Thanksgiving is great; you get to have family over, stuff your face with great food, share what God has done, gain 20lbs of chub for winter weather, and give thanks! It’s a wonderful holiday to reflect what God has done over the past year and share those blessings with others.
Here in Asia, we got to throw two thanksgiving parties for our friends. We played games, made mashed potatoes, and other American dishes to pass around. One of the guys that came to the party was absolutely thrilled to try American potatoes and continued to chatter about how wonderful it tasted, looked, and how he had never seen potatoes that color before. It was such a blessing to see our friends glow with joy that they were at an American Thanksgiving party. We played pin the feather on the turkey and apple bobbing. It really was a blast!
In the middle of the party, we all sat down and shared what we all were thankful for. It was a great opportunity to share God’s gift to us and the impact it had on our lives. We shared testimonies and a brief invitation to the Gospel. There were students at the edge of their seat and later those students asked questions about what we shared. It is so amazing how God works through such simple settings and conversation.
I really don’t know what I am doing half the time. Sometimes it feels a lot like apple bobbing. You just dive right in, blind, and everything seems to be above your head and impossible to reach. Each of us have to be so dependent on God because He is our source for everything. God has been so faithful to speak plainly to me in this season. He gives me the words, setting, time and place for every person I meet. It is only by His grace that I am equipped for each meeting, party, and one-on-one conversation with the people I have met here.