It’s Thanksgiving…hip hip horray! :] Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! :]
It has been my first Thanksgiving away from my family, but thankfully God has provided me with a family to celebrate this Thanksgiving with whom I love very very much! And did we get a Turkey, mashed potatoes or perhaps a pumpkin pie? Sadly no, but we did get a Mexican fiesta at the incredible Mike’s Restaurant here in Pattaya, Thailand!!! And let me just say that the burrito was so huge that I had leftovers to take home. Yay for a leftover Thanksgiving meal for lunch tomorrow! Reminds me of home. :]
And can I just say that I have A LOT to be thankful for. Even if it seems that everything I normally would be thankful for is nowhere around me. But God knew last Thanksgiving that I would be spending this Thanksgiving in Thailand with these incredible people. He knew what He was planning for me and that I would be here in Thailand on The World Race with none of my usual comforts of home. But despite not having my all of my normal comforts of home around me, I can still think of a million reasons to be thankful!!
So what am I thankful for?
I am thankful that God chose this lifestyle for me this year on The World Race.
I am thankful that even though I am living out of a backpack with a very minimal amount of things with me this year, I know that I still have way too many things with me that I need to get rid of.
I am thankful that God is doing so much in me already these first 3 months.
I am thankful that God has been breaking me down to build me back up stronger.
I am thankful that God is not done with me yet.
I am thankful that I still have a lot left to learn about myself.
I am thankful that I still have a lot left to learn about the intensity of love that God has for me. …and you!
I am thankful that I have a future so bright as long I am willing to dive straight in headfirst.
I am thankful that God has mademe who I am and is developing me more into the person that He created me to be.
I am thankful that I have eyes to read my Bible.
I am thankful that I have a mouth with a voice to proclaim Truth to the nations.
I am thankful for hands to be able to write in my journal or type out this post.
I am thankful that I have a computer to type these things on and to talk to you back at home.
I am thankful that I have a bed to sleep in this month.
I am thankful that I can take a shower…a hot one…everyday this month.
I am thankful that I have the opportunity to sleep in air conditioning this month.
I am thankful that it the air conditioning is giving me the opportunity to cuddle up in the sweatshirt that I brought along with me this year.
I am thankful that I have a blanket I can wrap up in as well.
I am thankful that I don’t have to wash my clothes in a river this month.
I am thankful for iced Thai tea.
I am thankful for music.
I am thankful for an iPod to listen to music on.
I am thankful for speakers to playmusic loudly.
I am thankful for dancing.
I am thankful to have enough money to buy granola cereal, yum.
I am thankful that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is living inside of me.
I am thankful that the LORD is choosing to use me in huge ways.
I am thankful that I have given up all the comforts of home to be here even if sometimes I get annoyed about it.
I am thankful that God chose me to spend this year of my life on The World Race.
I am thankful for the opportunity to make cards with ex-prostitutes at the Tamar Center.
I am thankful that I have been given opportunities to hang out in some of the bars in the area and build relationships with the women who work there.
I am thankful for the awesome hugs that these women give me and the hugs that I can return back to let them know that someone loves them.
I am thankful that I have a family at home that I can rest knowing that they miss me as much as I miss them.
I am thankful that I have friends at home who are praying for me every day and continue to support and encourage me on my race.
I am thankful that I have the privilege to worship the LORD all day every day anywhere and anytime I want.
I am thankful that I have 7 sisters(my team, our squad leader Tiffany, and our Thai translator Mon) to spend Thanksgiving with this year.
I am thankful for the random German man who we met on a truck taxi and believed in what we were doing and decided to give us 3,000 Baht (equivalent to 100 US dollars) to buy our Thanksgiving dinner. Hallelujah! **Read Kelly’s blog for the scoop behind our Thanksgiving miracle!**
I am thankful for the yummy Mexican feast we had at the awesome Mike’s Restaurant because of the money we were given by the German man.
I am also thankful for other random things that happen when you celebrate Thanksgiving on the World Race in Pattaya, Thailand. ;]
I am just very thankful that this is a Thanksgiving I will never ever forget!!!
Wow, I could keep going on and on and on, even to the fact that I am so thankful that they give us a dry rug to step our feet on once we get out of the shower, or that we get big clean towels to dry off with every day so we don’t have to use our small, smelly camp towels, haha. Get the picture?
I’m sure you do but I know that you have probably already gotten tired of me sharing what I am thankful for. I would actually applaud you if you made it through that whole list in the first place. Shame on you if you skipped ahead to this ending paragraph though. Oh, did I make you feel guilty? 😛 hehe
What I really want to say in this blog is that we have a LOT to be thankful for! (I’m sure you already know that too) But if I can be on the other side of the world with none of my comforts of home with me and can still be thankful for all of this stuff…I can only imagine what more you are thankful for!
I’m thinking that you have probably already done it since it is very cliche on Thanksgiving …or perhaps you think that you have done it every other Thanksgiving and you don’t need to do it again this Thanksgiving… but just spend some time thinking about what you are truly truly thankful for. If you can’t think of anything but the “typical” food & shelter and can’t go any deeper than that, why don’t you turn to Scripture and rest on the LORD’s promises of what He has done for you and will do for you.
Remember that the King has removed all of our transgressions from us…as far as the east is from the west. Remember that He CHOOSES to love us. Unconditionally, at that. Remember that His love is so extravagant. Remember that He is King and knows what’s best for our lives. Remember that He has called YOU His beloved son or daughter.
So what are you thankful for?
