Mashed Potatoes

Bună ziua!!! Ok, I’ve now been back in Romania for 2 weeks since fall break in Rome, and it’s still been truly wonderful. But, instead of telling story or giving a normal update, I wanna share my latest experiences in a little bit of a different way. As you may know, Thanksgiving is coming up this week, and it just happens to be my favorite American holiday. So, I figured I could be a little more public this year with what I am thankful for, as I have been blessed with so much.

I am thankful first for my God, for I know that only because of him am I doing so well here in Sighişoara.

I am thankful for my family in the states, for my parents who have been a source of unending support, for my brother who never fails to make me laugh, for my cousins who I can truly say are my close friends, for my grandparents and aunts and uncles who love me all the way from home.

I am thankful for my school, for Cedarville, even though I don’t agree with everything they do or ask, the faculty has pushed me to become a better person in so many ways, and the classes have taught me more than I could have expected about myself, the field of social work, and what it means to follow the Lord.

I am thankful for my friends in America, who continue to Snapchat and FaceTime with me even when the timing is inconvenient, who let me crash their dorm rooms when I wanted to come visit, who push me to follow Jesus even when it means being away from them, who write me unexpected notes just to say they’re thinking of me.

I am thankful for my host family, for their welcoming spirit, for the opportunity to better understand a culture different from my own, for their true acceptance of me into their family.

I am thankful for the people I work with at Veritas, for their patience with me as I seek to learn Romanian, for their kindness to me as I adjusted to this new environment.

I am thankful for the friends I have made here, for the movie nights, the game nights, the worship events, for the dinner group and the opportunity to have an American thanksgiving here in Romania, and building community with a whole new set of people.

I am thankful for the clients I get to interact with each week, for their acceptance of me, and their willingness to teach me as well as learn from me as we all grow together.

I am thankful for the kids club I get to work with, for the beautiful faces of the kids, for their wild spirits and eager hearts, for the hugs I get and the love I give. I am thankful that these kids have this program, that they have a help for homework, that they have adults who demonstrate Christ’s love when so many in other villages and homes do not.

I am thankful for the challenge of learning Romanian, for when I feel as though I have figured things out, the struggle to learn this keeps me humble and reliant on God.

I am thankful that even though I only have 3 weeks and 4 days left in this country, God is not done here. I am thankful that the upcoming goodbye is not goodbye, just see you later. I am thankful that even before I was born, before my grandparents were born, God loved this country more than I ever could, and he still does. I am thankful that the work I’ve been a small part of did not begin with me, nor will it end with me. I am thankful that even when I am uncertain about my future, Jesus knows my heart, and He knows what is best for me, whether that means staking my life here or back in the states.

I guess to sum up, because I’ve only scratched the surface of what to be thankful for, I’ll end with a classic: I am so, so thankful for MASHED POTATOES.