Thanksgiving thoughts...

Some days are just plain hard here. Today has been one of those days. Hard in the sense that I am tired (mostly due to the fact that termites invaded my bedroom late into the night) & that makes me miss home more than most days...and Thanksgiving is almost here. Yes, we are celebrating it here & will actually have a turkey (I think). But it is not the same (obviously). It's very hot here and there are no familiar sights, sounds or smells that you associate with the upcoming holidays. I am almost a month away from coming home at Christmas. I am trying to contain my excitement~ I am ready to see my boyfriend, family & friends though! It's really amazing how much you miss the 'little' things. I hope that I will come back to the states with the eyes & enthusiasm of a little child who gets excited about the smallest things. I want to see things in a fresh, new way. I've realized that I have taken ALOT for granted. Today as I watched an animated film about the "First Thanksgiving" with my 2nd graders & explained to them why Americans celebrate this holiday, I learned something too. I realized (for the 1st time I think) the sacrifice the Pilgrims made to come to a new land. Their bravery & courage to journey to an unknown place, not knowing what was in store for them. The faith they must of had to leave their homes & all they knew to travel across the ocean to a new place. I asked myself if I would have gotten on that ship with them...would I have survived that first winter when over half of them died? They were seeking freedom to worship God. How strong their faith was to God that they would risk everything to find a land where they could worship freely! I can't imagine. I don't know if I would have gotten on that boat...

And then I think of where I am today. I'm in Africa. I got on "that boat", my boat. I left everything behind me, my incredible relationships: Steven, my family, my friends. I left comfort, familiarity, independence & in some ways even my freedom. I know it is not even close to the same as what the Pilgrims faced & endured, but you get my point I hope. One of the things that kept playing in my head over and over and over and over when I was deciding to come here was something my pastor at Antioch said...

"What would you do if you had no fear? God will be with you, I don't know what's going to happen but He will be with you. It may be better than you think!"

My response to that- I would go to Africa if I had no fear. I did not want to look back on my life 20, 30, 40 years down the road and regret not going to Africa because I was afraid, because I knew that by then the fears I have now would seem so insignificant. I am glad I came here. It is hard. I miss home. There are days I would get on a plane in a heart beat and go back to Texas to my loved ones. But I know that I am here for only a short time and that God brought me here for a reason(s). Why did He bring me here you might ask (I do everyday)? The obvious reason is because they needed a 2nd grade teacher. But that is just the surface. He brought me here to get my full attention. To get me away from all the distractions that was my life. He loves me so much that He would bring me all the way to Africa to show me that He wants to be with me. Just me & Him...on our little 'getaway'. Now why He chose Africa & not a secluded exotic island, I dunno... Why did it have to be 1/2 way around the world to one of the poorest countries in the world?? I don't know. I guess I was more distracted than I thought. God is pursuing ALL of us. He is calling you too. (I would pay attention to Him unless you want to come to Africa!!) hahaha just kidding...but seriously, He is pursuing all of us and wants our FULL attention. Are you giving it to Him? Are you spending time with Him? Do you see Him in the day to day things of life? We so often think we have to do 'big' things for God, but all He wants is for us to love Him and to love each other. To live out our daily lives for Him. He has given us SO much. We (America) are so blessed. I hope you will remember what our country stands for this Thanksgiving...back to the basics if you will. The Pilgrims gave everything they had to search for a land where they could freely worship God. Our great country was built on the foundation of God. Let us not forget where we come from, Who we belong to! I am thankful for my country and for being an American. I've never been so proud to be an American (or a Texan!) I cannot wait to step foot on our soil again.

Happy (early) Thanksgiving!



I have come to realize that the outside world does not think so highly of us Americans...we are actually not liked very much & are often poorly perceived. I have gotten some ridicule for being an American & even Texan-who some think is worse than being an American! Most of the comments are generalizations, but it still hurts to hear. I am glad to be out of my 'bubble' but it has actually made me MORE proud to be an American. Sure we have our faults, every country does...but I love the USA. It is my home & we are so very blessed. It takes me coming to Africa to realize how much God has blessed our country...sometimes we don't realize what we have until it is gone. I pray for our country and urge you to pray also. To get back to the basics...get back to God. He is what makes America so great. Amen!

(The above pictures were taken out of a children's book of prayers)