It is holiday season in Lebanon! I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the holiday season away from my family but I have in the past four months gained another family. I did not feel like I lacked anything in the food department…Okay well we had chicken instead of turkey but honestly it was great.
Our ministry host messaged our groups and asked if any Americans wanted to share about Thanksgiving day with their youth group the following Saturday. I felt the Lord wanted me to do it so I obeyed Him.
Honestly, I did not prepare anything because I am Native American and I felt I had a good understanding of things. Saturday morning came around and during my quite time, I felt a nudge to prepare a little history so to google I went! I was told I would need to prepare to talk for 20 minutes…I had no idea how I could make this stretch out to 20 minutes, I had 10 at best. I show up to youth Saturday morning and wait in the back for Rita to call me up to speak, and I kept waiting, and kept waiting…finally I had to leave to make a meeting with my team so I excuse myself and walk out feeling very confused. The rest of the girls wrote it off as I was just being asked to be obedient so, so did I.
I show up to the meeting and our host says, “Word on the street is that you’re speaking tonight!” I explain the morning and told him I was never called up so I didn’t speak. He laughs and then explains that I was actually speaking that night at Abundant Life. Okay, that’s fine I can still share my 10 minute history lesson.
That night I show up to church and make my way into a classroom decorated with cutout leaves and some chairs set up in a circle. After being there for a few minutes a nice man comes in and ask if I am from the World Race, I say yes and he then tells me that I should go upstairs where the youth meets. OH! Okay, that’s fine. I follow him upstairs to the auditorium and he tells me I can sit. I look at Aislinn and we burst out laughing, am I about to get up and speak to the whole body? Surely not because they said youth group…a girl introduces herself (praise, she speaks English) and we ask her where youth meets. Okay, we were in the right spot…then we ask how many people come, she says anywhere from 15-50. Again, Aislinn and I burst out laughing. I am starting to sweat a bit. The band starts to play and I am praying hard, my prayer is interrupted by a nice man who has a question, “Are you giving the word tonight sister?” I look at Aislinn and she cannot keep it in. I just look back up at him and nod yes. I look at Aislinn, “Am I giving the WORD tonight?” at this point I really cannot believe what is happening. I get on my knees at start praying harder. The worship lasted a solid 45 minutes so I am thinking I won’t have to speak for long, it is going to be okay. I am going to be okay.
Again, another nice man approaches me and tells me its time to get my mic on. Okay, I follow him back to the tech room and fumble putting everything on and walk back out to set down. Before I know it, I am being introduced and called up. I walk up and share my basic history lesson.
Then the Lord asks me to share what I am thankful for and it is the same thing I have been thankful for for a few years now. I am thankful that I have my sister back. So I share a little about what it looked for me to miss her, for me to not know where she was for a few years, and how the Lord redeemed and saved our family. I share Psalm 100:1-5, He is good always and His love endures forever.
After the service they wanted to sit around and share what each one was thankful for. Aislinn and I laughed almost the whole way home. That day was not what I expected and honestly not a day since I have left was like what I thought it would be. I am pretty thankful for that.
