Holidays

Thanksgiving and Christmas

This holiday season was so different than what I am used to! I missed sitting in the kitchen with my mom and sister days ahead of Thanksgiving and Christmas preparing all the yummy food and desserts . We would feast the day of with the entire family and have left overs the week after. I missed the big turkey, the chatter, and the family time. I missed the nieces and nephews running around. Things just were not the same.

With thanksgiving, we were so busy with the Children’s Home, Church, and other things plus I was sick all the time from the baby that I didn’t have the time or even feel like cooking. I wanted to so bad but just couldn’t. The day came and it just wasn’t the same, I was looking at facebook and seeing all the posts of family together and all the food. I really haven’t been homesick until this season. This is where it really hit. I a message from a missionary friend down the road asking if we were doing anything that day. We weren’t. (: So she invited us to a lunch with a bunch of other local missionaries. We went and it was so good! Finally felt like a thanksgiving with family! I didn’t know most of the people but it was the family stile gathering and food that made it feel like a thanksgiving. I am thankful for friends and changes. Although the changes are hard, I am glad I am able to spend my time here with my new family, new culture, and new ministry. I wouldn’t change that.

Christmas was different as well. I knew it would be. (: BUT, we had a huge Christmas planned for our children and workers this year due to our Christmas volunteer team and many, many donations from churches and friends in the states. Because of everyone’s hard work and generosity in the states, everyone was able to have a fabulous Christmas! We made sure that the children’s home and girl’s home had a tree that was decorated. Ivan even found us a Charlie brown Christmas tree! (: A great church service in the morning! Lots of food. All the babies, boys, girls, and children all received amazing gifts and everyone was so happy. The volunteers brought gifts for all of our workers as well. Some of them had never had a Christmas or received a gift EVER! The shouts of joy were the greatest. It was so great to see the happiness from everyone that day. We received so much that the team was not able to bring EVERYTHING on this trip but they are dispersing it to other teams that are coming to make sure it all gets here eventually. Christmas will just be spread out (: It was an exhausting but amazing Christmas with friends, family, and children.