Thankful

I'll admit it, I woke up this morning feeling a little sad, that it was Thanksgiving and I was far away from my family and not really gonna have a fun and exciting day to make up for what I am missing today. I did hospital rounds this morning and we are going to have a Thanksgiving dinner tonight with the missionaries, but other than that it's just been a pretty boring, hot day here in Ghana. And before you ask how people in Ghana celebrate Thanksgiving, remember that this American holiday isn't celebrated here. :) After feeling sad for a while, God started to speak to my heart and show me all I really do have to be thankful for. Every Thanksgiving, my Aunt Joan always has everyone pick out 3 corn kernels and say 3 things we are thankful for. And although I'm not with them and don't have any kernels, I still want to think about all the things I have to be thankful for today. What am I most thankful for this Thanksgiving here in Africa? First of all, I am thankful to be alive – to have life, to be able to experience both joy and pain. How often I take my life for granted and how much I have been reminded here that life is merely a vapor. I am also thankful to know God and to be His child. I can't imagine how my life would be if I didn't know Him and the Life He has given me. I am thankful that God exists and that He doesn't just exist, but that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to the world to live and die, so that I might be able to know Him and have a relationship with Him. What a gift! I am also thankful for my family and friends, that love me and continue to encourage me and support me on all my adventures, even though they miss me when I am gone. I love you guys and am so blessed! I am thankful for the experiences that God has given me, to see so much of the world, to be able to make a small difference and to be forever changed by what I have seen and done. I am thankful that this journey is one I do not travel alone, but that God is with me every step of the way and that He leads me and fills me with His peace and presence. I will still miss being with my family today & hanging out with people I love at Thanksgiving dinner and wish that I could eat Nanny's dressing, Mom's pumpkin pie and Aunt Joan's Strawberry Pretzel Salad, but today I feel thankful for all that God has blessed me with! I pray that each of you has a blessed and “thankful” Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving!!