Thanksgiving 2011:  Tradition - in a different kind of way!

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone and I imagine most of you in the U.S. have now become "stuffed" after having a bountiful meal!  Amid the food, football, and pumpkin pie is the love of family and friends and reminiscing about days past and hopefully sharing about the blessings and grace you received this year.  Although we are far from family this year, we still had the opportunity to share a fairly traditional meal with our language study school friends, faculty, and staff.
We had some great roasted chicken instead of turkey because $4.50/lb. is pretty pricey!  I made 2 large pans of stuffing and our family recipe of peanut butter banana salad. As you can see, the tables  were loaded with many traditional foods prepared by the students and enjoyed by all!  In fact, there was hardly a crumb left! 
                            

Our wonderful staff and teachers were honored with small gifts of appreciation and notes of love.  They serve, sacrificially, at ILE with a sense of a calling from the Lord as they invest their lives in training mainly missionaries to spread the gospel in Latin American countries.                                         

Tony and I ended our day by talking with family back in Kentucky and hearing all about their day.  Even though we missed being with them, we're very thankful God provided "family" here with whom to share the day.  We are truly thankful for family and for friends around the world that we are blessed to know.  Your love, support and prayers are so important as we continue on this new journey in our lives.   "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him and bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."    Psalm 100:4-5