Tim turned thirty!!

Yesterday was Tim's big 3-0 birthday!!!!! 

Such love and admiration I have for this man I so intimately and completely share life with!! My husband isn't one to brag and doesn't like to talk about himself... one of the things I find so refreshing, and most likely why he rarely writes on this blog :) But because I get to walk each day with Tim, I am probably the one who learns the most from him, and for that, I consider myself very lucky:) 

This last year and a half we've experienced a lot of change, the biggest being a career change into missions. I turmoiled with him as he gave up his dream job, wrestling with God's will and direction for our lives--among the hardest and most admirable decisions he's ever made. But through it all, as I look back, God has taught me so much through Tim... like what it means to give up the desires of your own heart for His--and then to later see how God changed Tim's heart, aligning Tim's desires with His own. God, through Tim, has taught me the joy in generosity, one of the biggest influences in our decision to join Mercy Ships. To echo Tim's words, "God has given us so much over the years, its time we give it back." Tim has helped to change my perspective of money. He likes to remind me that what we have is not ours, but God's. :) He challenges me to not only give, but give more. 

Tim shows his love the most through giving and serving. He finds the most joy in both! He truly is, the most selfless person I know! He daily serves me in some way and puts me and others before himself. Tim makes me want to be less selfish and more generous... 

So, to the man I see Jesus in, Happy 30th Birthday!! Thank you for pointing me to Him and modeling Christ. 

I love you beyond words.
 

(To celebrate him, I put Tim on a surprise scavenger hunt around the ship! Then we celebrated with friends in the evening over delicious treats--complete with his favorite cake, German-chocolate, sent from home!!)