This past month I’ve been so thankful about what God has provided for my team. We had amazing hosts in Malaysia and they were the most hospitable people I’ve ever met. They waited for us to decorate their tree for Christmas, cooked us meals, invited us into their family, and did so many other things for us it would take forever to list them all. Pastor Mark and his family taught me about what it looks like to serve others the way God asks us to and the way Jesus served those around them.
Since today is my birthday I have a lot to be thankful for and I wanted to share it with you all. So, without further ado…
23 Reasons I’m Thankful On My 23rd Birthday
1. I’m thankful for my four families: my family back home, my college family, my church family, and my World Race family.
2. I’m thankful for all of the hosts I’ve had on this trip who have been so kind to me and my teammates.
3. I’m thankful for always being taken care of. I’ve never had to go without anything I needed.
4. I’m thankful for the rain (and rain jackets).
5. I’m thankful for the wind, especially in tropical climates.
6. I’m thankful for all of the emotional, spiritual, and monetary support I have received to take one of the most amazing trips ever.
7. I’m thankful for positive and constructive feedback: the first tells you how you are being like Jesus and the second tells you how you can be more like Jesus.
8. I’m thankful for taxi, tuk tuk, plane, bus, and truck drivers that have always been so kind to us when we travel even though we have tons of luggage and sometimes don’t know their language.
9. I’m thankful for my health.
10. I’m thankful for my teammates who challenge me and love me every day.
11. I’m thankful for Oreos and peanut butter and I’m thankful that Asia has both of those so I can still experience the best food combo ever.
12. I’m thankful that I’ve always had a safe place to stay where I could sleep.
13. I’m thankful for drinkable water.
14. I’m thankful for sunrises and sunsets.
15. I’m thankful for my opportunity to go to school for the past 17 years.
16. I’m thankful God didn’t create us all the same and how different cultures display God’s love in unique ways.
17. I’m thankful for pillows and sleeping pads.
18. I’m thankful for nature and how beautiful it is.
19. I’m thankful for deodorant and wet wipes.
20. I’m thankful for the life I’ve been given and all the ways God has blessed me in it.
21. I’m thankful for all the people I’ve met on this race who were so kind and cooked meals for us every day.
22. I’m thankful for the race and the opportunity to love people and tell them about Jesus as well as what I’m learning about myself.
23. I’m thankful for Jesus and his love and sacrifice.
There are so many more reasons I am thankful but I would never be able to list all the things I have been blessed with. What are you thankful for? I think a lot of the time we get caught up in what we don’t have or what is wrong, I know I have done that. Even though there are moments we don’t like it’s important to remember that there is always something to be thankful for. God loves us and Jesus died for us. Never think that you are not blessed. The God of the universe loves you more than you could ever imagine.
This will probably be my last blog for a while. I have a lot I want to tell all of you but we are headed into the Cambodian jungle with no running water, electricity, or internet. I will update you all as soon as I can. Thank you for reading my blog. Please take time to thank God for the ways he has blessed you. It can open up your eyes to how much he has done for you.
