Happy Thanksgiving! (by Thom)

Happy Thanksgiving! Although the holiday doesn't exist in Mali, the other missionaries and us celebrated today with a (scrawny) turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes and the works. It was a neat time of fellowship and, keeping with many Americans' tradition, we all shared what we're thankful for. I personally am grateful for the many changes in our lives this year which culminated with our arrive in Bamako, Mali. The Lord has been gracious and abundant in our lives! Amanda shared how thankful for the strength of the Lord to be able to go shopping in the African markets and to drive here on the busy streets. She didn't think she'd be able to do those things at first, but she's doing quite well at them now.
It was a slightly unusual Thanksgiving dinner we had: of the 13 people, only 4 were Americans. We also celebrated with 4 Dutch, a couple from Costa Rica and Chile (and their 2 children), and a woman from Nicaragua. Everybody spoke some French and most, but not all, spoke English. There's something strange about celebrating Thanksgiving while speaking French! We were definitely all thankful for the strong bonds of friendship and fellowship we enjoy in the body of Christ, which crosses all language barriers.
We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and with the upcoming Christmas season (which also doesn't exist here) we'll be sure to keep you updated on our lives in Mali.