Give Thanks!

I know I'm about a week and a half too late in wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving...but I'm thankful, nonetheless! :) I'm thankful for all of you, my family and friends, who sustain me with love and prayers each day! I hope you had a wonderful time of giving thanks and being with each other. I certainly had a celebratory thanksgiving here in Kigali! I got together with 30 friends, from many different countries, and we celebrated life, celebrated community, celebrated all the ways in which we are blessed, and celebrated our time together that God has given us. We all managed to recreate some of our favorite dishes, and we feasted on Rwandan turkey, potatoes, yams, a host of fresh veggies, apple pie and pumpkin pie, and much more! I managed to make a sweet potato casserole dish, with the white cassavas here. It tasted the same, except it was white, not orange! And making pumpkin pie from scratch is not something I want to do again! What an effort! :) But the end result was tasty! Heck, I'm thankful for my time in Rwanda for teaching me how to cook a couple of things! Ha! We feasted and prayed, and had a big ol' time sitting by the fire and watching the Packers game livestreamed on Skype, courtesy of Matt and Tim. For a second there, I forgot what country I was in! It was a joyful night!

With friends, Clay and Hadley

Watching the Packers game on the wall of Clay's house! :)

I am thankful to live in a safe country, to have a wonderful job that I love, and students that I adore. I'm thankful for a community of friends from all over the world who I come together to worship with, laugh with, and live with. I'm thankful for my family here, and my family in North Carolina, and all over the globe. I am blessed beyond belief! I'm thankful for opportunities to share about the grace and love of Christ with nonbelievers every day. I'm thankful to have encouragers and supporters and prayer partners near and far. I'm thankful for a loving God who keeps no records of our wrongs, but continues to pour out His mercy and grace on us, so that we can be free and share it with others! I'm thankful for my health. I'm thankful everyday when I wake up and find He has given me another day to live! I'm thankful for email and technology and cameras and snail mail from my Mom. :) I'm thankful that Rwanda now has Oreos, Ritz crackers and strawberries! And Pringles too! :) I'm thankful for time to rest and time to heal. I'm thankful for all the many people that God has brought into my life this year, and chosen us for each other. I'm thankful that in Christ, we are free! I'm thankful for the gift of the Holy Spirit. In a nation where there are those who are suffering in different ways, just like in all nations, I'm thankful for the gift of life that comes in the form of food, and clean water and medicine, but most importantly, it comes with knowing and loving Jesus Christ!

On this Thanksgiving (or 10 days later...) I give thanks for all of you! See you soon!

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; his love endures forever." ~Psalm 107:1