Thanksgiving Reflections

Tomorrow in the United States of America, families and friends will gather together to remember the blessings that the Lord has provided them.  In the morning they will catch a glimpse of the Macy's Day Parade before heading to a special morning worship service.  Then they will return home to eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.  They will watch the big football game together on the television and afterward go outside to play a game of their own, despite being stuffed with food.  There will be much to prepare in terms of food and table arrangements, but it will be well worth it for all who gather together.

Tomorrow in Thailand, students will attend school, the post office will gladly accept your mail, and protesters will still be trying to topple the government.  It will be another normal day here.

That's not to say that Thanksgiving cannot be celebrated.  In fact, yesterday evening I enjoyed a Thanksgiving worship service at the missionary's house followed by a dinner with all the traditional holiday fixings.  Today: the leftovers of that glorious feast.

The point here is not that wherever you can find a turkey and pumpkin pie, you can have Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is meant as a time to remember the blessings which surround you.  It's a time to renew your commitment to living a life of thanks.  Regardless of the day and regardless of the locale, let this be your Thanksgiving Day.

I was asked to write a Thanksgiving reflection as one of many mission workers serving the Lord outside the United States.  The reflections of many workers across many world mission fields can be found here.  I wanted to post my personal Thanksgiving reflections below.  God be with you as you celebrate with thankful hearts the many blessings which surround you.

-Eric

Eric Duwe, a WELS Kingdom Worker Volunteer in Thailand, expresses his thanks to the Lord for...

 

• A place to serve (and even be served).  I'm thankful that God led me to the Thailand Mission.  I know that God provided me with the opportunity to do His work here, because I never would have thought on my own to come here.  I don't know if there's a greater earthly blessing than to know that the work you're doing is of eternal value, and that's the joy I have each day here.  I love to serve God in this place.  And I am thankful for the ways God has served me through my time here.  I have learned a lot of what you might call "life skills" here, I've made some extraordinary friends, and I've grown in my own desire to live for and serve God.

• Family.  I'm thankful for those people in my life that are part of my family.  I think first of my family back home in Wisconsin.  It was a blessing to be able to return home for one month this summer. I'm thankful also for the people who have become my "surrogate family" here in Thailand: most especially the mission team, but also the students of the Bible Institute who are like my brothers and sisters.

• Communication.  I'm thankful that God has provided me the means to stay in touch with the aforementioned people.  It's amazing that I can use my computer, and from across the world talk to and even see my family and other loved ones instantly.  I'm thankful when I hear from friends from back home out of the blue, and when I receive messages of encouragement that I never would've expected.  I'm thankful that communication means so much more than the ability to speak and understand words.  This is important anywhere you live, but the ability to communicate beyond words is essential for life in a place that speaks a foreign language!

• Neighbors.  I'm thankful that while living in a foreign city, I've gotten to know some familiar faces, and they've gotten to know me - even if it's just a little bit - as well.  There's the old man who likes to race with me on the community track during my morning workouts.  There's the lady who knows that I have a sweet tooth for warm pumpkin juice and is surprised when I ask for warm soy milk instead.  There's the store clerk who starts every conversation with a comment about the day's weather.  For a country which takes such pride in its spicy foods, it's the everyday life interactions with these local people that seems to add the "spice" to life here.

• Our great heritage.  I'm thankful for my greatest treasure, the Word of God, which I have seen to be efficacious throughout my life, and especially while serving in Thailand.  What else but the very Word of God is able to transform lives, open hearts and minds, and empower people to work for His Kingdom?  It's certainly not my own bumbling words while attempting to profess my faith in another language, nor my life's misdoings and misgivings, that can lead people to Christ.  I take comfort that God's Word works.  Only by His grace and His power will people of every tribe, nation, and tongue receive a second birth.  And it's His Word which rejuvenates me to continue professing this sure hope, bumbling as my words may be.