I have to tell all of you that for months now, I’ve thought that this holiday would be lonely and hard for us. This, however, is turning instead into the first thing I am thankful for. Last night, as we went to bed, I told Dave that I feel excited about Thanksgiving. It’s turning out to really feel like a holiday. This is helped by the fact that the whole afternoon, yesterday, was spent in preparations for today. Last night I made an apple pie, biscuit dough, and cut the bread up into cubes for the stuffing.

Indeed, our blessings here feeling glaringly evident when we look around us, and in this way, we seem to have more to be thankful for here, than we would at home in the land of gluttony.

I am thankful for the people who will share our table with us today. Jeremy, who has truly become one of our new best friends. He is so crazy, and silly, and we love him so much. Dan Ligon full of fatherly wisdom. Lidia, who is sad to be leaving us in a few weeks to return home to El Salvador. She empitomizes a heart for service in missions. And Gisella, whose birthday is today. We will be having our Thanksgiving dinner at lunch and tacos this evening in honor of her. The good food just keeps coming.

I am thankful for the adventure of being the woman in charge around here. This is the first feast that has been compeltely up to me. I currently have three chickens in the oven. I will baste them with a honey glaze in 10 minutes. I have also started the home made stuffing that will go in the oven when the chickens come out. We will have mash potatoes, buscuits, gravy, cranberry sauce, green beans, and pie for desert. It’s been very fun to plan the menu.

We are also very thankful for all of you who love us are care enough about us to check in on us like you are right now. Your prayers and your love have gotten us to this point and really keep us going. We are sad to be away from our families today, but we are so thankful to the Lord for the path of adventure that he has us on. We would have it no other way.