Zamathokozo (Thanksgiving)

Celebrating Thanksgiving in this setting is going to be an experience that I won't forget.

I know they are chickens... but it's the closest I'm gonna get!!

Of course, they don't celebrate this wonderful holiday in Malawi (or anywhere else in the world on the day that we do... just in case no one has told you that yet. I was pretty old before I knew that, so don't feel bad).

Maybe this year I will actually stop and take this special Thursday seriously.

Each year for me, the "thankfulness" aspect is always a little overshadowed by the super abundance of food (which I would love to wrap my mouth around right now). But, it seems like the majority of us kind of loose sight of what it's about. It's sadder still that most of us fail to be thankful every other day of the year for the amazing blessings we enjoy every hour of every day.

This year, I'm thankful for...

My Education...
This is something that I think every person in the West takes for granted. It's sad that because we are so sheltered from the rest of the world, we fail to see what an incredible thing it is to have an abundance of education literally at our finger tips. We are without excuse.

My heart breaks each time I talk to someone here that would give anything to be able to get a secondary school education. I don't think I ever realized how enabling an education is for someone... and how disabling the lack of can be.

I'm not sure why God chose to bless me the way He has with this, but for that, I am Thankful!

My Family, Friends and Supporters back home...
I have been blessed more in the last few months of my life than I have in a long time by people back home. From letters of encouragement, to care packages, to stories about how my experiences are effecting people around the world... I have been blessed! It is amazing to see how God can work in such amazing ways.

The Simple Things in life...
I'm thankful for things like Silence. For knowing what it feels like to go to bed in a village as soon as the sun goes down, because there is just nothing else to do once the light is below the horizon... and then waking up as soon as that light comes back up on the other side of the earth.

For showers from a bucket at 5:30 a.m. that wash all the sweat and dirt from the previous night away through the transparent reed walls that surround me.

For sitting around the porch with friends watching the rain flood our yard (and house in my case) on cold afternoons.

For learning how to cook from scratch all by myself... and after spending a few hours over the stove, to sit down and enjoy a meal in the solitude of my living room.

My Health...
While watching countless numbers of people wasting away in front of me... coughing uncontrollably... hungry... in pain... you realize really quick how fortunate you are to wake up each morning with a clean bill of health.

Even more... I have been here for 2-1/2 months, and have yet to have as much as a little stomach virus! That is just way more than a blessing!

Food Security...
I'm thankful that even here, I have all the food that I could ever need. I have never lived a day of my life in want of food.

I'm also thankful for food variety. I never realized how much of a blessing it is to grow up with the ability to taste foods from all over the world. The majority of people around the world eat the same "staple food" day in and day out, every day of their lives. It is a foreign concept to think about eating something different every day of the week.

Communications...
I'm thankful that with the click of a mouse or the ring of a phone, I can be in contact with the people I love in an instant! Just a few years ago, this wasn't possible for people moving to a place like Malawi. It definitely makes life much better when you are away from people for so long.


So... this year, I want to actually be thankful to the One that supplies me with more than I could ever imagine. I want to recognize not only the big things, but the little ones as well. I want to give glory and honor where it's due.

So, I take time to just sit back and remember and laugh and praise God for being so good!

It is well
Moyowo
With my soul
Ngwabwino
It is well, it is well with my soul!
Moyo wango ulitu bwino!

Happy Thanksgiving!!