Happy Thanksgiving

SIM team, plus us, the wanna-bes.

We celebrated Thanksgiving today.  Yes, Thanksgiving in February.  You see, we had this plan in place to have a Thanksgiving dinner with our old SIM team and then political crisis happened and we all fled the country.  We actually ran into all our team members at the airport as we shot off in different directions that November day, so it felt kinda special, but with an eerie fear surrounding it all and breath held until those planes left the ground.

So, now that we're all back, we decided it was time to give thanks!  Let me just say how incredibly grateful I am for this team.  One special family was missing tonight because they are on home assignment and one family has come in since we transferred missions, but they have also become dear friends.  Getting together with families who have a history in Bolivia and with us is nothing to sneeze at.  Many of these people have walked with us through miscarriage, through loss, through burn-out, through adoption, through house-building and all the challenges of living overseas in a different culture.  They have prayed with us, cried with us, laughed (a lot!) with us and given us wise and loving advice along the way.  There will always be a very treasured place in my heart for this community of people who are still here, faithfully living out the call God has put on each of their families.

We gathered together after church this morning and so began a time of beauty and richness with people who know us well.  The kids immediately went off to play, the young ones who are no longer kids but not quite adults (my eldest was a part of this group today!) sat down to play a rousing game of cards.  The adults got busy in the kitchen and busy running their mouths.  We ate delicious food and then we gathered to worship.  We read verses about the Lord fighting our battles, about being still while He does the work, about being our fortress and no enemy prevailing against us.  Each of us had a new and more concrete way of interpreting and appreciating these verses.  We sang worship in between Scripture and we shared testimonies of God's faithfulness during the turmoil in November.  All of us had stories of fearful escape- times when we weren't sure how the Lord would get us to the airport safely and all we could do was plead.  Some made it only minutes before transportation shut down.  Some made it walking with kids through violent mobs and praying.  We made it while riding nervously in a taxi in the wee hours of the morning, through stragglers armed with metal rods and whips, while praying.  Others were escorted by angels.  All of us felt unsafe in our homes but more connected to our neighbors.  Each of us saw the desperation of nonbelievers and their heart-felt cry that the Lord would reach out and rescue...despite not really knowing Him.  And each one of us felt the pride of a nation both on its knees and out in the streets to seek justice and democracy for the good of the next generation, and the present.  God spoke to every heart in a unique way during that time.  Despite the moments of terror, we all knew God was present and we've seen the way only He can bring beauty from ashes and redemption from deep sin. 

Kid's table.

After sharing, it was game time!  Man, woman and child participated in a loud and fast game of Bunko (renamed "Waliki", which means "good" in Aymara).  Then, we all ran out into the rain and drove off in our separate directions with full tummies and full hearts.