Thanksgiving in Haiti

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. For my mom and me, it typically starts the night before while listening to Aretha Franklin and making pies (my mom makes the pies and I get stuck with the not-so-glamorous cranberry sauce and salad). Being in Haiti during the holiday wasn't something I was looking forward to because it just wasn't going to be my mom's homemade noodles, with my own family, in my sweatpants. Luckily, Thanksgiving was celebrated in Haiti, and I couldn't asked for a better group of people to be around for my favorite day of the year. The long term missionaries up at Grace Village (there are 11 of us now) drove down to the guesthouse and joined Elisa, her family, and the Nelson family for the feast. By the time Jean finished inviting some last minute guests, I think there were 35 people around the table. The food was great and we had the tradition spread - turkey, stuffing, cranberry and pumpkin flavored items, etc. Elisa's family brought the games and we ended the day with several rounds of Turkey Bingo (gobble gobble). With full bellies, and bags full our bingo loot, we headed back to Grace Village. This is the part where we were reminded that we were still in Haiti. The drive is typically 30 - 40 minutes but on this night there was a traffic jam extending our drive an addition 90 minutes. We were stuck at an intersection, sandwiched between trucks and buses, and inhaling diesel fumes for over an hour. Not just fumes - black clouds of exhaust. Happy Thanksgiving.

So what I am I thankful for? Well, surviving that drive was a great end to the day! In all seriousness, I am thankful to serve alongside some very awesome people. I am thankful we were able to come together as a family on Thanksgiving and share delicious food and good conversation. I am thankful for butter - real butter - as it is delicious (I don't eat it and I miss it). I am thankful for my friends and family in the U.S. who remind me everyday how much they love and miss me. I am thankful for FaceTime, Skype, email, computers, and the ability to stay connected to people even though we're miles away. I am thankful for this opportunity in Haiti which continues to stretch me everyday. I am thankful for Salomon, Franck, and Isaac who are running the farm and doing a great job. I am thankful for the Haitian heat and sun - it may make eating hot food difficult, but in a few weeks when I'm surround by snow, I think I'll miss sweating. I am thankful for my health and safety. Most importantly, I am thankful for the outpouring of support I have received this year - donations, prayers, well wishes, keeping in touch, following my blog - I am overwhelmed by it all...so, thank you!

The table goes on for days