Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Mexico. It is not a day out of school. It is not a day off of work. The day after Thanksgiving is nothing special for Mexicans.
So, we decided it would be a gret day to go to Six Flags, which is located about 15 miles from our house. So, the Torbert family, Sori (a secretary at the mission office), and Janell, Nathan, and I piled into the Torbert’s van and went to Six Flags. We had a great time there. It was Nathan’s first trip to an amusement park, and he was really good (as usual).
We finally got into the van to go home around 5:30 pm. It was Friday evening rush hour, and almost 4 hours later, we arrived at home. It was the worst traffic I have ever seen or been in. There was no accelerating for hours. We were stuck. We tried our best to make the most of it, but we were wiped out by the time we got home. Unbelievable! That’s life in one of the largest cities in the world.
We spent Thanksgiving Day as a family. Janell made some awesome eggs and bacon for breakfast, we watched football, and we ate Thanksgiving dinner with some other missionaries. It was a great day. We had fun, and we thank God for lots of things, including the opportunity to serve here in Mexico and the prayers and support that we continually receive from everyone. It makes days like today special, even though we are far from home. We hope you had a great Thanksgiving, too.
Here’s what we’ve been doing the last few days:
Monday: We went to Walmart to buy our Christmas tree. It cost us 388 pesos, or about $35 US. It’s the biggest Christmas tree we have ever had, and it smells and looks really good. Nathan loves it. He loves to watch the lights and had a big smile when he woke up from his nap and it was up. Monday night we went to a fellowship with Northwest Mexico City missionaries.
Tuesday: I was sick, so I spent pretty much the whole day in bed. I was trying to get better so I could enjoy the holiday weekend. It worked pretty well. I also had a chance to finish reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was a restful day, and I feel a little better now.
Wednesday: Class from 8 AM to noon. Chapel followed. Then, at 4 pm, we had a meeting with all the seminary students who are working with young people and are interested in participating in a camp in March. We will be planning it together in the next few months.
Tomorrow, we will be sleeping in, watching football, and eating turkey, all while being very thankful for all that God has given us. Have a great Thanksgiving Day.
In light of what I wrote in the previous post about resting, yesterday was a very good example of that. I went to church at 6 am for a prayer meeting that ended around 8:15. Then, I came home and rested. We did pretty much nothing related to work all day. I talked to my sister for an hour (who commented on the comment I made about busy-ness), read a little Harry Potter 4, played with Nathan, went shopping for some Christmas decorations and groceries, talked to my mom, and rested. Overall, it was a great day where we took a break from some things.
Today, I will be preaching at Capital City Baptist Church. They are really beginning to kick up their youth ministry, and I have agreed to help “consult” on what to do. So, I’m preaching in the morning service and leading a parents’ meeting afterward. It should be a good time.
Schedule for today:
- 8-12: class
- 12-2: Meeting
- 3-5: Doctor for Nathan’s normal check-up
- 7-9: MK Bible study
It’s going to be a busy day. Plus, I have some “office work” to do. I don’t know when I’ll get that done, but hopefully I can squeeze in some time somewhere.
This reminds me of something I’ve been thinking about lately. Why do we think that being busy is a good thing? Everytime we talk to someone, we say, “I’ve been really busy lately.” We say it like they should be awed at our busy-ness. Sometimes, too, we’re ashamed to say, “I don’t have anything on the schedule today.” As if busy-ness was close to godliness. I’ll have to think about it more and write about it later. Just a thought…”Be still and know that I am God.”
