Happy Thanksgiving from CAMBODIA!!
This year nothing looks or feels the same. Changing leaves and booties and scarves are being traded in for banana trees and palms and 5000% humidity. There is no Friendsgiving, football or Macy’s parade. I’m surrounded by some of the most amazing people I’ve ever met, but nothing fills the void of being with my family at home, mourning the loss of a loved one.
But even more than the weather or trees or new and old families, the things I’m thankful for have shifted the most.
Cambodia is a country devastated by wounds of the past. The people are still recovering from a 4-year-long genocide in the late 70s. The country lost roughly a fourth of its population, most victims targeted for being educated or weak. Families were separated. Kids were trained as soldiers. Some people starved to death, while others were tortured and executed in the most brutal ways. Today, poverty, gambling and substance abuse are rampant. Education, healthcare and other resources are minimal. Land mines still cover the country. The genocide is not talked about by the Khmer people, and they’re currently working to remove its contents from the history books. The people here remain uneasy and don’t have the same liberties and freedoms we do.
So this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for a lot more than just cornbread dressing and football. I’m thankful for the clothes on my back and the food in the belly. I’m thankful for uncensored media and freedom of speech. I’m thankful for security, healthcare, and (regardless of what party or opinion you hold) a government that is for its people. I’m thankful for our education system and my college degree (even if I never use it again). I’m thankful for running water and flushing toilets. I’m thankful for community, and I’m thankful for grace. I’m thankful for the people willing to squash the bugs and shoes sturdy enough for even the biggest bugs when those people aren’t around. I’m thankful for laughter and tears. I’m thankful for smiles because they always, always break the language barrier. I’m thankful for FaceTime and spotty wifi. I’m thankful for a mom that sacrificed so much and a stepdad that accepted me as his own daughter without skipping a beat. I’m thankful for friends and family who are willing to love me from the other side of the world. And more than anything, I’m thankful for a God that defeated death so we could live. A God that still sees us despite having created the whole universe. A God that pursues us and loves us at our worst even though we are broken people that constantly fall short.
America, as you enjoy your turkey this Thanksgiving, remember how loved and how blessed you really are. Celebrate the luxuries, but remember the other stuff, too! There are millions of people around the world that would do just about anything for a tiny piece of your wealth and freedom. And don’t forget to eat all the things and cheer on the Bulldogs for me!
