My Thanksgivings at home have always been less than traditional, consisting of the occasional turkey some years but usually chicken and lots of Chinese food. Now I see that the Lord must have been preparing me to handle the holidays abroad with my strangely loose attachment to holidays at home.
Thanksgiving on a Bus from C Young on Vimeo.
This year, Thanksgiving was once again non-traditional. My team and squad leader (who used to be my old team leader, yay for family!) ate Moldovan food at a restaurant for lunch and not a bite of turkey or scoop of mashed potatoes was in sight. Afterwards we went about our day as usual, meeting with students for tea before English club to talk about Jesus, teaching class at English club, and coming home tired but filled with the Spirit.
I am so thankful for this Thanksgiving. I got to Skype with my family in the morning (living in a big city = real wifi!), I was surrounded by people I love all day, and I was able to experience the Holy Spirit move heavily in my class.
I taught on Thanksgiving for English club and as I began to write the evening's text on the board from Philippians 4:4-7, the Spirit began to fall. The crazy thing about things of the Spirit is that you can't prove that anything is happening . . . but you can feel things shifting. Other people's spirits opening up, becoming hungry, receiving the words God is delivering to them . . . What mere human can fathom the things of God without the help of the Holy Spirit?
My squad leader, Michael Nicosia, was present in my class last night and preached from the Spirit on thankfulness, including being thankful to God for imperfect things, like relationships with family members. He spoke on being able to hear from the Lord and having our spirits testify to the work of God. Afterwards, Michael and I got to talk to and pray for a young woman in my class whom the Lord highlighted.
I wouldn't say I love teaching, but I love being able to speak truth and stir up people's spirits. It's crazy how hungry people are for Jesus, and usually they don't even know He's what they have been searching for.
Thanksgiving in Chisinau, Moldova from C Young on Vimeo.
My teammate Courtney Duron and I spent the rest of our evening praying and talking about how good Jesus has been to us . . . until 3AM! We also made Skype calls to many of our squadmates around Romania and Bulgaria and breathed the Spirit in and out with them–thank you, Jesus, for technology that glorifies You!
Even though I was far from my family today, the Lord still showed me how abundantly blessed I am to know Him and to daily walk with Him . . . and to be surrounded by people who are just as passionately in love with Him! Jesus, Jesus, Jesus . . . the sweetest name I know. Holy Spirit, have Your way in me.
