entire point of the evening.  Support each other and our sisters and brothers  in other parts of this world.

But we also ate some food.  

At a table.

With a fork.

And no one tried to climb in my lap to share it.  

Plus everyone bought themselves a little something.  So families in others countries can thrive.

An awesome way to spend my birthday and certainly a great kick-off to what I am praying will be a blow-me-away-seven years!

Thanks, my loves!