Thanksgiving Dinner... What an absolutely fantastic celebration of not only God’s goodness, faithfulness, and provision – but also of new relationships, diversity, and living examples of the Lord’s creative genius and His intricate weaving of our lives.
We have enjoyed sweet times with family members and friends, especially around the holidays – and while I will not say that this surmounts those… it was definitely a highlight for me.
A few things that made this gathering extra special were: 1) The hunt to track down recipes online, searching specifically for recipes that had ingredients that would be likely to be found in-country. 2) The team-wide participation in preparation – it was quite the joint effort.
A few weeks early: we sought out non-perishables, to see what would be available, and to make adjustments to the menu/recipes as necessary. A week beforehand: we did a major scavenger hunt at our two favorite “supermarkets” in Colombo; I had the list, the boys would go search the store over for a particular item (or 5) and bring back their findings. And they REALLY were such good sports… it may have something to do with food being a great motivator for them – I’m not sure. =) A few days before: we bought all the fresh spices and ground, grated, & chopped; baked the pumpkin in the oven & puréed it for the recipes that called for “canned pumpkin,” made pastry shells for pies (I really missed the ones that come packaged in two’s in the Frozen Foods section of Wal-Mart); and confirmed our order for 12 kilo’s of turkey from the Hikkaduwa Turkey Farm. Adam did a last-ditch search in Galle for the elusive items we had not yet found: cornmeal, a few spices, and the second rack for the oven…. then Adam bought a hacksaw. And sawed 1 inch off the length of a wire rack, so that it would fit in the oven & we would now have 2 racks. And Adam made a pumpkin roll (for dessert). The day before: Phillis and I went to the local Hikkaduwa market and bought the fresh vegetables and picked up Tom and Talulla Turkey (who were dead AND plucked – what a relief!!). The night before: Phillis and I wrestled the meat off of the hugest (raw) turkey – because we realized he would fit in neither the pressure cooker nor the roasting pan. This was a real bonding experience for us and quite an adventure. We did a lot of sweating in that kitchen! And when the boys came in to check our progress, they did not stay around long (aparently the scene of us hacking the turkey apart was a bit gory). The turkey & the turkey meat went into the “brine” overnight.
The day of: Chris & Martina went to Galle to rent a projector, and to buy bread, more vegetables, and a meat thermometer. Adam, Tucker, & Dave arranged furniture, set the table, chopped vegetables, washed dishes, poured Mindy a Diet Coke, and assembled the green bean casserole. Dave selected flowers from the yard and created a festive arrangement. 3) The excitement and anticipation of the Sri Lankans – and their absolute curiosity as to WHAT this celebration is about, and WHAT we would be eating and WHAT it would taste like. There was quite a little buz about what to expect! 4) The experience of having such a completely diverse group of people around the family dinner table together: Sri Lankan, Buddhist, American, Irish, Hindu, Catholic, and Christian, English-speakers, Sinhala-speakers, Tamil accents, & Texas accents, from all walks of life… who genuinely refer to one another as “family” (and mean it in a positive sense, as a term of endearment). It wasn’t “diverse” just for the sake of being “diverse” because it is the cultural or politically correct thing to do. We were together celebrating the holiday with our family. And we had to have an interpreter. I loved that. 5) While we were eating, everyone shared something they were thankful for. What a precious time. Talk about a life-changer! 6) Ohio State beat Michigan – and we got to watch it on a big screen. Ahhhh college football, how we’ve missed it! 6b) The Sri Lankans, watching the boys watch football. 7) The food really did come together well. The Americans seemed delighted that it actually tasted like American Thanksgiving food. And the Sri Lankans seemed delighted that it was different than rice and curry - and still edible. Except for some mashed potatoes and dessert, there were NO leftovers. 8) God is faithful. And I love to see how He takes our little efforts and does so much more through the situation than we can ask or imagine.

I love the passage in 2 Samuel, Chapter 24, where King David is asked by God to build an altar at a specific place. As the story unfolds, the owner of the property insists on giving the land to David – but he persists on buying the land, saying, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” Approaching this Thanksgiving, I anticipated the planning and preparation being quite overwhelming… even maddening. But the Lord was faithful to remind me of the concept of bringing Him a sacrifice of praise. Meaning that it would cost something (not only in terms of finances, but in terms of sweat, effort, time, frustrations, language difficulties, misunderstandings, etc.) What a challenge! And what better opportunity – than at Thanksgiving? What was pretty astonishing to me, was how much my perspective on the process was changed when I set my heart on viewing problems and annoyances as a “sacrifice of praise.” And what further amazed me, was to feel like the Lord really received that praise offering from my heart and used it to bless others.

Here are some of the pictures...

Phillis & Mindy. Phillis lives with us Monday - Friday and is the Preserver Of Sanity & Team Unity (she cooks and cleans - making it possible to work and live and recreate with one another without having anger in our hearts because someone tracked mud through the house or refuses to wash their dishes, put away their clothes, etc.). She was worth her weight in gold during preparation for Thanksgiving. She is SUPER resourceful & is teaching us her tricks - like using the metallic bag from your cereal box for transporting fish from the fish market, so you don't get blood everywhere. (Uhh, cool!)

The Kitchen, where we bonded.

The kitchen, part 2.

Chris referred to the extras, like Dave's flower arrangement, as "Getting our game face on!"

Dinner served! Tucker, Mark, & Chamani in the food line. Chamani was real curious what this food would taste like... she participated in the preparation though, and was pretty excited about the sweet potatoes with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and "snow" (marshmallows) on top.

Thanksgiving!

Here we are... bottom left corner, moving clockwise around the table: Sisila, Chris, Mark, Chamani, Major Wijesiri's Daughter, Raj, Tucker, Benjamin, (Dave's empty chair, he's taking the photo), Martina, Phillis, Adam, Mindy, Scott.

Late-comers: Mr. & Mrs. Major Wijesiri, and their son.

LtoR: Chris, Martina, & Tucker watching OSU & eating dessert. (Selections were apple pie, pecan pie, white chocolate cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake & a pumpkin roll.)

Dave, watching OSU beat Michigan

LtoR: Chris, Tucker, & Adam - glued to the game. I really wish I had a picture of them yelling... the one below is the Sri Lankan's laughing at the guys, who were yelling and getting a little animated.

Chamani's brother (this was our first time to meet him & I am embarassed that I cannot remember his name. He drove 2 hours just because he wanted to see what American Thanksgiving was all about.), Mark & his wife Chamani, & Phillis.

Chamani & Mindy

Dave's flower arrangement, now accompanied by flowers from Martina & from Benjamin & Raj. It is a huge cultural practice that ANY time you go to someone's home for dinner, you bring a small gift. Common examples would be: sugar, tea, rice, powdered milk, or a sweet treat.

The Clean Up Committee: Tucker & Chris.