Thanksgiving

The weeks are flying by. It has already been two months which means only about eight to go. That sounds like nothing. It's making me realize more and more that I need to take advantage of this time here because I want to make the most of it. It's nice because the homesickness isn't as bad (maybe because last Monday I skyped with my Mom for two hours (and Carissa a little bit before she left for school), skyped Aaron for about five minutes before he headed off to class, messaged Amanda back and forth for a little, skyping Adrienne for a bit before we lost connection, and talked to my Grammy for awhile and got to hear about her trip in South Africa (unfortunately it didn't work for us to meet up). It felt good to hear from home and hear the voices of my family and it got the week off to a good start.
I received the verse Ephesians 6:7-8 from my Dad, "Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free." This is a good reminder for the year, even when it seems like I'm not doing much or I'm tired or frustrated, if I need to remember that I gave this to God and that I am here to serve others, but ultimately, Him. The Jesus Calling for Thursday, October 31 was one that spoke to me also about serving, "Learn to listen to Me even while you are listening to other people. As they open their souls to your scrutiny, you are on holy ground. You need the help of my Spirit to respond appropriately. Ask Him to think through you, live through you, love through you. My own being is alive within you in the Person of the Holy Spirit. If you respond to others' needs through your unaided thought processes, you offer them dry crumbs. When the Spirit empowers your listening and speaking, My streams of living water flow through you to other people. Be a channel of My Love, Joy, and Peace by listening to Me as you listen to others." I like this because it talks about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into others' lives when we learn to listen and obey what it is telling us. It is a constant guide for us to follow and then we can bless others.
Then Friday's and Saturday's Jesus Callings I also loved but Friday's felt as though it was written specifically for me for the things that I have been struggling with: "Do not be discouraged by the difficulty of keeping your focus on Me. I know that your heart's desire is to be aware of My Presence continually. This is a lofty goal; you aim toward it but never fully achieve it in this life. Don't let feelings of failure weigh you down. Instead, try to see yourself as I see you. First of all, I am delighted by your deep desire to walk closely with me through your life. I am pleased each time you initiate communication with Me. In addition, I notice the progress you have made since you first resolved to live in My Presence.
When you realize that your mind has wandered away from Me, don't be alarmed or surprised. You live in a world that has been rigged to distract you. Each time you plow your way through the massive distractions to communicate with Me, you achieve a victory. Rejoice in these tiny triumphs, and they will increasingly light up your days." I easily get distracted and I bring myself down, thinking that I am a terrible Christian and that I should have this great passion that nothing can pull me away from God, but I have to work to that point. The more that I push through the distractions and away from the world, the easier it will get for me to automatically talk to God throughout the day and spend time with Him. God does not punish us for being human, He instead waits for us and will never give up on us.
So this week was filled with great devotional times, buying and eating the biggest slice of chocolate cake that I have ever seen for only $1.50, acting as a bride (the main part) in a skit at youth group Wednesday night - I still don't know how I ended up doing that when I hate acting, driving in my first hail storm, holding a bird for the first time of my own free will (for those of you who don't know I hate birds because of numerous awful stories), taking someone to the gas station because they needed to fill up bottles after they ran out, getting put in charge of planning a trip to Durban for the older kids that will hopefully fit in our budget (which I don't understand because I have only been here for two months and haven't got the slightest clue in how to even plan a trip like this in the U.S., watching Diwali fireworks, and celebrating Thanksgiving on Saturday.
Thanksgiving was definitely the highlight of my week. We met at Andrew and Karen's house for a breakfast of baked oatmeal (which we downed) before spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing a bit, going on a walk, and then preparing a Thanksgiving meal. My contribution was pretzel jello salad which turned out to be a hit after many skeptical comments. The other aspects of the meal were the turkey obviously - it may have been the best turkey I have even eaten - cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, Appletizer, Peartizer, and then later for dessert roibos tea, pumpkin dessert, and shoofly pie. It was maybe my favorite Thanksgiving because I enjoyed the food like never before since it reminded me of home; and the people I celebrated it with have become part of my family. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for and God has blessed me more than I could ever put into words. Psalm 116:7 says, "Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord has been good to you." He has; I hope that is something that I will never forget.