Thanksgiving

I feel so blessed beyond words for everything God has done for us. He has given to us in abundance, and what better day than Thanksgiving to reflect on His blessings and offer Him our praise of Thanksgiving.

This Thanksgiving was different, but very special in the sense that it was my first Thanksgiving away from my parents and sisters, yet the first Thanksgiving with my husband and new family. I was able to spread out the cooking enough to where it really didn't seem like a lot of work at all. I made cranberry salad, rolls, mashes potatoes, gravy, green beans, corn pudding, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, apple and pumpkin pies and, of course, my first turkey!! We had a very special time together. We had Squanto the Indian visit us from the 1600s and be our honored guest as I shared the American traditional story of the first Thanksgiving. Inspired by my mother and sister, Natalie, I had made decorative Thanksgiving name cards for everyone and had written Bible verses of Thanksgiving inside of them. So we had a special time of going around the table and reading our Bible verses. Then, after our big banquet started to wrap up, we had a time to go around the table and share what we were thankful for. This had to have been one of the most special times of the night. Marvin and I were really encouraged to see how the Lord is at work in our midst. We talked about how we shouldn't be thankful only on Thanksgiving, but that this was a reminder to be thankful all the time.

At our church here in Laceiba, the pastor preached this past Sunday on showing our gratitude through generosity. He made the point that if we are truly thankful for someone, then we will show it to them by giving back to that person. Applying this to our relationship with God, if we are truly thankful for what He has done for us, then we will show it by giving back to Him. How can we give back to Him? He says in His word that whatever we do for the least one of these we are doing for Him. If God has given us in abundance, how can we withhold from those around us? We talked and reflected on this as a family, and my father-in-law shared about a man in the USA who started the tradition of making a big Thanksgiving meal for those who don't have the money to do one themselves. This man started that year with 300 people, and this year is up to 20,000!!

To sum up our Thanksgiving, we ended the day with my in-laws(at least those of us who still had a little room in our stomachs!) eating pumpkin pie, apple pie, and flan that Melissa had made and with gratitude in our hearts for the Lord has given us. We have so much to be grateful for! And Marvin and I ended the day with a little walk around the neighborhood, Christmas music, and Christmas decorating! Yes, the Lord is good. He has given us in abundance and is at work all around us! "Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; Tell of all His wondrous works!" Psalms 105:1-2