Thanksgiving for 120 Days

The end of May and beginning of June was like standing on a precipice, preparing to jump. I was reflecting on the start of a season of insanity when I posted about the anticipated arrival of our first intern of the summer, Abby (see T-minus 13).

From the 11th of June until this past Thursday, the business didn’t let up. 120 days it was, to be exact. Interns, short term teams, special community centre classes, meetings, preaching, community outreach.

August would have been a slow month – which is why why picked it to take a road trip to Canada to complete paperwork that had to be done in person, find a vehicle, and deal with some medical issues. We also had the opportunity to visit family and do some preaching/sharing in the area.

I wondered what would happen – if we would make it through those 120 days! I admit, my body is feeling it, and some rest and recovery is in order.

However, more than anything, I look back with thanksgiving to God for all His mercies and blessings during that time. And since today is Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to pause for a moment (in between checking the turkey and starting on the stuffing) to give thanks.

Here are some of the things that I’m thankful for, either directly related to our family, or related to the wider ministry we’re involved in…

• We saw cross-cultural relationships built to the glory of God.
• We saw growth in the believers here in Ixtapaluca, and saw new people coming to the Lord.
• We served and saw others serving those in serious need.
• 11 people were baptized in August!
• Safe travels – for us, the interns and teams, and our coworkers who were travelling.
• The church property in Jesús María now has WATER!
• Further progress on the church property – tiling and painting, for example (to help, click here!).
• New and strengthened contacts in Las Palmas (even last week).
• For good medical treatment.
• For time together as a family.
• New friends!
• Many opportunities for us and others to share the Good News (even in Canada – here’s a quick sermon for you).
• God’s provision of a reliable vehicle, which we’ve put to good use already.
• The completion of needed paperwork in Canada.
• Relatively good health.
• Good times of fellowship with other believers in Canada, the USA, and Mexico (and for Jim – Guatemala too!).
• 120 days – we made it!

Of course those are just a few broad strokes – there are a million details to be thankful for (like when we were five minutes away from buying a lemon of a van), as well as all the ongoing blessings that we have from the Lord.

We pray that God would continue to build His Church – that we would have more to be thankful for, and that more people would be thankful!

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2Corinthians 4:7-18