Thanksgiving

A quick break down of the super seven (girls I room with) and where they are from:

Lydia & Kirsten: Holland

Kate: England

Michelle: Brazil

Zanda: Latvia

Heidi and I: Canada

So, the vast majority of those I'm amongst do not have a holiday called Thanksgiving.

Right now in Belo Horizonte, it is spring. The flowers were out in full bloom, the temperature has fluctuated in three days from 38 degrees down to 20, and everything is becoming green.

Back home though, it is turning colder, and the air is getting that awesome crispness, and the leaves are changing. Trish and Grady flew in this week for a two week visit at Mom's and Sean, Ellen and Daya are coming next weekend. This is what I miss: sitting with Trish and Ellen and Mim in front of the fireplace with tea and cookies, watching the babes play together. I really miss going outside in the morning with a hot coffee and seeing my mom in her plaid coat, rake in hand, burning the fall leaves. I miss my brothers cooking up a storm in the kitchen and carving the turkey, looking so much like Dad. I miss Dad's stuffing. We still have the stuffing, but I miss Dad.

In Brazil though today, it is Children’s Day, a big holiday here. So, instead of having Thanksgiving, our class went to the slums. This is a big slum of 70 000 people. During the week, we had prepared a 90 minute presentation for the kids. We decorated the area with balloons and had puppets, bubbles and candy bags. The main part of the presentation was a modern day version of the Prodigal Son, where the main character leaves his home to go live on the streets. We also had short mimes by a clown, and an activity afterward. I was part of the team that dressed up with face paint and went into the slums to get the kids. Our team walked around with noisemakers and blowing bubbles. It was an incredible experience, going to the doors of the homes and along the alleys to invite the kids. One little girl that was in my group had open sores on her face. Altogether, 135 children attended. The thing that continues to strike me during my time here is that no matter the ‘Child At Risk’ Category we are working with (teen mom, deaf, ex-street child, living in slums), children are children. Most of these kids live in families where their father (if they know who they are), are drug traffickers, and the women in their lives are prostitutes. Gang violence is a regular part of life and for many of them, this is what they see as a reality for their future too. You would think that they would be beyond our activities. I mean, it even made me a little nervous going into the slums. I thought, ‘What are these kids going to be like?’ We get such a picture of hardened kids, which is part of the truth. Yet unbelievably, they were still are in awe of clusters of bright balloons and clowns with funny faces, maybe even more so because its such a rare thing for them. These are pure characteristics of children; awe, faith, zeal, the ones that God intended for every child to experience every day, not just on a holiday once a year.

So, this year, I am extra thankful for my family. Family is the most basic, intimate unit on earth. Really, if every family was able to take care of its own members, the vast majority of ministries would not exist. They simply wouldn’t have enough work. So, while I miss my family today, I know I’m only here simply because I am lucky enough to have them as a family, and because God wants me to stand in the gap for all of the children that are not able to be thankful for theirs today. I love you Fam! Your love continues on here through me, reaching out to these children...