par-tay

We are pleased to extend to all our friends an invitation to Bronwyn's first b-day party!

Hopefully the invite explains it all, but if you have any questions, let me know. We've been thinking about this birthday for a long time. Birthdays for children and adults alike are really not celebrated in the village. Most children do not know when their birthdays are, and when I ask their parents, they almost always have to look at the child's under-5 card to remember. We want to help people see what it looks like to thank God for the gift of children, and celebrate each life individually. We told some of our high school students about American birthday traditions, and after hearing about all the present giving that goes on, the students told their friends that they would be Americans on their birthdays henceforth. Not wanting gift giving to be the central focus of celebrating Bronwyn's first year, we opted for a slightly less conventional party plan. Zambians love singing, dancing and performing, and we have a suspicious that this "program" will help communicate the specialness of a birthday without the fixation on material gift giving.

We think it will be a lot of fun and hopefully many of you will be able to participate!