{Insert Thanksgiving Title Here}

30 days of Thanksgiving.

I promised you a post of the 30 things I found myself thankful for during the month of November.

It was hard some days to choose exactly what I was most thankful for that day. As I pondered what to write down each day, I realized more and more how blessed I am. There are a whole lot more than 30 things the Lord has blessed me with, but in attempt to focus in on a specific few, I tried to narrow it down to one or two things a day. Here's my list of Thanksgiving Thankfulness:

• #1 God's timing and His plan for my life. - It's amazing how the timing for me to be here in Peru has worked out, but even more so than that, I never imagined coming here would change my life as drastically as it has, and I couldn't be happier about His plan which is unfolding more and more each day.
• #2 My apartment that has everything I need. - Some days I find myself complaining that I live too far from things, or I wish I had this or that in my apartment. However, daily I'm reminded that even with the things I don't have, I still have a lot more in my apartment than most people. I am blessed with a decent monthly rent and all the furnishings I need to live comfortably. The little things can be added little by little.
• #3 Safety to and from a concert. - We ended up getting off a bus in a very sketchy part of Lima. I was a nervous wreck taking a taxi the rest of the way after hearing more and more bad news about taxi problems. After the concert, I was also nervous finding a taxi as the location of the stadium wasn't in the safest part of town. 
• #4 Money to buy food and other necessities. - I have truly been blessed with a salary much higher than I need to survive. I enjoy going to eat with friends and being able to pay the bill for everyone or inviting people over to my house for an "American" meal. I never have to worry about where money will come from to buy food, and I have enough left over to pay large amounts toward student loans each month.
• #5 Kids Alive ministry and the friendships I've made because of it. - I first came to Peru on a mission trip with Kids Alive in 2007. I fell in love with the kids at the children's home and the family care center. In 2009 I met Javier through Kids Alive, and I also developed friendships with others also working with Kids Alive. Many of those friendships I still have today even when other friends have come and gone. 
• #6-7 Even in a bad mood Javier makes me laugh. Even when I'm selfish he loves me enough to change his schedule so we could enjoy dinner out. - Javier scheduled class even though we had talked about going out for a special birthday dinner. I was pretty upset and acting selfish. Later he changed his schedule to do his class another day, and we were able to go out as originally planned. I was thankful for the nice evening out and a chance to eat at a fancier restaurant than we would normally choose.
• #8 A weekend to relax and enough plans to not be bored. - Weekends can get pretty boring if I have nothing to do. They tend to be the days I get most homesick. After two weekends of no plans, I was thankful for a weekend to relax but also a weekend to enjoy getting out of the house a bit other than to just go to work.
• #9 Family. - I'd be lost without my parents (and my brother) and their support. Even though they are far away, I know that they will always love me. I can always confide in them and trust their opinions as well. 
• #10 Javier. - His 30th birthday was November 10th. I'm thankful for the 4 years of friendship we shared, and I'm more thankful now for the relationship we've begun.  I never would have picked him for me, but now I see that no one is more perfect for me.
• #11 Job: Coworkers & Students - Even on the tough days the hugs and kisses I get from my students make me feel better. I've enjoyed getting to know my co-workers better, too. While they will never be my friends from NPE, they are still pretty special people.
• #12 Another year of life. - Happy birthday to me! I have been so incredibly blessed with 27 years of life thus far. I'm excited to see what the next 50 years bring.
• #13 Safe taxi driver to take me to school. - For the whole story read a few posts back (The Saga of the Taxi Drivers).
• #14 Friends. - It's funny what happens when one moves far away. The people you used to rub shoulders with on a daily basis seem to disappear and sometimes even close friends can become distant. It's a hard adjustment that I tend to take personally. I still find it interesting the people who contact me on a regular basis are sometimes not the people I would have considered my closest friends before and my closest friends (or so I thought) are some of the people I hear from the least. {Not to offend anyone.} I'm thankful for friends from home who check in on me to see how things are going, and I'm grateful for the new friends I've made while being here.
• #15 God's unconditional love and salvation. - Sometimes I get pretty hard on myself when I start to ponder all the sins I commit in a week. I'm grateful that God loves me despite my filth and that He forgives me even when I do the same stupid things over and over again.
• #16 Worship event. - The timing of this night was perfect as I had been longing for true worship. It was a great night of live music, lights, and a message to remind us that we are just a speck on a speck on a speck yet we are made in God's image and held highest among the creatures of Earth.
• #17 Unexpected plans. - A friend called to get together after church. It was a nice afternoon out, and I got my first haircut here in Peru...a much needed shaping up.
• #18 Package with goodies and gifts from my parents, my brother, and my dear friend Dana. - Despite the annoyance of going about 45 minutes away to get my package it arrived in tact with more goodies than I ever expected to receive. A nice pick-me-up for a Monday afternoon.
• #19 Technology to contact loved ones and friends. - I'd be lost here without my cellphone, Skype, WhatsApp, Facebook, and all things like it. It's so nice to know that friends and family back home are just an internet connection away, and I love my nightly phone calls from my boyfriend when we aren't together.
• #20 Running partner. - Now that the weather is getting warmer it's been nice to get outside and be a bit more active. I didn't realize how much I missed running, and even though I'll never be a marathon runner, I like a short jog every once in a while.
• #21 Co-workers who become like friends. - I enjoyed a nice afternoon out for ice cream with one of the Christian girls at work (we are two of the few who are believers). It's nice to share a common bond with someone, and it's been enjoyable how easily our friendship has formed.
• #22 Sunshine, capris, sandals, and 79F temperatures. - It's finally starting to feel like spring {or summer}. I'm excited for a change of wardrobe.
• #23 Successful shopping and dinner with mis cunados. - I've already been adopted into the family as a sister-in-law. I guess that's a good thing. Javier and I enjoyed an afternoon of Christmas shopping and then we invited one of his brother's and his wife over for dinner. We had an enjoyable night of talking and getting to know one another.
• #24 Love from family, Javier, and friends. - I received quite a few messages this week of people checking in to see how I was doing. It was a blessing to say the least as I had been quite disappointed I would be missing out on Thanksgiving. Javier cleaned up the dinner dishes and everything from the night before without having to be asked, and my family...well they love me no matter what. Again, I'd be lost without each one of them.
• #25 Protection during a temblor. - Shortly after the students left school the ground began to shake. At first it sounded like thunder, but within seconds I was running out of the classroom door to the patio along with the other staff members. It only lasted a minute, but we stayed outside for a while to be sure we were safe to enter again.
• #26 Prayers of friends. - It's so good to know that there are many people praying for me back home. I feel your prayers surrounding me daily. You have no idea how much it truly means to me.
• #27 Clean house. - There's nothing I like more than to sit down at the end of a long day and enjoy a freshly mopped floor, the smell of Pledge on my tables, and a clean bathroom sink. Things here seem to get dirtier 3 times faster than my apartment in the States. I guess that's an effect of living on the side of a dust covered mountain.
• #28 Student comments that make me laugh and the opportunity to share my faith with 4th grade students. - See #11. Not a day goes by that my students don't give me a reason to laugh. Even when they disobey, there's something to smile about at the end of the day. It was also a blessing to be able to openly share my faith and beliefs with fourth graders today as they are studying world religions and the teacher asked me to speak about Christianity. 
• #29 Opportunity to live in Peru. - I'm thankful to live in a country where daily I am humbled by how "rich" I am; I am learning to live with less, bless others with the things God has given me, and be grateful for what I do have without complaining about what I don't. 
• #30 1 month of officially being Javier's girlfriend (even though we technically began dating in early September) & only 3 weeks until I go home. - I have never met someone who makes me laugh so much, makes me feel beautiful even when I feel ugly, and calls me daily just to see how I am. I'm excited, also, to have 5 weeks at home to spend with my family who I miss so very much, catch up with friends I haven't seen in a while, drive a car rather than being driven everywhere, and enjoy a bit of "normality" for a while. Now if only Javier were going home with me...

There you have it folks. My 30 days of Thanksgiving all typed out for you. I hope as you read through these that you, too, were able to feel a sense of gratitude for the blessings (big and small) that you have in your life. We truly are blessed beyond our comprehension. From the pillow you lay your head on at night to the food you have on your table, and all of the extra luxuries that surround you every day you my friend are blessed. Never forget, not even for a moment, that Christ loves you, and He has given you abundantly more than you will ever need in this lifetime. There are people dying in this world each day from hunger, pain, and lack of appropriate resources. Count your blessings, and give thanks to Him from whom those blessings flow.