Thanksgiving was a while ago, I know, but I wanted to share a story from my first big holiday away from home.
November passed so quickly here. I really had no idea what my first big holiday apart from my family was going to be like and I definitely was nervous as the days came closer to Thanksgiving. Back home, my family usually spends Thanksgiving in Missouri with our extended family and it looks very similar every year. We have a lot of traditions, so I knew I was going to be able to basically know exactly what my family was doing without me on the days surrounding Thanksgiving. I hate the feeling of missing out on things that I love, and the thought of missing out on precious time with some of the people I love most in the whole world was pretty painful. I was also going to miss my dad’s 50th birthday and rare time with my extended family.
As Thanksgiving came closer I began to pray against comparison and expectations over the day. I asked Jesus to really show me the true significance of Thanksgiving and give me new and beautiful memories of this holiday to carry with me in future years. The Monday before Thanksgiving, our team had an amazing time of worship focused on thanking God. I found that as Thursday came closer, I was legitimately excited to experience Thanksgiving in Cambodia, and even though it was hard to be apart from my family, I found a new level of gratitude for the traditions and moments I’ve had for the past 18 years at home.
Thanksgiving here was AMAZING! My team decided to make a Thanksgiving feast for our ministry host and his extended family, and try to bless them as much as they have blessed and loved us. My teammate Paige and I had the chance to travel to Phnom Penh the day before Thanksgiving (which was basically just the wildest and crazy day of my life) and we stocked up on the American Thanksgiving classics. We made mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, sort of apple pie, an attempt at sweet potato casserole, cookies, veggies, gravy from a box, and fried chicken. We also did this with no fridge, oven, or really any cooking tools. I’m still deeply proud of our cooking abilities.
For my Thanksgiving dinner, I was surrounded by my team and about 15 of Vuthy’s extended family. Most of us didn’t speak each other’s language. Some of us had never met before. But the night was pure joy. There were laughter and smiles and eating and praying together. We spent time all standing and sharing what we were thankful for, and at that moment I felt my heart basically exploding with joy and gratitude. I am blessed beyond measure. I have so much to be thankful for, starting with this country and each of the faces around that table.
My Thanksgiving this year was so different from my past experiences but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It was hard to be away from my family but He gave eyes to see so much beauty and feel so much peace and love as I surrendered my own plans and desires and expectations for this Thanksgiving. There’s no place I’d rather be and no people I’d rather be sharing these moments with because I know this is exactly where He wants me. Thankful! Thankful! Thankful!
