My favorite day

November 25, 2010:

Thanksgiving day. I am very grateful that we were given this day off so that we could celebrate my favorite day of the year.

Being in Peru didn’t change the fact that it’s still my favorite. Yeah things would be different, but being here has opened my eyes to new things to be grateful for. Being in Peru has given me a deeper meaning of Thanksgiving.

We started our day by collecting money from everyone and then heading shopping for the food. Lauren and Rachel left to buy the turkey while Jenessa and others left to buy the rest of the stuff and pick up the mail. We were very excited to see what our families had sent us in the Thanksgiving packages. So now I just want to say thank you to all the parents who made our Thanksgiving meal possible and delicious.

Lauren and Rachel returned with a complete, pail, dead turkey. Lauren being the master chef took the responsibility of cleaning it out and preparing it for the oven. She pumped milk into to it, added the seasonings, and wrapped it up. She had planned to prepare it and then send it to Campo Verde so that someone could roast it. When the rest of the gang arrived we all filled the kitchen to help out with the other preparations. Some peeled potatoes, others chopped veggies, and some stirred deliciousness over the stove. We were a team of busy bees while listening to Christmas tunes. When the food was about done Hanna, Rachel, and I decided to decorate for the special dinner. We laid out the tablecloth and plates that Mrs. Downey had sent us. They were decorated with very cute and funny turkeys. Thanks Mrs. Downey J We then cut out leaves of different colors and hung them off the rafters. It turned out so beautiful, we were very proud of ourselves.

Unfortunately, the chicos didn’t get the whole day off. However, when they finished working, Hanna and I joined them in a game of soccer. Considering it had rained earlier that day everything was muddy and slippery. Let’s just say that by the end of the game Hanna and I were ready for our showers. Oh and I forgot to mention that I scored my first goal J

All cleaned up I joined the rest of my family in the other house. With all the food laid out in the middle of the table it made me so happy just walking in. We had invited everyone that is part of our new family. In total it’s almost 30 of us. As we finally all arrived, Jenessa offered a prayer for the food and we all sat to enjoy our wonderful feast. We had: turkey, stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and many more yummy things. When we were about done eating we all went around the table and said what we were thankful for. It was such a wonderful day!

Like I said before, being here has made me very grateful for many things that I would normally take for granted.

*Running water

*A roof over my head

*The food of every meal

*The rain that we receive to cool us off

*Our protection

*My good health

*Moments to relax and take a breath

*The smiles of our patients

But I will never take for granted my families at home that love and care for me. The mission here and everyone that makes it possible. The love of our God.