I guess I should explain the title first so you do not think I am being totally inappropriate. Well, I stuffed the turkey and below is the picture of me with my hand up the turkey’s canal. This is really the only thing that my title has to do with this blog…so keep reading, cuz it gets better.
Somebody's gotta do it!
Three days ago was Thanksgiving and it was the first time away from my family for this holiday. So my team and I decided to make it as much like Thanksgiving here as we did at home. I must say I have much more respect for my mother and all the work she does to make all the dishes at Thanksgiving happen. (Love you mama!)
But this is what I loved about this year’s Thanksgiving: even though I miss my family a lot, I have an incredible family here made up of 6 teammates, 2 squad leaders and a ministry contact. We each made a dish that we have back home. So we had a beautifully blended table of different items…and it made a new tradition with my family away from home. I felt so thankful to be sitting around a table with people that I have come to sincerely love. People who call me out and call me up and who want me to do the same for them. There is no place I would rather be.
This was the Thanksgiving table. SO good!
From the top, clockwise: Kursti, Jenna and Kristen (squad leader visiting us for the week); Joshua and Michael (Michael is our boss man at the Christian camp we are living/working at); Ben, Kristin and Molly; and me and Nathan (our other squad leader).
Here is a list of things I am thankful for since leaving on the World Race, along with what we have been up to since arriving in Romania:
- I am thankful that God has changed me on this thing called the World Race, and yet He is still unchanging.
- I am thankful that my team was placed in Middle of Nowhere, Romania for such a time as this.
- I am thankful that my new team has grown immensely in unity because of the atmosphere we are in: basically seclusion.
- I am thankful that we get to do manual labor each day in freezing temperatures because we have an amazing warm house to come into at the end of the day.
- I am thankful for my voice and that God has given me something to say. The more secure I become in my identity, the louder my voice becomes.
- I am thankful for the honor of taking the first axe to our thanksgiving turkey’s head. (Never have I ever, until Romania!)
- I am thankful that we get to cook all of our meals this month.
- I am thankful for 4 campfires in the past 2 weeks here in Romania.
- I am thankful that God’s unconditional love motivates me to love and prefer others better.
- I am thankful that dancing still makes me come alive…and I can do it anytime, anywhere (pretty much).
- I am thankful that God is not done changing me and/or reminding me of who I already AM in Him.
- I am thankful for 6 more months left of this crazy adventure!
- And I am thankful for you. Thank you for reading my blogs, for supporting me financially and spiritually. Thank you for connecting me with your life and your story and continually revealing more of God’s character to me.
