Thanksgiving was great! Full of thankfulness, fun, coffee, talking to family and friends, and meeting new ones.
After 26 years of thanksgiving with my family – usually spent at the Camp House – this is the first one I haven’t been with my family. I didn’t feel it as much as I thought I would excepting the phone call with my mom.
I was fine that morning collecting grateful rocks from the river – to remind us to be thankful for the little things – breath in our lungs, a pillow under our head, the ability to speak and communicate, and food in our stomachs!
I loved getting to talk with my Grandmom, Aunt Dianna, cousins, Dad, Mama Joyce, Uncle Bobby, Nedra, Capri and Krysten. It was so good to hear their voices and catch up for a little. After a brief lunch of rice and hot dogs, I packed and went back to a coffee shop to try and talk to my mom.
At first the cell service where she was at wasn’t strong enough for her to hear me. But I could hear her “I can’t hear you but Happy thanksgiving, and I love you.”
*Cue tears.*
I put on Stefany Gretzinger’s album The Undoing (the softest most beautiful love-based worship songs). And just tried to refocus on being thankful that I at least got to hear her voice, and talk to everyone I got to.
Twenty minutes later – when I had finally collected myself – she called me back. My heart was so full. I choked back tears as I said hi because my mom and little sister had gotten into the car and drove till they had cell service enough to call me and talk. They parked on the side of the road for 30 minutes just so we could talk about life on thanksgiving.
We hung up because I had to leave the coffee shop (one of the 3 places in town where there is WiFi). And I went to the Posada de Ángeles where we were to have our thanksgiving feast and the beginning of The Awakening!
What is an Awakening you may ask?
It’s an amazing blessing from the Lord – a sprinkle of glitter on the Race – put together by Adventures in Missions (AIM). 3 squads come together to learn, love and laugh together for 3 days!
We are the “youngest” squad being in our 2nd month. K squad is in their 4th month and F squad is in month 11 with only 9 days left till they fly home.
We get to meet these amazing racers in person and gather wisdom from them, get more infected with excitement, and play!
The vision for this Awakening is Ownership. – so be prepared for some future blogs about the sessions and revelations from this weekend!
Oh and our Thanksgiving Feast was on a World Race budget – but Scarleth did a phenomenal job and we had chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans! They also had apple pie, pecan pie, and donuts for sale for desert. It was delicious and enough of home to make the day perfect!
Prayers that I receive all God has for me this weekend and that I come away with 62 new friends!
