Phew!
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday to celebrate with my family. The strange tradition of going bowling with about 100 other Asians (I'm convinced that the people working at the bowling ally at 8am on Thanksgiving morning either hate us or feel sorry for us because they assume we don't know it's Thanksgiving...), eating Chicago hotdogs and appetizers at Grandma's house, watching football and taking naps, stuffing ourselves with all the traditional Thanksgiving fixings (white rice included!) and then finishing the day off with a rousing game of BINGO and ridiculous prizes. Ahh, I love it all.
So as the holiday season approached, I was quite anxious. I had already admitted defeat and was fully expecting to be depressed, lonely and sad on Thanksgiving day. (You people out there seriously need to pray for Steven... He's got one emotionally draining wife on his hands!)
But, to my surprise, being in Thailand and away from my beloved family and traditions wasn't nearly as hard as I anticipated it would be. I often wonder when I'll stop being surprised by God's goodness and gentleness with me. Last Thanksgiving, I remember sitting around the table with my whole family having just come back from our 6 weeks of training in Colorado. My emotions were high and the anticipation of leaving was more than I could handle. As it became my turn to share what I was thankful for that year, my throat closed up and I was left speechless. (I know, I was just as shocked as you are...) So many feelings were going through my heart at that moment-- being incredibly thankful and humbled by the love and support from my family, yet at the same time feeling overwhelmingly scared. Scared of what the future would look like without them and afraid my heart would only ache every holiday I was away.
Yet, as I sat at the table this Thanksgiving the fear of the unknown was gone and my heart was full. And even though I didn't get to go bowling, play Bingo, watch football or cuddle up with my grandpa for a nap, it still felt like Thanksgiving. The faces around the table were much different, but each one represented God's faithfulness to me. In less than a year, I was celebrating Thanksgiving with new family and friends. With new traditions, in a new language, making new memories. It wasn't sad at all.
It was special.
And for that I am most thankful.
Setting up for our guests
Phew, that was a lot of cooking! Turkey (bought from an American restaurant), stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, green bean casserole, cranberry jello, my mom's famous marble brownies and Pawn's pumpkin pie!
Our Thai friends had never seen a whole turkey before! And they ended up looooving it! (Now Stevo wants to start a turkey farm here... yikes.) Oh and I must shamelessly praise Steven for the awesome job he did praying and explaining the history of Thanksgiving--all in THAI! Way to go, babe!
Our guests :)
From left to right:
Joe (our neighbor), Pum (Joe's wife and my language helper), Alex (Joe & Pum's son), Pawn (our house-helper), Mind (Pawn's daughter), Boom (our Thai friend), Som (our Thai teacher), Chris (Som's boyfriend)
What a diverse group!
The women in my every day life. So very thankful for them.
Thanksgiving celebration #2 with the Hambrice family the following day!
They truly are our family here in Thailand. Don't know what we'd do without them!
Quite proud of our homemade feast
Praising God for new friends that have become very dear to us in such a short amount of time. Praising God for the intimate way in which He has cared for our every need this year. Praising God for the love poured out on us through people back at home. Praising God that we get to serve Him in a place that so desperately needs Him. And above all, praising God for choosing us--for allowing us to know Him as our mighty King, our humble Savior and our gracious Father.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
The Sauders
Your feasts look so yummy!!! Proud of you =]
ReplyDeleteA great post, and reminded me of my two Thanksgivings spent in Mexico. It certainly was my first time enjoying tequila during a Thanksgiving meal.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You really captured the feelings of dread leading up to the day and the grace of how it all worked out. Thanks for writing this, thanks for all your hard work to make it special for everyone, and thanks going through it together with me. You are the best - love you!
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