A Mother’s First Birthday Party
Luba Eponchtseva (pictured above), the director of MP’s work in Krasnoyarsk, shares a touching incident that took place at the day center. Lena, the mother featured in this story, is behind her.
At our day center in Krasnoyarsk, it is our custom to celebrate the birthdays of children. But this time we held a party for a mother! Lena had never in her life had a birthday celebration.
Lena’s family lives in a low-income hostel, and Lena often brings her children to our after-school club. The children take part in activities, games, and Bible studies. Lena attends the gatherings for mothers and is part of a Bible study group. During one of our conversations it came up that Lena had never had a birthday party. We kept that in mind. We knew the date, and as her birthday approached we organized a surprise for her and included her own kids in the planning!
On her birthday Lena was sitting at a table, completely unaware of what was about to happen for her. Suddenly, her daughter appeared from the kitchen, carefully carrying a cake lit with candles, and placed it in front of her mother. We followed with coffee and cups and everyone sang “Happy Birthday!” Lena froze in amazement and then began to smile. With tears in her eyes, she blew out the candles.
Her son, who was sitting across the table, then stood up. He had prepared a short speech. But when he opened his mouth, he was so moved with emotion he couldn’t speak. We waited...
“Tell your mom that you love her,” I prompted him. He nodded. That was all he could do. Speechless, he walked over to Lena and wrapped his arms around her. His love was clearly communicated without words!
For Lena, this birthday meant more than just cake and coffee. Her children publicly demonstrated their love for their mother.
