A Thai Thanksgiving

      A couple days before Thanksgiving, two more of our teammates arrived from the States – Kyle and Cindi Tumberg! They brought lots of goodies – treats for me and the kids, Ener-G Baking Powder, guar gum, multiplication flash cards (yay!!!), and cranberry sauce! Yesterday we all kept busy – the boys and I polished their slideshow presentation about the history of Thanksgiving and made a cute centerpiece for the table with bubble letters that said “Give Thanks”. When Alicia and Cindi got back from their Thai language class that afternoon, they set to work making mashed potatoes, tofu and stuffing, green beans, and pecan pie. Of course we had to add an Asian touch, so there was also a bowl of rice, and a dish of lettuce leaves (apparently they eat them plain like that with their meals).  I made coconut whipped topping for the pie.

     We had such a nice time with our dinner guests. Alicia and Ricardo had invited 4 of their classmates from the language school, along with Kyle and Cindi, so we had 11 people total. Many of them had never experienced a real Thanksgiving celebration before, so we had fun explaining to them what it’s all about, and the boys did an excellent job on their presentation! We also enjoyed a number of special music selections – one Chinese lady sang a Christian Chinese song for us, then Gabriel played some Chopin on the piano, and Daniel followed with Vivaldi on the violin. We also had provided little cards for each person to write down what they were thankful for. They seemed to really enjoy our little celebration.

     Homeschooling has been going fairly well. I thank God every day for getting me through, because I know that my “success” has nothing to do with me! I feel so ignorant and helpless much of the time, but God always gives me the wisdom I need at just the right moments. A few weeks ago, we called a family council in which I shared some of my goals for the boys, as well as for myself, and we talked about how we could help each other make those things happen. It went really well, and I’ve already been seeing some progress in the areas we talked about!

     One huge item on my Thanksgiving list is the response I’ve received from many of you regarding our need for books! We’ve already received a small parcel and a box so far, and you should have seen the excitement as we tore open that box! J Shouts of exclamation and “oohs” and “ahhs” filled the air as we pulled out book after book, colored pencils, granola bars, and other little goodies. It’s been like Christmas in November. J Thank you from all of us! We’ve already read several, and look forward to reading more!

     Again, I wish my computer would cooperate so I could show you the pictures we took last weekend. We all took a trip to Sorin to visit the Sorensons, another missionary family. It just so happened that our trip coincided with the Elephant Festival, so we got to see the elephants do all sorts of tricks, and some of us participated! Gabriel and his dad volunteered to lie down while the elephants stepped over them and gently tapped their behinds with their giant feet, and nudged them with their trunks. The boys persuaded me to join in the game of tug-of-war against one of the elephants. (Of course, the elephant won easily.) Afterwards, we fed the elephants and went for a ride in a chair on an elephant’s back. As soon as I can get some pictures from Alicia, I’ll upload them for you! It was rather scary tramping through the streets, dodging elephants left and right! But super fun. I wouldn’t have missed it. J

     I hope and pray all of you have had a blessed Thanksgiving! You each are a blessing to me. I appreciate your encouragement and support more than you can imagine. Whenever I start to feel discouraged or overwhelmed, it’s such a comfort to remember that I have not just one or two, but a whole team of friends praying for me every day! Thank you.