An oasis in the desert of language learning - an American Thanksgiving

Just when we thought we could not handle another word of French, we looked

up, and in the distance, we saw something shimmering. "It must be a mirage!" I said to myself. "Something this wonderful couldn't be possible this far from home!"

But as we got closer, we realized it was true! An oasis was on the horizon, and it would soon be within reach. Our Thanksgiving celebration at Hermine's had finally arrived. About a month ago, Hermine, a dear friend of ours told us that she was going to have all of us American missionaries over for Thanksgiving dinner. On top of that, she said that since it was an American holiday, we would be allowed to speak English! (She has us over for lunch every Friday, but it is a time of practicing French, so this was a treat!) It was like we had come to an English-speaking oasis in the desert of French, German, and Italian!

And it was a wonderful time! Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, ro

lls, sweet potatoes, and much more. And to top it all off, a big slice of pumpkin pie with freshly

whipped cream! My mouth is watering again just recounting it! And what fun it was to be able to s

ay how great everything was using English!!

Fun was had by all, and Hermine enjoyed hearing us laugh and joke in our native language. We also spent time talking about what we were thankful for, which included a time of prayer, thanking God, who is the source of all good things.

Thanks and praise be to God, who meets our every need (and sometimes our wants as well - mmmm....pumpkin pie). He is truly kind, gracious, and loving.