Thanksgiving in Thailand is only slightly different than Thanksgiving in America.
Okay, more than slightly.
For starters, Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday here at all. The day started out like any normal day here in Mae Ai. I roused myself from my slumber at around 6:30 AM, spent some quiet time with Jesus, and got ready for a ministry day of teaching English at the school we’ve been working at. Nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing altogether too special or extravagant at all.
(Also, I’m pretty sure that there aren’t any turkeys to be found in the entirety of Thailand. Or maybe even Southeast Asia. I’ll let you know when I find out.)
The day went about as normally as any day in Thailand possibly can. We taught a little English here, took a couple of bucket showers there, and altogether went about our day almost forgetting the fact that Thanksgiving was actually a thing that was happening. But at 4 PM, another team, who was living in a city not far from us, came to pick us up to have one big Thanksgiving dinner at their house.
We actually ate dinner on a little dock right off of a lake, with a perfect picture of the beautiful mountains that boast of the glory and splendor of the Lord. As we gorged ourselves on KFC chicken, broccoli casserole, pasta salad, and laughter, my eyes were continually drawn to the sun setting over the crest of the mountains, and my heart was overflowing with thankfulness.
I couldn’t believe (still can’t,) that this is the life that Jesus has given me. That I got to sit on a dock in Thailand and eat a Thanksgiving meal. (Like, what? How awesome is that?) I get to live in a community of believers who are constantly pushing me towards the Lord, and running along side me in this race. I get to be his Marvelous Light in all the corners of this globe. The thought that the Lord has placed me here in Thailand, beneath the imposing stature of the mountains, has told me that I have the power to move them; it fills me with a gratefulness that I cannot fully express.
And that’s all it is. Gratefulness. It is not only a day on a calendar, an excuse to eat too much, it is a lifestyle.
It is a choice.
Everyday we get to choose whether or not we will live in gratitude of all the Lord that has blessed us with. Tomorrow, what will you choose?
In Thailand, tomorrow there will be no sales, and no rushing to the stores to load our closets with clothes that we don’t need, and our rooms with more screens to stare at. Tomorrow, I will get up at 6:30 AM, spend some quiet time with Jesus, and get myself ready for a ministry day of teaching English. Nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing altogether too special or extravagant at all.
But it sure is something to give thanks for.
Want to know how YOU can help to send me to the nations? Just click “HERE!” to donate financially! I am only about $2,000 away from my final goal!
