How We Celebrate Birthdays at Casa Bernabé
With so many kids at Casa Bernabé, we celebrate birthdays almost every week of the year! Here's a glimpse at what a typical birthday celebration is like on campus.
In the houses, each child is celebrated with a special dinner and cake. In addition to singing Feliz Cumpleaños (Happy Birthday), Guatemalans add another verse that says, "Ya queremos pastel, ya queremos pastel, aunque sea un pedacito, pero queremos pastel," meaning, "We want cake, we want cake, even if it's just a little piece, we want cake!" Cake is a big deal here, and they've even been known to push your face into it if you don't watch out.
Piñatas are a common site at a Guatemalan birthday, and you'll hardly ever see a group of kids as excited as they are when a piñata shows up.
Prayer is an important part of Casa Bernabé birthday celebrations, and staff and kids go out of their way to look for the birthday kid to pray over them.
As they are eating at the table, each person goes around and says something special or offers words of encouragement or memories about the birthday kid. Even the house parents get celebrated, and the kids go all out making them feel loved and appreciated.
Every Sunday in church, we take a moment in the service to call up those who had a birthday the past week so we can pray over them and bless their lives.
Here at Casa Bernabé, there is an emphasis on giving thanks to the Lord for one more year and reflecting on the past year and all the many ways the Lord has blessed us.
Our Onsite Missions Coordinator, Peyton, says she prefers spending birthdays in Guatemala, because Guatemalans make you feel so loved and special. If you're ever here during a birthday celebration, it'll be one of the most memorable moments of your trip.