Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Happy Birthday Darbi Part Two!

Pardon the interruption, but Darbi's blog has been hacked. By Blu. (Yes, the guy who has the gall to give a tetherball to his wife and try to pass it off as a legitimate present) :)

Today is Darbi's birthday, and I was going to post on facebook in order to brag on her. Unfortunately, facebook hasn't been working for the last two days out here, and my once-a-year opportunity to unabashedly shower praises on my wife has been slipping away. So I opted to sneak in and post a blog about the blogger that all of you follow. For those of you who have spent even a little time with her, you'll recognize what follows to be true.

After celebrating Darbi's birthday with her for 16 years now, I've come to the conclusion that she's never going to stop amazing me. She's up every morning before anyone else to spend time with Jesus, constantly scribbling in her prayer journal. She loves all of our children very deeply, and constantly tries to work out ways in her mind to become the best mother possible for them. I can't think of anything on earth that she considers more important than her family. And that's not just us five in Mapanza, Zambia. It reaches from her parents, to her sister, to my side of the family, all the way to those distant relatives that nobody else would ever really bother to keep up with. She braids hair (not mine) like a champ. She teaches at New Day school like a professional. She organizes finances in multiple currencies like a CPA. She cooks like nobody's business. More than anyone else, she brings the ministry of New Day to the world through constant communication and vivid descriptions of what is happening. While I like to think of the next project, or work to be done, Darbi is always thinking of those around her. She loves to give gifts and make people feel special and loved. On top of that, she finds time to workout like some kind of crazy combination of Billy Blanks and Tony Horton.

And, of course, all of this is done without the modern conveniences to which we are accustomed in America. She endures the heat, the slow internet, the mice, the bugs, the power outages, the slow internet (some things need repeating), the snakes, the vehicle breakdowns, the ants, the dirt, the frustrations of day to day life with exceptional grace and poise. She does this, not because she enjoys suffering, but because she believes in the ministry God has given us. Because she loves the children of New Day and desires to see them walk with the Lord and succeed in life.

This morning, I read Proverbs 31 and thought about the wife God has blessed me with. It occurred to me that she fits the description of a virtuous wife almost exactly (the exception being that she doesn't hold a spindle--verse 19). I am extremely blessed to have her in my life. But I'm not alone. Our children, parents, families, fellow missionaries, friends, and even random people who stalk her blog are all blessed by her life and love.

Happy Birthday, Darbi. I'm looking forward to celebrating many more with you. And next year, you might just get a spindle for a present.

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