A Reflection of Things Thankful For

Thanksgiving has always been a time of remembering the things we are thankful for. This year was my second year away from my family during this holiday. Thankfully (no pun intended), I was able to spend yesterday with a part of my team here in Bolivia: Trent, his wife Kay, and Cristian, a Costa Rican who recently joined our team. Kay really went all out yesterday to make it feel like a real Thanksgiving for us (to everyone else down here it was just a normal day, and it felt kind of strange). We had an oven cooked turkey, homemade mashed potatoes, creamed corn, homemade biscuits, homemade gravy, deviled eggs, and a fruit salad. Oh yeah, and to finish it off we had homemade apple pie with ice cream! We even decorated their fake Christmas tree after dinner. It was a great day! I’m still full as I write this blog this morning, the next day…
I guess yesterday was a time of reflection for me of the things I’m thankful for. I came to a realization as well; what I’m thankful for this year is for far simpler things than in the past. I don’t possess the earthy things that I would usually say I’m thankful to have. No car (donkeys don´t count), no house/apartment of my own, no latest gadgets-like a washing machine. What I am thankful for is my health (which has been varying recently), my family (even though they are thousands of miles away, they always make sure I know they love me), my friends here who have become like family, and for my LORD, who has provided for me so many different times while I was in the communities and now that it’s difficult to remember all of them. One of the biggest realizations I came to was that our God could take all of those away, and I would still be thankful for Him.
I will end this with three quotes from a man I admire greatly, Jim Elliot:
“To the soul which has tasted of Christ, the jaunty laugh, the tempting music of mingled voices, the haunting appeal of smiling eyes-all these lack flavor. And I would drink deeply of Him.”
“In fact, those loves which we regard as closest, He told us must become as hate in comparison with our desires to uphold His cause. Grieve not, then, if your sons seem to desert you, but rejoice, rather, seeing the will of God done gladly…. Surely those who know the great, passionate heart of Jehovah must deny their own loves to share in the expression of His.”
“Job is a lesson in acceptance, not of blind resignation, but of believing acceptance, that what God does is well done.”
But a quick update before you leave! I´m currently in Cochabamba, Bolivia with Cristian so he can study Quechua at a school here. He has two more weeks of classes and then we´ll head back to Sucre for Christmas. I´ve been keeping somewhat busy doing various things for the bosses for the time being so that´s been good. Thanks for your prayers, and please keep Graham and Efrain in mind as they continue telling stories in Quchumi.