Thanksgiving in Africa

I am so thankful for the community I have here in Africa. I had the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving at my pastor’s house with my Bethesda family. There were about 20 of us including Josh Mack (our pastor) and his family, some DRC refugees, and the Bethesda staff. It was a great time of fellowship. The refugees (obviously) had never experienced Thanksgiving. I enjoyed sharing this experience with them. We shared the history of Thanksgiving and some of our favorite traditions. It was a time of laughter, community, celebration, and thanksgiving. There is no greater thing than spending time with other believers. I am going to miss these people so much.

Before we left for Thanksgiving dinner it felt like an ordinary day. My roommates and I had a great lazy afternoon that included movies, junk food, and the Internet. It was hard for us to realize that it was Thanksgiving Day. My family is on a different continent and I’m not in America where Thanksgiving items stock the shelves and T.V commercials advertise shopping specials. It is interesting to think how these things have had an impact on my life when it comes to the Thanksgiving holiday.

As I am writing this it is December 1. I have 9 days left until I leave for the states. I’m praying that I will continue to seize the moments God gives me to minister to these children. This is my last week in the school and for tutoring. Graduation is on Friday, ministry day at Stinkwater on Saturday, a Christmas party, church on Sunday, and then I pack up and get ready to leave on Wednesday. I still have a lot to look forward to.