Top: Our Thanksgiving group, minus 2 (Joy is hiding, Duc is the photographer!).
Middle: Our round buffet table. Serving dishes were everywhere!
Bottom: Cakes here are very ornate. The leaves on the flowers are silk, but everything else is edible.
Hello, all--
Hello, all--
Thanksgiving 2008 is coming to a close for us. In the US, yours is just beginning. I hope it is as memorable and evident of the Lord's goodness as our celebration here in Vietnam.When I awoke, I could tell the dark shadows of the room were not a product of the early hour. It would be another blustery, wet day. We were planning a traditional Thanksgiving lunch for 16 at 1:00 pm, so I was eager to get started. I had cooked two turkey breasts yesterday in the oven at our pastor's house. When I returned home, Tony surprised me with the purchase of a large toaster oven. So this morning, I was eager to get started. This new addition to the kitchen meant that I would not have to take the pan of stuffing and the broccoli casserole (plus the sliced turkey to warm) back to the pastor's house--a ten minute taxi ride away. Jillian and I were already planning all the things were going to bake now.
So, I hurried out to the kitchen--only to discover that the electricity was off. Ha! Believe it or not, I really did find it humorous. I also found it interesting to think that not so long ago, such a development would have ruined my day. Now, it amused me. I thought of an old song by Bill Gaither, "The World Didn't Give It To Me (And The World Can't Take It Away)".Bee arrived a little after 7. She was bemused by the oven--I don't think she had ever seen one up close. When she looked at the picture on the box with a chicken baking, she was a little more interested. Since there are no windows in the kitchen, we started to work with light from a chargeable electric light that we keep for power outages. I had prepared the broccoli casserole last night, but had to finish the dressing. Bee and Jillian peeled a gazillion potatoes and put them in cold water. Although we kept hoping the power would come on so we could break in the new oven, at 10:20 I was in a taxi with Elizabeth and Anna Mei, two large baking dishes, and a sack full of turkey.
I had a remarkable encounter at Pastor Bob's house. I'll try to be brief, but give enough explanation. The pastor and his wife rent an apartment in their home. Right now, their tenant is Erin, a gal here to teach English. The ministry she works with has teachers all over Asia, and they gather at Thanksgiving for a meal and then have a retreat. So, while I was at the pastor's house cooking, two of the English teachers came in with Erin. While I was finishing up, one of the girls, Ashley, was also in the kitchen preparing a dish for the meal all the teachers would share. We got to talking. Turns out she is from...Kentucky...Bath County...Salt Lick...about 15 minutes from our house in Mt. Sterling. And that's not all. One of her best friends is the daughter of a good friend of Tony's in Flemingsburg. We knew several of the same people. I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me, and I said, "Ashley, you may have woken up this morning wondering what in the world you were doing in Vietnam on Thanksgiving, half a world away from your family. I think God wants you to know that just because you are not in Kentucky, He has brought a piece of Kentucky here to you." I am continually amazed at the goodness and kindness of the Lord...had our power been on, I would have been happily cooking in my own kitchen and missed that conversation. And, mercy upon mercy, the pastor's house is at the end of a narrow alley and most of the time, you have to walk out to the street to catch a taxi. With two hot pans and a sack full of steaming turkey, I was concerned about the walk. Today, for some unknown reason to me (other than God's goodness), the taxi came right to the gate. There was not a drop falling from the sky, although within minutes of our arrival home, I heard a downpour. Anna Mei and I just grinned at each other.
The final preparations went smoothly, which is a bit surprising since Bee and I were both cooking with only the two stove top burners available. Somehow, she finished some Vietnamese dishes, and I fixed gravy, corn and mashed potatos without stepping on each other, or getting frustrated. With all the electrical hullaballou, the only item I did not prepare was dessert. Tony decided to pick up something at a local bakery. However, our guests also brought two beautiful cakes, so we had plenty of choices! Just as we sat down to eat, the power came back on! Ha!
It was a great time of fellowship. Later this afternoon, we took the girls to the movie at Big C for "High School Musical 3." Tonight, we initiated the oven on leftovers. It works great.
This year, I am thankful for life in Vietnam. Every day here is an adventure. There is no such thing as a ho-hum day. Every outing brings something to ponder, a new observation, a challenging experience, a humorous realization. Though most of my time is spent here at home, there is something new every day. I am thankful for God's grace, that sustains and keeps us. I am thankful for His forgivenness when I do not "rise to the challenge" I face. I am thankful for the love of family and friends.
Bless you and those you love on this Thanksgiving!
