Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving (celebrated on Friday)

Per tradition, with the passing of the US holiday of Thanksgiving, we will take a space in our blog to reflect upon the many things we are thankful for this year.  And this year, especially we are thankful for the reminder to be thankful.  It is easy, with each day’s troubles, with task upon task, with one day flowing into the next, to lose track of the prayers that have been answered, that the growth that has occurred, the changes among us that we’ve simply missed because we stand to close to it all.  Giving thanks pulls us back from that place for a moment, and helps us to find some perspective.  We take a breath and rest for a moment and reflect and discover, as we take another look at the familiar, that there is much to be thankful for.  And so this year, we find ourselves giving thanks for some of the less perceptible things, and yet still greatly worth giving thanks for.  Things like, faithfulness in daily tasks, steady and persistent growth, and hopes for the future.

Boys help make the mashed potatoes

There have been many times this year when we’ve felt like we have been doing little that is new.  Classes, visits, studies, school, team days, prayer, local events, meals, chores.  All of these things are our regular tasks.  There is little glorious in them.  And yet, we have much to be thankful for when we look more closely.  Our steady and regular presence has meant that we have deepened relationships with many people this year, allowing us to speak into the lives of people we’ve known a long time and people we are just getting to know.  We have seen our kids grow far more comfortable at school and with their friendships there.  And though our work has been the same it has not bee without improvement, as we have been revising along the way and improving the things we have.  Some of the events and meals we have shared this year have been truly things to be thankful for, despite their traditional appearance, they are a mark of fellowship among the island body that are reasons for rejoicing.

This has been a year of steady and persistent growth.  Sometimes growth comes in leaps and bounds.  Sometimes it happens suddenly, and sometimes it happens without our perceiving it.  Now as we step back and think about this year, we realize that we should be thankful for this growth that we’ve seen.  Children are often the easiest ways to mark growth, and we are thankful for all the growing and learning our kids have been doing this year.  We also see growth in ourselves.  Our team may have been small but our studies together and the trials we have faced have helped us to grow in self-understanding, compassion, surrender to the Holy Spirit and hospitality.  We may be most thankful for the strong and steady growth we’ve seen among the island body this year.  We’ve seen leaders growing in wisdom and strength, we’ve seen new people come to understanding and acceptance, and we’ve seen households open their homes for gatherings.  We’ve seen the body grow in maturity as brothers offer to help other brothers in need on a monthly basis, as they deal with disciplinary issues, as they create new traditions for celebrating their new identity.  None of it it is explosive change, but steady signs of maturity and life that we are thankful for.

No cranberry sauce, so mango chutney!

Finally, we are thankful for hopes for the future.  We have two veteran teammates joining us in January and February. We have the hope of new workers and a new team on our island. We have the hope of our group moving into medical work. We have the hope that our island brothers and sister will continue to grow with whole families joining in and entire neighborhoods and villages being impacted. Through the encouragements of this year we can glimpse a bright and promised future and we have hope! So as we begin this week of Advent we are thankful for the hope we have and the One who gives it to us.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Tom and our son were sick over the weekend but we are thankful that they seem to be feeling better and it was a short-lived illness. We were thankful for the technology that allowed us to chat with family in MA and CA on Thanksgiving. We’re thankful that our little neighbor is doing much better, she spent a day and night at the hospital on oxygen and has some medicine now. We are praying with them for guidance and the opportunity for seeking a longterm solution for her breathing problems. Our former teammate arrived safely on the islands! Some island brothers and sisters have formed a group to help each other meet financial needs, may it be a blessing!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for our youngest son (7 yrs). The schools here are doing exams this week and it has revealed a lot of stress and anxiety he has about not understanding completely at school. It is all done in French and language doesn’t come easily to him. Unfortunately the teachers are not known for being patient or compassionate, so please pray that he would be comforted and encouraged and that we would know how to best support him. Our older two have exams too, but don’t seem overwhelmed, though we appreciate prayers for them too. Pray for our former teammate as he spends the week here that he would gain good insight for how his family should proceed. Our other former teammates (who now live on the French island) will come on Friday to spend the weekend so we will have a partial reunion of our old team— pray that it would be encouraging break for them as life and work on the French island is challenging and there aren’t many other workers there. Pray for our island brothers and sisters as they think about how to mark the holidays this month, may it be a meaningful time for them.