25 already?

As I walk down the street in Ghana, I am met by sounds of men in an unfinished building singing "I have Decided To Follow Jesus" while the distinct sounds of brooms sweeping the pavement ring clear in my head and chickens and goats are everywhere. I am welcomed by beautiful Ghana everyday and I am so thankful for the opportunity to experience such unique sounds and smells although sometimes it can really smell! On this particular day, I am so fortunate to celebrate my 25th birthday! I do not like the idea of getting old but I am still in pretty good condition so I am thankful for that. I began my day by being serenaded by a birthday song that my guard made up(I mean who else can say that!) and taking a refreshing but sweatfilled run. I spent the morning tutoring two precious students who are searching for the truth and even received cute little cards. I then of course had a random time with teacher friends as we went put putting with polo shirts on! I almost forgot we were in Ghana until our balls got stuck in a pipe and the guard had to jump the fence to get a large stick and then he got out two large stones and the balls. We also hard dums, singing, and whistles coming from the property next door, yes we were still in Ghana! We then continued the festivities to dinner and back to a friend's house for pineapple and frozen strawberries, my staples over here! I am so forunate for loving friends who love me for myself and not any other reason. Lets face it, we are all hard to love at times but we are worth the effort because of God and His grace for all man kind. I am blown away by the love my friends' have shown me and I pray that I can only do the same for them. It is still unbelievable that I have celebrated three birthdays here and spent many nights either laughing or crying. God is good all the time and continues to show His faithfulness through all the twists and turns of life. One thing I have learned in a quarter of a centure, life is too short for worrying. We must live with Joy from the one true God and spend each day praising Him on High!