Thanksgiving, Part 1

For the second year in a row, I celebrated Thanksgiving Day in South Africa. Since South Africans have no reason to celebrate the first harvest in America, the holiday goes by unnoticed by most people around here. But thanks to Mike and Pam Talley, Living Hope’s volunteer coordinators, all of the American volunteers (along with a few from Canada and Australia) get the day off from work and gather for a traditional feast of turkey with all the fixings.

It’s nice to enjoy a taste of home during such a uniquely American holiday. We even had football – the Talleys had recorded Monday night’s game between the Titans and the Texans – and after-dinner naps. Like all of my colleagues here, I miss home at times, but I’m thankful for the opportunity to serve God in Cape Town. A few other things I’m grateful for are:

• God’s love and grace
• My mother
• My friends, both American and South African
• The prayers, encouragement and financial support of friends, relatives and my church family back home
• Ample clothing, food and shelter
• The fact that I am thousands of miles away from the commercial madness of after-Thanksgiving sales