Top 5 Things I'm Thankful For

Here are the top five things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving:

1.  God: God is not only at the top of the list, but He’s throughout the entire list. There’s nothing I could express gratitude for without first expressing gratitude for God- as He is the creator and giver of all good things! I’m thankful that God is who He is, that He created the universe, that He made humans in His image, and that He desires a relationship with us. I’m thankful that through His wisdom, God ordained a way to have a relationship with us despite our imperfection, through the ultimate sacrifice, His son Jesus Christ; and that He didn’t compromise any parts of His character- His holiness, justice, mercy, or love- in His perfect plan. I’m thankful that Jesus humbly came down to earth, being wholly God and wholly man simultaneously, that He lived a life that is an example to us and that allows Him to understand our human struggles, and that He died to take our place and atone for our sin. And I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit, which allows us to know God, love God, serve God, and become more like God (though perfection will never be accomplished here on earth). I am so thankful that by God’s grace and not ANYTHING that I have done, through faith, I know God and have a relationship with Him. I love you, Lord. Thank you.
   
2.  People: For my family, for my friends, for acquaintances, for strangers, and for those who have been “enemies” at some point. I love people. I love how everyone is different and special in some ways, and yet how there are some things that ALL humans have in common and can relate to. I love the people I’ve met in my hometown and the people I’ve met all around the world. I love the people who have made my life joyful and beautiful, and I love the people who have brought me to challenges that eventually led to growth. So thank you, God, for all the people you’ve placed in my life. And thank you, people, for being who you are and for playing a role in my life, however big or small.
   
3. Love: Love is amazing. Not the feeling love, but the choice love. Love that is patient and kind, not envious or proud or dishonoring, not self-seeking or easily angered. Love that doesn’t keep record of wrongs, that doesn’t delight in evil, but rejoices in truth. Love that protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love like that doesn’t come naturally or easily to us, but it is by far the most incredible thing that human beings are capable of doing. Thank you, Jesus, for showing us what love is and for helping us to love well. We love because You first loved us. Thank you to everyone who has loved me throughout my life.
   
4.  Adventures: I’m thankful for adventures of all types and sizes. Some recent adventures that I’ve been on include: going to a Justin Bieber concert, finishing an Accounting degree in two years, going to a luau in Hawaii, getting a kitten for the summer, setting off fireworks on the 4^th of July, watching through entire TV series with my best friends, moving to Nigeria for 6 months, attempting to teach 40 African children how to trick or treat, and trying pie for the first time (tonight!). Thank you, Lord, for all the adventures you’ve sent me on. The little, seemingly insignificant adventures and the huge, exciting ones have helped make my life fun and full.
   
5.  Challenges: As much as I love happy, fun times, I’m also thankful for difficult, challenging times. It’s not a new concept that suffering leads to growth or that it takes bad times to recognize good times; but those concepts have recently been made real to me personally, and I have a new appreciation for the ups and downs of life. There’s a rhythm to life that goes something along the lines of good, then bad, suffering, then joy, hardships, then happiness, hurt, then healing. That rhythm is purposeful and designed to make us know God better and become more like Him. So thank you, Father, for drawing me closer to You through challenges, for leading and guiding me through difficult times, and for eventually bringing me out of suffering to a place of peace and joy. I love you!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have a beautiful day today, and may we all grow in thankfulness for what God has given us!

Courtney's 23rd Birthday!

Yesterday was Courtney’s 23^rd birthday! The day began with a knock on our door and 40 kids waiting outside…

(Lyrics: Happy Birthday to you, we’re singing. Happy Birthday to you we’re singing, Courtney. Happy Birthday to you, we’re singing. For today we have to rejoice, for our auntie is a year older today. We wish you so many more years, halleluiah. Happy birthday to you we’re singing… Hip hip HOORAY!)

What a sweet way to start off your birthday! Then there was another knock on our door- BLUEBERRY MUFFINS! I knew this was Courtney’s favorite breakfast, and we had a packet of batter mix, so I asked one of our missionary friends to make the muffins in her kitchen and deliver them in the morning. Courtney was delighted, and we ate the muffins very slowly so that we could fully enjoy them :)

Shortly after finishing breakfast, Courtney said she missed the kids already and couldn’t wait for them to get home from school. That’s when I brought out these…

All the kids made her birthday cards that were SO SWEET and also hilarious.

On Thursday mornings, Courtney and I go jogging. It’s really relaxing for us to get in some exercise and do something that refreshes our minds and bodies. So we did that next, then came back to shower. After a little while of laying around and chatting, I got out my laptop and handed it to Courtney. On it was a PowerPoint presentation containing pictures and messages from many of her family and friends back home. Courtney almost immediately burst into tears, followed by laughter, followed by more tears, followed by more laughter, and on and on. The messages were full of fun memories, encouraging words, and well wishes. I know I keep saying this, but it was just so sweet!

Huge thank you to all the people who sent funny pictures and loving messages! You made her day!

After lunch, we went to spend time with some of our friends who are also American missionaries here. They made Courtney BROWNIES and homemade ICE CREAM. Y’all, brownies and homemade ice cream. There are just no words. Spending time with these wonderful friends is always a blessing. They shower us with love and care every day, but they really went the extra mile for Courtney’s birthday! Here’s a picture of Courtney about to blow out the candle on her brownie!

The rest of the afternoon we just hung out with the kids like usual. Courtney got lots of extra hugs and smiles, and she was also lucky enough to get water poured on her throughout the day… a little tradition here!

After dinner, we had a party! There was dancing, a cake, and lots of kind words to celebrate Courtney. The coordinator of the orphanage asked for two volunteers- one boy and one girl- to stand up and say something they know about Courtney. Here were the two responses:
-Kemi, age 10: “She is beautiful, and she is gentle. And she always likes to be teaching people.”
-Tavershima, age 16: “One thing I know about Courtney… I know that she likes to associate with everybody. Even when you don’t want to talk because you are sad, she will try to come closer to you and make you feel happy.”

Courtney with Kemi

Courtney and some of the boys

Overall, it was just a wonderful and special day. My hope is that Courtney felt how adored she is, from one end of the earth to the other. Happy Birthday, Courtney!

Washing Day!

I think the main reason I don’t make much of a blogger is that I have trouble thinking of ideas for what to write! In my mind, unless there’s a major update of some kind, there’s nothing to blog about. But I’ve recently been encouraged to write about even the little things, just to give a glimpse into daily life here. So this blog doesn’t have anything especially exciting or eventful, but I hope you enjoy reading about some of the details of our life in Nigeria.

Wednesdays are washing days. All of the kids wash their clothes for the week, by hand, with a bucket and soap. Sometimes they let us help them, and after we finish washing a shirt they say “eh-coo-shay” (that’s the pronunciation, not the actual spelling), which means “well done” in the Yoruba language. Then they take the shirt, dunk it back into the bucket, and completely re-wash it. I guess we just don’t have the same magical touch they do when it comes to hand-washing!

 

This past Wednesday was an especially fun washing day, because some of the boys decided it would be a good idea to get their butts stuck in the buckets. I hope these pictures capture some of the laughter and chaos of the afternoon.

 One of the younger boys needed a little bit of assistance getting stuck in his bucket, and the others were eager to help… Then to celebrate their teamwork, they gave him a few tosses up into the air!

 

So that was one of our week’s little adventures! One thing is for sure… These sweet kids make each and every day interesting!