Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey all,

well, though im in Ecuador, the Canadian missionaries have not forgotten about Canadian Thanksgiving. this past weekend, i was invited to a pastor's house for dinner. while it wasn't a traditional dinner with turkey and all the fixings, it sure was tasty. BBQ chicken, peas and carrots, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie! mmmm mmmm gobble gobble good...

a group of working visitors made a trip out to Otavalo, about 1.5 hours away from Quito. a more tranquil setting, this town is known across the world for it's handicrafts, market, and fabric goods.

oh before i forget to mention, last Wednesday, while i was at Zambiza, a kid peed on me. yeah. i was holding him while helping him to colour a Moses puppet... and he didn't talk. is face looked so sad, so i just wanted to hold him and let him know he was loved...i tried to put the crayon in his hand to colour the picture, and finally after a couple minutes he started doing it on his own. but just as he got going, he stopped and looked away, and i said "que paso?" - what happened? then...THEN i felt my leg, and Ruth SMELT it as well. i picked him up, put him on the chair...and proceeded to colour with him... ack... makes for a good story though, eh?

Saturday nite, after thanksgiving dinner at the Bulmer's, i hung out with a couple Ecuadorian friends, and Cara...you remember her.. i went to Mindo with her. she's a grad student from the states... speech therapist. it was an interesting nite for us as there were many cultural differences that we welcomed. we were with two guys, one of them who is my "student" (though he's 24!) in Spotlight. It was, however, one of the first times for us to meet a young, ecuadorian guy who was not just Christian, but completely passionate about his faith. he shared his testimony too... long story short... was really into drugs when he was younger...got kicked out of highschool so many times, that he graduated after his 7th highschool... came to the lowest point in his life, and reached out to God... went to a priest during the Christmas season who basically said "we're busy doing christmas stuff now...come back in January." saw something about Jesus on tv, and called the number on the screen...someone shared with him that despite the crazy life he's had and everything else "bad" that he will do, Jesus loves him and accepts him just as he is. that nite, he turned his life around and has never been the same. he volunteers out at Pan de Vida (sorta like a kitchen for people who need food and place for kids to play) and he says he loves it because serving others and loving others helps him realise that his problems aren't as big as he thinks... keeps him from being egocentric... and that helping out at places like these is Christianity in action. yah, good times, good conversations.

soo, on this Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for? better yet, what do you think you can do this year to help someone else be thankful for? i'm thankful for rain, that nourishes the land and provides us with food. thankful for where i am right now, in this phase of life, in this country, and in this city. i'm thankful that people of other countries welcome foreigners in, because that, to me, is the beginning of understanding other people... i'm thankful for people who love you when you're stupid and mean. i'm thankful for people who see a spark in you and take the time to grow that spark into a roaring fire - confidence in a person makes a world of a difference. i'm thankful for experiences that remind me that i'm not as big as i think i am, and that there's always more room to grow, learn and carry it on to others.

but ultimately, i think Caedmon's Call summarizes it quite nicely:

You know I ran across an old box of letters
While I was bagging up some clothes for Goodwill
But you Know I had to laugh at the same old struggles
That plagued me then are plaguing me still
I know the road is long from the ground to glory
But a boy can hope he's getting some place
But you see, I'm running from the very clothes I'm wearing
And dressed like this I'm fit for the chase

'Cause no, there is none righteous
Not one who understands
There is none who seek God
No not one, I said no not one

So I am thankful that I'm incapable
Of doing any good on my own

'Cause we're all stillborn and dead in our transgressions
We're shackled up to the sin we hold so dear
So what part can I play in the work of redemption
I can't refuse, I cannot add a thing

'Cause I am just like Lazarus and I can hear your voice
I stand and rub my eyes and walk to You
Because I have no choice

I am thankful that I'm incapable
Of doing any good on my own
I'm so thankful that I'm incapable
Of doing any good on my own

'Cause by grace I have been saved
Through faith that's not my own
It is a gift of God and not by works
Lest anyone should boast

had a phonecall with cara last nite, and we both came to a conclusion, which might be my mission statement in life. to love people, to serve people, and to leave something behind with them that they can use after i leave, or if im not there. still needs some refining, but i think if that's my foundation, i'll succeed no matter what vocation i'm in, and no matter what country i'm in.

thank you.

dL