This Thanksgiving I have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful each morning when I wake up and realize I’m on the World Race, to see how much God has done in my life thus far to get me here on a journey around the world. I’m thankful for the things He’s opened my eyes to, seeing ways we are blessed in the United States that previously I had just taken for granted. I am thankful for the people we have met so far. I’m thankful family and friends back home who encourage and support me even though I’m time zones away. I’m thankful for you, taking time to read this. Two weeks ago, I went on a shoe shopping adventure with one of the Los Pinos boys, Cristofer. His old shoes were worn out and had holes in them, it was clearly time for new kicks. Tony took us to a true Honduran market. We walked the streets passing by carts full of new and used shoes, shirts, household items, food, etc. If they weren’t trying to make a deal, babies, children and women slept in the carts. As we walked, I thought how different life would be for that night’s dinner to be dependent on a sale of shoes at $5-15 a pair. The sale of a pair of shoes at $5 could feed the boys’ family of 7 for a week. Mind you, it’s beans and rice and only food for dinner. Anyhow, two hours later Cristofer found his pair of “new” tennis shoes. He was very selective; they had to be white, within his price range of $7, and he wanted a certain style because he knew the other styles busted their seams quickly. As we were leaving, Tony shared with me that this was probably the first pair of shoes he ever got to choose himself. Often their clothes and shoes are hand-me-downs or are found in the dumpsters where their mother works collecting recyclables. (Carlos, his brother, is currently wearing a pair of tennis shoes he dug out of the dumpster one day when he was with us.) On a less serious note, I have compiled a list of things I have been thankful for this month: -Ginger’s ability to kill mice with a broom. (It’s come in handy multiple times this month) -Clean drinking water. The water that comes out of our sink and shower is brown. -Alexandra’s family; they have invited a few of us over for many delicious Honduran meals. Their openness with inviting us into their home and enjoying time talking and laughing have reminded me of time back home with family. -Spanish classes. SO thankful I took a semester before this trip cause a basic knowledge of the language has been extremely helpful! -Fruits and vegetables… a luxury in most Central American homes. -Flushing toilets. Probably a 30/70 chance the toilets will flush. We all share in the excitement when they actually do! 🙂 -Hikes. This month we are up in the mountains and Tony’s place is on 110 acres to explore with trails and beautiful views. -Internet. Our once a week trek to Internet has been awesome in getting to talk with friends and family back home!! Lots of love and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Cristofer and his new shoes
This morning was a huge day for Cristofer as he and Tony went to the top of the mountain by our house and accepted Christ! The whole reason why we are here this year. It’s been awesome to hear about his year and a half transformation leading up to today.
This Thanksgiving, I hope you are able to find many things in your life you are thankful for!
