This Thanksgiving was by far our favorite Thanksgiving to celebrate overseas. It happened to fall on a school holiday when students were having University Winter Olympics, as well as Minority Day, a day to celebrate the 26 national minorities represented amongst our student population. Minority students were dressed in their traditional clothing and hosted a lunch on the volleyball courts with a long banquet table made of pine needles and leaves while serving special minority foods. They danced, played music, and toasted each group with a special minority greeting. It was a special time to see the students we have relationships with express their identity and culture with others.
When we see the diverse beauty of various people groups come together in one place, our hearts are lifted in pryer, specifically putting our hope in Psalm 72:11 “All kings will bow down to Him and all nations will serve Him.”
We spent the rest of the day cooking and preparing for Thanksgiving dinner with students. We had 11 students in our home gathered together to celebrate. We are so thankful for care packages and special trips to the international supermarket north of us over the past year to collect special ingredients in order to prepare this meal. We were able to serve them a taste of our traditions along with our local tradition of roasted duck instead of turkey!
It was exciting to have a few new students join our gathering this year. We held hands in a circle and pryed together. Each student expressed what he or she was thankful for. We also watched last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade while enjoying our feast. Our sweet friend shared a birthday on the same day as our holiday, so we also celebrated with cupcakes. The night ended in laughter as we all played games.