I would like to kick off this blog with just a couple of facts:
One. The CICRIN Children`s Center (where we`ve been working this month) has been opened for 20 years.
Two. Numerous groups of Americans have come to serve and live here during that time.
Three. The current director of the facility, Hellen (who is totally awesome by the way) said she could not remember a time, ever, that Thanksgiving was celebrated at CICRIN, and wasn`t totally sure what Thanksgiving truly was.
Four. There are no turkeys to be found on Ometepe Island. Living, frozen or neatly sliced and packaged for instant sandwich use.
Five. Our teams didn`t let that stop us when we showed Ometepe Island how Thanksgiving is done!
It was awesome. Matt and Jacinda from Team Numa spent days researching and preparing receipies for the meal. They also headed up the kitchen as our executive chefs on Thanksgiving Day. They prepared roatsed chicken, mashed potatos and gravy, garlic rolls, squash, green beans, carrot cake and banana bread. Everyone else helped out with food prep all morning, culminating in one of the greatest intercultural feasts celebrating a day of thanks the world has ever seen! (That`s right Pilgrims…I`m pretty sure we got you and Squanto beat!)
The two teams prepared food for all the kids here, plus some visiting from Managua, the staff, their families, and just some friends of the Center as well.
We opened with a brief explination that the celebration was a feast to celebrate all God has done for us, and to come together as a unified body of Christ to rejoice and praise Him for His goodness. We read some scripture, prayed, and then feasted like professionals! As everyone was winding down we explained that part of the tradition of the day was to have a full belly, and since there was plenty of food left over, well, everyone was willing to oblige. Turns out 80 people know how to put away a well prepared Thanksgiving meal.
Definitely a Thanksgiving to remember. (And as it was also my birthday, Team lovebound and Team Numa threw me a surprise party at the end of the night including presents, balloons and a hommade cake! Yeah…these two teams rock. It was an incredible, incredible day all around. Thank you Jesus for such great teammates, friends, and fellow followers of you. Thank you, thank you , thank you!!!)
And….thank you Jesus for such an incredible family, incredible church community, incredible supporters, incredible blog readers and this incredible LIFE! I love you!!!
I really am thankful for all of you reading this. For contributing to this journey. For encouraging me along the way. For praying for me and the team and the people we meet. For pouring your love, energy, grace and heart into what God has us doing. You are all a gift…and HUGE, HUGE gift. I love you!!!!
