Thanksgiving was a bit different this year, for obvious reasons. It's kind of weird to think about Thanksgiving when the temperatures are reaching near 80°F with no decorations or even autumn-ish atmospheres. However, despite the lack of Thanksgiving "spirit", I have to say I don't feel that I missed out on much (except for my mother's wonderful meal and spending time with my amazing family - which I would say are pretty big things to miss). I am so blessed by my "family" here in Perú. God sure has his hand of protection around me, and he has provided me an opportunity of a lifetime to meet friends from around the globe.
Last Friday I helped out that the children's home. Each child made a turkey with feathers stating reasons they are thankful. I really enjoyed reading these and helping the children with them. Wednesday evening, Elise organized a meal for everyone involved with the Kids Alive home. We used the kids turkeys as table decorations, and everyone (70+ people) enjoyed an evening of fellowship with a meal complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, salad, rice, and varying desserts. Afterwards we had a time of celebration and devotions with the kids. Some children read verses and others shared aloud reasons why they are thankful. It was a nice chance to stop and reflect on all the blessings God has placed around us and also to remember all the things I take for granted in my life.
Today at school I organized a celebration with my students. Peruvians don't celebrate Thanksgiving, so we based our food selection on the movie Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving. We had tons of little sandwiches, popcorn, chips, cookies, candy, and more. If I put all of my pictures on here it would take days to upload, so either you'll have to check them out of Facebook or wait for my newsletter to see a few. After lunch, we watched Charlie Brown, read a few Thanksgiving stories that my mom had mailed me, and the kids colored turkeys and wrote stories to share with the class about why they are thankful. It was a long day, and my kids were quite hyper, but overall it was a success. Now if only our Christmas party goes that well.
Saturday I will prepare a real Thanksgiving dinner for some of the staff at the school. We will have turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and pumpkin pie. I usually help my mom with our family meal, but it will be a little bit different preparing the meal all by myself. I hope everything turns out okay :)
I cannot even begin to express the joy my heart feels. My time in Perú will soon come to an end, and parts of this experience will remain solely as memories. The weeks seem to be getting shorter as my departure date draws near yet at the same time that day seems so far away. I'm thrilled to be going home for Christmas, but my Peruvian family will always be close to my heart. I am so thankful that God had a plan for my life that was bigger than anything I ever imagined for myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment