I’m at a child safety training. There is some automatic camaraderie with others at such conferences as we are all in missions and/or education with similar goals. This training is a small group of only twenty, but I wasn’t quite sure who my people were until a fellow attendee declared, “You know what I love about America? Ice!” during the first snack break. I knew she would be my people, and sure enough she works in a similar organization, used to be a mission school principal, and gets bent out of shape over grammar mistakes in published documents.
When I needed a distraction later, I started making a list of things I am loving about being on home assignment in America. Easy and delicious ice tops the list of food items, but chips and salsa, Twizzlers, clementines, frozen yogurt, and romaine lettuce are also on it. I love Thanksgiving not only for the food, but also because of the gathering. This will be the first time in ten years that I won’t be working and will be with my family on Thanksgiving. We’ll eat all the food (including turkey, which is only sometimes available and always outrageously priced in PNG) and complete a puzzle in record time, and it will be delightful.
I like elevators and pools and bedrooms where you can’t hear the birds, all of which this conference hotel has. It might not be fancy, but it’s five-star for me. I’m thankful that in America you can get anything and everything delivered. Isn’t it amazing that when I finished my book on the first day (a flight delay gave me lots of reading time and it was interesting) that fast and reliable internet meant I could just download another from my library? For free?!?
We celebrated my mother’s birthday before I came to this conference, and celebrating other family birthdays is something I look forward to while being in America. My mother’s birthday cake reminded me that I also am thankful for legal fireworks and the spectacular shows that are produced with them.
I’m thankful for Google maps, and how it frees me to explore; indeed, explore in a car that I’m allowed to drive! I love that there are medical specialists and monoclonal antibody treatments. It is a wonderful novelty to be in the same (or close) time zone as supporters. I don’t text or call in fear that I’m waking somebody up because I didn’t do my time zone math correctly.
Home assignment hasn’t gone as I expected, and yet God continues to provide abundantly for me. There is much to be thankful for.