Thanksgiving Day Celebration

HAPPY THANKSGIVING
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day despite the fact we are not in the USA and the traditional foods are not readily available to us here. Christine did an awesome job of working with what she could find. We actually did find a Turkey in a market on the other side of town. It was not available in the supermarkets here but in the open markets that are still around. The meat was definitely different than what we are used to but it was good all the same. Most likely it came from someone’s small farm in one of the surrounding villages as there is also rabbit available at this particular market. We celebrated our North American tradition with our Ukrainian family, the Sashchuks, who for those who met them, stayed with us in the summer of 05 in Ohio. They take care of us here like we are actually their family so we decided to have Thanksgiving at their apartment with Christine preparing everything. It was her first time making homemade stuffing and it was awesome. One of the big “hits” of the day was her cranberry sauce also homemade. Again not quite what we are used to but very tasty and everyone loved it. Actual cranberries that were crunchy and sour but in the sweet sauce it made for a really good flavor and the contrast made your mouth do all sorts of wild stuff! A real treat!! For me the turkey is just not the same without cranberry sauce!! Once again she saved the day. Everyone thought that the meal was a real success but if you know Christine and other cooks like her, you know they always have their doubts about how good their own cooking really is! But if you have had a meal prepared by her you know what the real truth is! I will have fond memories of this first Thanksgiving spent in Ukraine.
I would like to also add here that someone felt prompted to donate the money that it would cost for the extra expenses of the meal. I would like to publicly thank them but they would not like that, so they will remain anonymous! Believe it or not the turkey was quite expensive compared to the prices in the USA. If you spend enough at the supermarket in the USA, you almost get a free turkey. Well not here, our 6 kilo (13 lbs.) turkey cost over $20.00 dollars in US funds. And we had a Ukrainian purchase it for us so I know that we did not get ripped off because we are Americans. We weren’t even there when they bought it! So the extra money was a real blessing and we did not have to worry that we were spending tightly budgeted money! Praise the Lord, its awesome how He is always faithful and continues to use our faithful friends in our ministry here.
(David)

(Christine’s thoughts on Thanksgiving Day)
Thanksgiving is a great time of getting together with family and friends, eating a good meal and taking time to be thankful for all of the wonderful blessings in our lives. I was not looking forward to this Thanksgiving as much as I have looked forward to Thanksgivings in the past. Primarily because we are thousands of miles away from “home”, the traditional foods are not available here, and we do not have our “family” with us to celebrate. This was our first holiday out of the country. We wanted to celebrate the best we could. It has always been an important holiday for us. I wanted to make it as familiar as possible, but God did not want this Thanksgiving to be familiar. As I stood with our Ukrainian friends and family to say what we were thankful for and say the blessing for the meal, I began to cry not because I was sad but because I became aware of all God has done in my life to bring me to this point. He wanted to bring me thousands of miles away from “home” without the traditional foods, and without our “family” so we could celebrate in a new way. I believe that He wanted to show me that in His mercy, love and grace, He has given us a new home, new foods, and a new family. My heart was totally overwhelmed by the love He has for me and I realized that this year I cannot stand here and give thanks for any “one” thing, but for everything that He has done and has given. God did not take something away from us but He gave us more of something, family.
How gracious God is to us, not only has He given us a biological family, but He has given us a family in another country with whom we can love, laugh, cry, and serve Him! I think I understand the concept of double portion a lot better now. All of this might sound trite, but I truly have a new revelation of thankfulness in my heart that I will never forget.
(Christine)