I am Thankful...

This week can be summed up by the word “busy.” Yes, even in slow paced Burkina things can be crazy. Sheila has not been feeling well, so she has been to a few doctors and was told to stay home and rest. Therefore, I instantly became full time this week. One of my Kindergarteners asked me on Wednesday, “Is Ms. Hanks not here because she is trying to let you learn how to be a teacher?” I thought that this was pretty funny. I was supposed to take over full time next week, but I am thankful that I have had this experience. It is a lot different than third grade, but I am learning. I have found that I learn best through just experiencing something like this. Please pray that Sheila will start feeling like herself soon.

Yesterday was a lot of fun. I taught full time which always makes the day go by faster. Then, I came back to the school to meet Marie and Elizabeth. We were supposed to meet last Wednesday, but I think that Elizabeth was sick. Around 5pm when I was back in the classroom preparing since I didn’t think they would show up, I got a call from the guard at the gate. I caught my name and entrance. So, I figured that they must be there. I went to the gate and there were my smiling Burkinabe friends. Marie had some large book in a plastic bag. Here she brought a French-English dictionary in case we needed it. They are so cute. We had some sodas and split some french fries. We didn’t end up even using the dictionary once; however, that is not to say that we always understood each other. We did a lot of acting and broken phrases. Their English has improved so much since I was here in 2006. They said that they wanted to follow me back to Sheila’s to see where I lived so that they could come and visit me. However, with Sheila being sick, I didn’t think that was a good idea. So, we are hopefully going to meet again next week. They are so precious. It is so neat to see that the love of God is so universal and that there is a deep bond in that. When I got home from school, Leanna (the teacher who is a missionary) called to see if I wanted to come over her house for a girls night. Leanna was going to make some pumpkin pies, so she thought that we could have some fun carving them before cooking them. As we were carving, we listened to some Christmas music. I am quite aware that this was an unusual combination; however, it was a lot of fun. I got home around ten and talked with Bri for an hour before crashing.

Today is Thanksgiving. The first part of the day seemed like a normal day to me since I was teaching. It was my first Thanksgiving at school. I had talked about Thanksgiving to my students the past few days and why it is celebrated. There are three American students in my class, so they helped me out. Today I had the students write what they were thankful for and draw a picture of it. I am going to put it together and make a class book. I was able to talk with my parents, Bri, Grandma, and Gramps this afternoon before they went for their Thanksgiving meal at my Aunt Jill’s. Even though I would love to be sitting around with my family today and eating some pumpkin roll, I am thankful that I am here. This week with Sheila being sick, I have again realized that God has placed me in Burkina and with Sheila for a specific purpose. After talking with my family, John and I went with some missionaries to Ouagadoumil (the next city that is booming) for a CMA (Christian and Missionary Alliance…my denomination) Thanksgiving feast. The dinner was at the house of a missionary couple who I met the last time also. Steve, the husband, actually remembered meeting me. I have been in contact with his wife, Debbie, since I have been here. She is a teacher and has been working with creating education opportunities for underprivileged kids around Burkina. We have been trying to get together, but our schedules have not coincided. However, tonight I got to the house and saw my nametag was next to hers. How sweet that she was willing to get to know me on this special day. We decided that next Wednesday we are going to get together for lunch after school. Then, I am going to go with her to one of the Christian schools in the area, and we will talk about what is currently happening in the line of education in Burkina. I am excited about this! Besides the people around the table, it felt very much like Thanksgiving dinner. I was pleasantly surprised to see TURKEY there! Turkeys are extremely rare, so they are very expensive. I’ve heard that sometimes they still do not even taste like turkey. They also have hardly any meat on them because all the animals here are skinny. So, this was a big treat. There was tons of food and a table full of yummy desserts. I chose a piece of pumpkin swirl cheesecake. Basically it was fabulous! :) It was a fun night, and I glad that I got to be with people that I know.

Today I have been reflecting on things that I am thankful for. Being in Burkina makes it really easy to be thankful when things like clean water or a meal once a day is living well. These people die everyday from preventable and treatable things like malaria, malnutrition, and diarrhea. So living each day with healthy resources is a major blessing. There are so many things and people that make my life blessed and joy filled. First and foremost, I am thankful for the hope that I have in Jesus Christ. When I look into the blank stares of some of the people here, I can see the emptiness in their eyes. I am thankful that I have hope and therefore, I have joy. My family would come next on my list. There are not words to express my love and appreciation for them. The other night as I was lying in bed, I was thinking about their love for me, and I was overwhelmed. I know that they would do anything for me. How much must God love us? Wow! This has been a year of change for my family—a good change. It has been a year that I have seen God work immensely in all of our hearts. I thank God for this! I thank God also for all of you. Each one of you has touched my heart in some way, shape, or form. Thank you! Lastly, (as this could go on for days) I am thankful that God has allowed me to experience His people around the world. I have been changed by these experiences and people. My eyes have been opened, and my heart has been broken. I hope forever.

Happy Thanksgiving! I love you!