Today we had our annual Thanksgiving reunion at our team mates house. This year we had 45 of our missionary family there (only a couple weren’t able to make it). It is always such blessed time of fellowship and a lot of food. Since turkey is hard to find, each year the Floyds kill one of their own turkeys for the occasion.
Visiting with team mates
Visiting with team mates
Always a lot of food when we get together
Micah and Tyler eating turkey
Ginny, Joshua and Ryan enjoying Thanksgiving lunch
For us in the Southern Hemisphere, Thanksgiving and Christmas are associated with the taste of watermelon. Here Micah and his buddy, Caleb enjoy a mid-afternoon snack.
I grew up without extended family or siblings and I envied those who went to family reunions or stayed with grandparents. In my adult years it made me sad to think that my kids wouldn’t have cousins to be silly with. But being here in Paraguay, God has given me all that I longed for and more. It is hard to put into words exactly what my team mates mean to me and unless you have visited us in Paraguay and have seen firsthand who I work with, I cannot expect you to understand the quality of my closest friends.
SIM Paraguay at the moment is made up of 14 family units who work together better than what I imagine blood family could. We pray for each other regularly and talk about the things God is doing in our lives. We cherish time together because sometimes those SIM family reunions are few and far between. Since we don’t live too close together we spend the night at each others’ homes frequently or we share meals as we pass through. God has gifted these men and women in incredible unique ways.
Before we left the states I hoped for a team with lots of young children. Well I got that - as of today we have 20 kids 9 years and under, plus 4 teens. My children count every one of those kids as their best friends and they thank God for them at night. My kids are never happier than when they are together with teammates. I could not ask for better friends for my children to hang out with. My kids have aunts and uncles and many cousins whom they are very silly with. I have relationships with some of my teammates that I think borders on a sister relationship. I am so incredibly thankful!
Pictures of my incredible team mates
1 comment:
Those sweet memories will be in your children's hearts forever. We would get together with all the Kenyan missionaries for Thanksgiving as well. I still cherish those times. Your team members really are like family! You are an aunt to many kiddos. They are so lucky!
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