My Infamous Birthday: Mistake Into Delight
Today is my birthday and what a day it was. Although it was spent far away from many family and friends back home, it was made special because of the people and the spirit that filled me today. So here's how it went.
12:55 am - I'm read to go to bed. But remember that I was born about 1 am in the morning. I'm thinking: I can't believe I was born just a few miles from here.
5:30 am- Wake up right about dawn. I stand up and no back pain, creaky knees, or any other body aches. I'm thinking: All the parts work and I'm feeling great!
6:00 am - My beautiful wife kisses me good morning and wishes me a happy birthday. I look at our three beautiful children still peacefully asleep. I'm thinking: I'm one lucky dude.
7:00 am - Just about finished getting ready for work. Sei wakes up and starts throwing an absolute fit - screaming, crying - and I'm getting annoyed. His siblings wake up. I'm thinking: This little boy is ruining my morning.
7:10 am - In typical fashion, I command Sei to stop crying because the neighborhood is still asleep. And then I had a King Solomon moment - I start crying and sobbing (fake) and wondering why no one wished me a happy birthday. Sei instantly stops his tantrum and smiles. I'm thinking: I'm a wise father and getting wiser every year.
7:20 am - I give Megumi money to buy some ice cream and finalize the plans for her and the kids to meet me at the office at 12:00 noon. I grab my stuff and start walking out of the office and before I get too far, I hear Sei shout of the window "Happy Birthday Papa!" I'm thinking: I'm one lucky dude.
7:25 am - I take the pedi-cab up the street. A pedi-cab is a bicycle with a side-car attachment for passengers to ride in. The ride takes a little less than 10 minutes to get to the location where I get picked up by my co-worker. We pass the nearby KTV bar and continue to pray that the place will burn down or shut down for good. I'm thinking: God hear my prayer!
8:15 am - I arrive in the office and my co-workers start wishing me happy birthday. I put down my things and know that I only have 15 minutes to send out the office email about my planned birthday celebration for lunch and for my 8:30 am conference call with our Project consultant in New York.
8:25 am I create the following email with the subject heading "Life is Good! So Is God" - Good Morning Team, It is my joy to celebrate my birthday here 39 years later with all of you. Please join Megumi and the kids for lunch – we will be sharing ice cream and the world’s largest pizzas. I also share with you this morning’s devotional from Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost For His Highest. With gratitude, Russ Bermejo, Aftercare Fellow, IJM Cebu.
I copy today's devotional and trying to search for "IJM Cebu" in the address book. Can't find it so I paste it from an office email. Two more minutes until my conference call and I feel rushed. I'm thinking: Today is going to be a busy day.
9:30 am - I return back to my desk after my conference call into New York and look at my email. I see a list of responses to my email. I see my co-workers names, but one that I don't recognize. And then I see two names from IJM Headquarters and started to panic. Instantly I knew I sent it to "IJM All" - every employee in every Field Office all over the big entire planet. I started breaking out in a cold sweat. I'm thinking: Russ - you're an absolute fool!
9:38 am - After some genius advice from my co-worker, Alan, I sent out the following email again to IJM All - "Dear Team (again) - If you want to travel to Cebu for the world’s largest pizza (81 slices per pie) and mango ice cream – we would love to have you. Otherwise the email and invitation was meant for the team here in Cebu. Sorry about that. I’m embarrassed yet grateful. - Russ.
11:15 am For the last hour and half I'm getting these incredible emails from fellow IJM colleagues from all over the world - Washington DC, Kolkota-Mumbai-Bangalore, India, Manila, Cambodia, Uganda, etc all showing me a lot of grace and humor about my email and wishing me happy birthday. I'm thinking: Only you God can take a mistake and make it a delight.
11:45 am During staff prayer time, the office expresses a willingness to pray for me. I say that my heart is full of gratitude and its difficult to think of anything more that I want. I just simply ask that they pray for Megumi and the kids. I'm thinking: Our life is so full of goodness!
12:00 pm The entire conference room, which includes staff and a mission team of young adults from California sing happy birthday to me. A few minutes later the pizza delivery men bring in my three orders of the world's largest pizza. 36 inches each - 81 slices. It takes two people to bring it in the office. They had to open both swinging doors in the front. It looked like packaged furniture from IKEA. There is more than enough for everyone. I'm thinking: That pizza is larger than my son!
12:55 am - I'm read to go to bed. But remember that I was born about 1 am in the morning. I'm thinking: I can't believe I was born just a few miles from here.
5:30 am- Wake up right about dawn. I stand up and no back pain, creaky knees, or any other body aches. I'm thinking: All the parts work and I'm feeling great!
6:00 am - My beautiful wife kisses me good morning and wishes me a happy birthday. I look at our three beautiful children still peacefully asleep. I'm thinking: I'm one lucky dude.
7:00 am - Just about finished getting ready for work. Sei wakes up and starts throwing an absolute fit - screaming, crying - and I'm getting annoyed. His siblings wake up. I'm thinking: This little boy is ruining my morning.
7:10 am - In typical fashion, I command Sei to stop crying because the neighborhood is still asleep. And then I had a King Solomon moment - I start crying and sobbing (fake) and wondering why no one wished me a happy birthday. Sei instantly stops his tantrum and smiles. I'm thinking: I'm a wise father and getting wiser every year.
7:20 am - I give Megumi money to buy some ice cream and finalize the plans for her and the kids to meet me at the office at 12:00 noon. I grab my stuff and start walking out of the office and before I get too far, I hear Sei shout of the window "Happy Birthday Papa!" I'm thinking: I'm one lucky dude.
7:25 am - I take the pedi-cab up the street. A pedi-cab is a bicycle with a side-car attachment for passengers to ride in. The ride takes a little less than 10 minutes to get to the location where I get picked up by my co-worker. We pass the nearby KTV bar and continue to pray that the place will burn down or shut down for good. I'm thinking: God hear my prayer!
8:15 am - I arrive in the office and my co-workers start wishing me happy birthday. I put down my things and know that I only have 15 minutes to send out the office email about my planned birthday celebration for lunch and for my 8:30 am conference call with our Project consultant in New York.
8:25 am I create the following email with the subject heading "Life is Good! So Is God" - Good Morning Team, It is my joy to celebrate my birthday here 39 years later with all of you. Please join Megumi and the kids for lunch – we will be sharing ice cream and the world’s largest pizzas. I also share with you this morning’s devotional from Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost For His Highest. With gratitude, Russ Bermejo, Aftercare Fellow, IJM Cebu.
I copy today's devotional and trying to search for "IJM Cebu" in the address book. Can't find it so I paste it from an office email. Two more minutes until my conference call and I feel rushed. I'm thinking: Today is going to be a busy day.
9:30 am - I return back to my desk after my conference call into New York and look at my email. I see a list of responses to my email. I see my co-workers names, but one that I don't recognize. And then I see two names from IJM Headquarters and started to panic. Instantly I knew I sent it to "IJM All" - every employee in every Field Office all over the big entire planet. I started breaking out in a cold sweat. I'm thinking: Russ - you're an absolute fool!
9:38 am - After some genius advice from my co-worker, Alan, I sent out the following email again to IJM All - "Dear Team (again) - If you want to travel to Cebu for the world’s largest pizza (81 slices per pie) and mango ice cream – we would love to have you. Otherwise the email and invitation was meant for the team here in Cebu. Sorry about that. I’m embarrassed yet grateful. - Russ.
11:15 am For the last hour and half I'm getting these incredible emails from fellow IJM colleagues from all over the world - Washington DC, Kolkota-Mumbai-Bangalore, India, Manila, Cambodia, Uganda, etc all showing me a lot of grace and humor about my email and wishing me happy birthday. I'm thinking: Only you God can take a mistake and make it a delight.
11:45 am During staff prayer time, the office expresses a willingness to pray for me. I say that my heart is full of gratitude and its difficult to think of anything more that I want. I just simply ask that they pray for Megumi and the kids. I'm thinking: Our life is so full of goodness!
12:00 pm The entire conference room, which includes staff and a mission team of young adults from California sing happy birthday to me. A few minutes later the pizza delivery men bring in my three orders of the world's largest pizza. 36 inches each - 81 slices. It takes two people to bring it in the office. They had to open both swinging doors in the front. It looked like packaged furniture from IKEA. There is more than enough for everyone. I'm thinking: That pizza is larger than my son!
posted by ERuss at
10:32 PM
2 Comments:
Happy belated birthday cuz!
You are one lucky dude...every employee in every Field Office all over the big entire planet did not come for pizza & ice cream!
I'm glad your birthday turned out to be delightful!
We are praying for you, your family and everyone involved in your mission.
God bless,
Francis
Hey Francis - thanks for your post here and on FB. We are doing well here. We are enjoying our time here in Cebu and overall, everyone has adjusted well. Megumi continues to amaze me with her strength. So nice to see your mom here again. We think of all of you often. I hope to visit Detroit before Hana gets married. Yikes!
God bless you guys too!
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