Thanksgiving

Holidays in Chiri are always an interesting event. With the wide variety of religions and cultures here at Lalmba, it seems every day is a holiday for someone. Yesterday, it was the Americans’ turn to have a claim to one. But we were not content to just share it with the six of us. Like Ethiopians, we wanted our table to be full of people enjoying each other’s company. We invited some Ethiopians over to introduce them to the famous thanksgiving holiday.
Annie and I spent half the day cooking up creative dishes that could be made from the local produce. We made stuffing, meatballs with a sweet and sour sauce, vegetarian meatballs, cream gravy and brown gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans with mustard sauce, and sautéed onions and bell peppers. It was not the traditional thanksgiving feast, but it was a very good one. We each talked about things we were thankful for, which mostly resulted in us thanking one another for each other. It was a sweet blend of Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Ethiopian, New Zealander, American people all enjoying each other and what we had to offer the other people.
I found I have been enriched by such variety in my life. My box that I find myself in is becoming bigger and bigger, and I can praise my God for such creativity. Although we missed our family back home this year, we still were blessed to be a part of something so extraordinary. I am thankful for this whole experience God has given me. I am thankful for my life. I am thankful for Ethiopia.

Faith