As you all know, yesterday was thanksgiving, a holiday traditionally celebrated in America- a day of expressing gratitude, gathering at a big table with family, and indulging in dangerously large portions of mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.
Well, this thanksgiving was spent away from my family and from familiar traditions. So naturally, it was less special, right? Wrong.
Our two teams decided we wanted to bring Thanksgiving to Botswana. Our hosts had never experienced thanksgiving, so we went all out. We spent the day cooking and preparing a meal for the family we are staying with.
In the evening, we all sat around a big table full of delicious food. As I looked around, I thought to myself “Last year, I would have never imagined myself sitting at this table, with these people, in the bush of Botswana”. We all come from different backgrounds; traditions; homes. But right there, in that moment, I never felt more at home. Y’all, I don’t think you understand how amazing our hosts are. The first day, Estel, the mother of the family we are staying with, called us her daughters. And let me tell ya, she is like a motherly figure to us. She is warm and kind. She shares her wisdom-and let me tell ya, she’s got a lot of it. Their family has taken us in as their own, and even though I’m further away from “home” than I’ve ever been, I feel so at home.
So this thanksgiving, I’m thankful for lots of things. I’m thankful to God for the grace He has shown me. I’m thankful He placed the right people in my life at just the right time to tell me about Worldrace. I’m thankful for my team. I’m thankful for the Boysie family. I’m thankful for my family at home. And I’m really, really thankful for Botswanan thanksgiving.
