There is absolutely nothing other than our American calendar that reminds us that Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us. No holiday decorations in the stores, cheery Christmas tunes on the radio or Salvation Army volunteers ringing their bells. Instead of long sleeves and jackets for the cooler temperatures we are experiencing indoor temperatures of 90 degrees or higher. But even though we are a very long way from our family and the normal Thanksgiving context we were able to enjoy a pretty traditional Thanksgiving dinner with some of our co-workers.
First of all we celebrated on Saturday since Thursday was a normal work and school day here in Mozambique. Turkey was substituted by chicken, due to the high prices but we had most of the other traditional trimmings such as stuffing, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, green beans and baked corn. After dinner we enjoyed watching a football game via the internet in air conditioning. Some of us really enjoyed the game others mostly enjoyed the air conditioning. It was definitely a special treat. For dessert we enjoyed apple and pumpkin (squash) pies, banana bread and of course coffee. Don’t get me wrong…we are not longing to be back in the US but it is always nice to experience a little bit of “home” now and again.
No matter where or how we celebrate Thanksgiving, it is always profitable to pause and consider all the things we are thankful for. Especially during the season of “Wish Lists”. This time last year we were only “dreaming” about being in Mozambique and had no idea if it would turn into reality. We are very thankful for all the Lord did to make it all happen and for the way He has sustained us these past four months.
One huge blessing this year is being able to finally settle into one place for a while. We have been playing musical homes since we left Missouri in May. It is nice to be able to settle in for the next couple of years. We are thankful for the space which allows Lisa to have a craft room and a guest room for anyone that would like to come for a visit. We are thankful for being in the part of the city that gets water consistently after being in places where we were excited when water came in more than once a week. Of course when the electricity goes off our electric pump can’t get the water to us but so far that has not been too much of a problem.
As far as ministry goes, we are thankful that Lisa has been able to slowly get back into language learning and I am very thankful for co-workers who continue to do a good job of training me in the office. I will pretty much be in charge of everything that goes on in the office next month. It is pretty amazing that our “dream” is quickly becoming a reality and even though we still have a lot to learn and still do not know all the ways He wants to use us here in ministry we are thankful for the opportunity to be used of Him.