Happy Thanksgiving! Bring on Christmas

And so it was for us, thanks in no small part to our generous new friends who allowed us to join their groups full-on feast. We were somewhat sad because it certainly didn't feel like Thanksgiving here since we had class and it's 80+ degrees, but our spirits lifted when we got the invitation to join about 5 other American families with lots of kids and lots of traditional American dishes including: ham, chicken, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, apple sauce, homemade apple pie and chocolate cake!! We are truly thankful, not just for this feast that tasted so good, but also just for one more sign of God's provision and care for us. We pray that we and you may continually dwell with a sense of deep gratitude in our hearts for all we have been given.

We couldn't race out to the stores at 3am Friday, but at least we could start putting up our Christmas decorations (not at 3am though). Melinda cleverly packed a tiny artificial tree and our burlap Advent calendar along with some candles for an Advent wreath and our stockings. We're decking our guesthouse in an attempt to make it feel as homey as possible. We were listening to James Taylor's Christmas album while decorating yesterday and were thankful for the power that music and tradition has to transform our surroundings and warm our hearts. We are excited that the church we've gone to the past few weeks will be doing some Christmas carolling on Christmas Eve. And although we will deeply miss the joy of the holidays at home, especially because of all of you, there is some consolation in hoping that the simplicity of our life here, away from all the clamor and bustle of the holiday season at home, will give us more space and time to reflect on the true meaning of this season where we celebrate the mystery and wonder of the Incarnation and look forward with longing to His return.