Thanksgiving

I was blessed to be invited to my friend Marc's house for Thanksgiving. I wasn't the only guest. Marc has a family of 4 kids that he has taken under his wing; he and I frequently stop by to see them when we are in Quisqueya Chapel neighborhood and we get to play with them every time we go to feeding program. Johnny, Gigi (below in pink), Lizianna (below with Marc), and Lucson (below in red) are four of the cutest and most entertaining little children I have encountered here. Somehow they manage to be endearing and affectionate without begging or being clingy, and they surprise us over and over with their personality and their generosity towards each other and even towards us.

On Thanksgiving morning, I ran clinic and then went to Marc's. As soon as I got there, he and I walked the mile downhill to fetch the kids and then pranced, danced, capered, and carried them back up the hill in time to watch the last quarter of the New England Patriots' game. We ate a delicious dinner cooked by Marc's mother, Glee, and took the kids home before dark. It was a truly delightful way to spend Thanksgiving Day and I'm so grateful to Marc's family for their hospitality to me and the children.







I am thankful for so many things: a God who sustains me every day, my family in the US and Indonesia where my sister is teaching English for a year, my friends around the world, teens from Chop Point who continue to be my campers from afar, my super supportive boss and her husband, everyone who prays for me and encourages me. I'm thankful for every aspect of my life here in Haiti. Today, I am particularly thankful for my dear neighborhood children who never fail to brighten my day. It doesn't matter what we're doing, whether we are dancing in the street together or making popcorn or cleaning house or teaching me how to blow the traditional conch shell, the love that is the foundation of our relationship is so strong. Thank you, God, for children!