Where There Are No Birthdays

This post has been stirring in my head for days. My fearless mission team leader and sweet friend, Kathleen gave me this title last week and I knew I needed to write a post. So I want to give her credit for the idea. Thanks Kathleen!

Where are there no birthdays? Where is that you might ask? It's in Zambia. They do have birthdays, just like every other country, but they don't celebrate them. Why? Because the majority of children don't even know their birthday. If they can tell you a date it's only the month and day. They don't know the year and so you have to do the math.

Many of them just say "I don't know" when you ask "do you know your birthday?". That alone will break your heart. So we give them a birthday, Jan 1. and then the year depending on their age.

Martha told me her birthdate is Jan. 1, 1996, so that means that she really doesn't know when her birthday is and she's been assigned this birthday by a previous counselor. She has 5 siblings and lives with her mom. Her father is mentally ill and doesn't live with them. So somehow, Martha's birthday has been lost in the midst of that.


I had four other girls tell me their birthdays were Jan. 1st. One girl said, my birthday is July 8. I said "That's today. Happy Birthday!" She had no idea that July 8th was a day for celebrating her. Nobody took the time to tell her, "Happy Birthday". Maybe nobody at home cared.

Birthdays in the U.S. are a huge deal. I'm sure we spend millions of dollars celebrating birthdays. Around here, many families spend hundreds of dollars to throw a fun party at the jumpy place, at the Y pool, at laser mania, at the skate rink, etc. The list goes on and on of options for elaborate birthday parties. Don't misunderstand, I'm all for celebrating birthdays. I'm just amazed as I examine the contrast between Zambian birthdays that are pretty much non-existent and American birthdays which are sometimes over the top!

What breaks my heart is that "where there are no birthdays" is just another example of life in Zambia. The children are not valued (for the most part) and many are not celebrating life with these children. The latest statistics are that one out of every five people in Zambia has AIDS. With those statistics, each day of life should be cause for celebration.

The only hope for these children and for the people of Zambia is that God is offering them new life. He wants to give them a very special birthday. A birthday of when they opened their hearts to Him. He has come that they might have life...and have it more abundantly!


John 10:10 (The Message)
6-10Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. "I'll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep stealers, every one of them. But the sheep didn't listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.