For the full effect of the title of this blog, I recommend that you listen to Josh Groban's song "Thankful." If you're lucky enough to live in the St. Louis area, I oh so highly recommend that you have my dad sing this for you. It will melt your heart!
Happy Thanksgiving, folks. Better late than never, right?
Who would have thought that my first out-of-country Thanksgiving experience would rank up there with some of my favorite memories of the holidays? But that's exactly what I this Thanksgiving became. It was a chance to stop and bless the 30 or so people that showed up by feasting on a killer turkey, a ridiculous amount of mashed potatoes, and random pizza provided by the Guatemalans… because that’s traditional, right? It was a time of giving thanks from the bottom of our redeemed hearts. It was a day to be refilled in my soul after a long, hard week of trying ministry experiences… And it was a quick moment of stinging homesickness, remembering the wonderful people that I said goodbye to three months ago who I am more than grateful for.
But the Lord did something really beautiful. He showed up and celebrated with us. And when I took a moment to step back, I saw Him. I saw Him in His kids, sitting together, loving each other sincerely, rejoicing in His grace, serving each other selflessly, laughing and sharing in each other’s God-given joy, and praising Him for the way He has rescued, redeemed, and restored them in more ways than they could count. And He took pleasure in their time together because He was invited in, too.
Here's a bit of what that looked like…
(Almost) the entire team!
Guatemala meets American Thanksgiving. Yum!
The lovely Andrea!
Josue was only somewhat excited for dinner.
Eatin' time!
My adorable dinner partner, Angel, mustering up the courage to serenade us.
I'm so thankful for these people. Thank you, Lord, for my time here.
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