Thursday, November 28, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was our first Thanksgiving here in Uganda, and we had a great day! It was a day or cooking, playing, eating, resting, and having fun with friends!

We spent most of the day with our dear friends, the Lawsons. Jennifer cooked the turkey (It was store bought in Kampala; sorry I don't have a great story about that), and we made most of the sides together. Fruit salad with the fresh fruit here is delicious! We also made many of the traditional Thanksgiving items. (We did use a bit of food coloring to make our yellow sweet potatoes look orange.) Special thanks to Mom and Dad Fish who sent a care package so that we could enjoy some of our holiday favorite foods! Yes, that is stuffing and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top in the photo! 


On Wednesday we each made a pie in advance. Jennifer made pecan pie using the pecans Mom and Dad Fish sent; I made pumpkin pie. I started with a pumpkin, flour, shortening, eggs, milk powder and some spices and ended up with a delicious pie! In the past I had either purchased a pie at Publix or bought a can of pumpkin and a pre-made crust. I am learning much about cooking here. By the way, did you know that spaghetti sauce comes from boiled tomatoes, not just from a jar? Haha 

As we ate dinner we talked about the things we are thankful for, and about what we miss as we all were experiencing our first holiday in Uganda. We have so much for which to be thankful. I never would have imagined that God would bless us with friends who moved to Jinja the same month, with kids similar ages who have become such dear friends so quickly. It was a such blessing to be together on this Thanksgiving day. As we discussed what we miss, we said that we miss family and friends most, but by the end of the day I was thinking about how we also miss dishwashers. ;) I still vote family and friends are first, but a dishwasher might be a close second. 

As we reflect on so many people and things for which we are thankful, I have been thinking about how thankful I am that we are here. God has brought us to a place where our gifts and experience are useful to support a ministry that we are passionate about. We are so thankful for Good Shepherd's Fold and the privilege of being a part of this team here. 

As we returned to GSF campus, we heard laughter coming from next door. Many of the missionary families had gathered for another game of Dutch Blitz. We joined in the fun for a good end to a great day! Happy Thanksgiving!

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