Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year I felt the need not to participate in a local ministries offer of an American Thanksgiving Dinner. Afterall, I was trying to learn life and culture in Guatemala - and in Guatemala, there isn't "Thanksgiving Day". So, I wanted to stand aside from the rest of the "Gringos" and not be so "North American".

This year, I'm going! I'm going to enjoy turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie - yes, I'm going to walk out of there full and thankful! And, I realize that in a year and a half, I'm still no less "North American" and no matter how much culture I have come to understand, I will never transform into a "Chapin". That's slang for "Guatemalan". So why not strike a healthy blance and enjoy some good Thanksgiving Dinner?

I'm thankful for many things over the last month....and....a little bit. (That's my plead for pardon for being slow on my updates - I no longer have internet in my home.)

Of all the things I'm thankful for, I'm most thankful for the privlidge of seeing Gods hand at work in the hearts of people. I'll share two people heavy on my heart tonight as I write.

One is Ana Bella. She was a lover of the Lord, church goer, had a home, a car, a good life and a family. Until she got involved in things of the world. The things of the world turned on her and a long story gone bad - she ended up in prison. She's been there sometime now, with much time left to serve. I went to visit her. My heart ached to see little old Guatemalan women all locked up. What had they done? How did they get there? Where will their life go? Does anybody love them? Had anybody ever shown the love of Christ to them? Who will love these women? I will probably never know their stories, but I got to learn a little of Ana Bella's. This woman's faith turned my eyes glassy. Over all the wrong turns she took - many her fault, some not, she was giving thanks to God. She can see His hand at work in her life, and that although she has lost everything, she recognizes that, just maybe, she has been saved from so much. I don't know when or if I will get to visit with this gal again - but I ask that you pray for Ana Bella and her heart to remain strong in the Lord. God is good and God is faithful. He's at work in North America, He's at work in Guatemala, He's at work all around the world -- but not just at work on a grand scale, but in the very inner corners of His people's hearts.

Secondly, I'm thankful for Herman. Herman, unlike Ana Bella, didn't start with much, but he still has nothing. I don't know his entire story, but what I do know, is not something that will tickle your heart and give you warm fuzzies. Herman does not have a home, he does not have a family, he does not have sufficient food to eat. God allowed my housemate and I a conversation of encouragement to Herman. I don't know about you all, I don't come from a perfect childhood or upbringing. But, there are still many great things to be thankful. One, is that I was taught by my parents to be strong, to get through hardship, to be encouraged, to be ambitious, and to take care of myself and make something of myself through effort. I couldn't just sit around and feel sorry for myself for the things that didn't go right in my youth. Do you ever wonder about the people on the streets? Where are their families? What are their stories? Has anybody ever told them to pick themselves up, press on, move forward, be strong, and take action to get to where they need to be? Has anybody ever given sincere concern? Do the people of the streets become their families and encourage them in this way? I don't have the answers either, but I venture to guess that the majority of the people reading my blog has had at least a taste of such encouragement. God opened the door for my houesmate and I to encourage this man to take action and change his life. You can pray for him as he has already taken a step forward to ask the pastor for work, to gain a little money in order to get his papers with which he can encounter work.

I'm thankful for personal things. I'm thankful to have the blessing of serving in Guatemala. I'm thankful for my supporters, for those who pray for me, for those who encourage me. I'm thankful for food on the table three times a day. I'm thankful for my car, my comfortable and safe home. But, most of all, I'm thankful to have the privlidge to see Gods hand at work in the hearts of His created people and to have the privlidge to be a part of it!