ESL Thanksgiving

I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to You among the nations.
For Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens
And Your truth to the clouds.
Psalm 57:9-10

Absolutely and without hesitation, one of the most delightful things I do in the week is participate in the English as a Second Language (ESL) ministry at my church. Once a week, folks originally from points all around the globe, from Africa and Asia and North America and South America (no Europeans right now...) gather, here in the middle of the United States, in our basement classrooms to learn English, and hopefully, make friends and hear the good news of the Gospel while they are doing it. And each week, I'm willing to wager that the staff is more blessed than the students!

Tonight was no exception, as we welcomed the nations through our door again, this time to celebrate the distinctly American holiday tradition of Thanksgiving. We served a traditional Thanksgiving meal, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberries, and apple pie. We had to explain the food to some. How do you explain what a cranberry tastes like? Tart, but in sauce, sweet... We learned that dressing, or stuffing, does not even translate in Chinese or in Spanish. Definitely distinctly American- "bread that goes inside the bird." :-)

What pleasure, to be part of the many cultures and tongues, enjoying one another! What joy, to serve the nations that God has brought to our own neighborhood!
Enjoy some photos of our gathering!