Abundant days...

 

Just to let you know, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth, but after being away for retreat with my fellow Malaysia YAGM in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, I was left with a lot to think through and process.  We learned a lot about the history of Malaysia and Singapore that helps to make sense in what we see everyday.  But what I saw around me left me with many questions that I take with me as I continue to experience what goes on.  (Still have things that I’m grappling with, but these questions will probably surface in later blogs.) 

But one of the highlights of retreat for me was Thanksgiving dinner.  I admit, I’ve been wondering how I’m going to take the holidays and this was my first Thanksgiving away from my family.  However, by the time retreat came around, I figured it would be ok even if we had a dinner with nothing like anything I had ever eaten in my entire life.  Sharing time with my fellow YAGM would be enough.  But dinner surpassed any expectations I could have possibly had.  Our hosts, members of the Lutheran Church in Malaysia, had never made Thanksgiving dinner, but it turned out wonderfully.  I didn’t know that we would come in to eat and see baked chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, lasagna, garlic bread, and apple pie.  One of our hosts told us, “I didn’t know what to do so I just started with typing ‘Thanksgiving dinner’ into Google.”  But there was more to this dinner than tucking in to some great, familiar food.  Though the food was what some might refer to as traditional, there was a newness to this long-held pastime.  Here we were gathered with friends that we had just met and friends that we hadn’t seen in a while and making it a shared meal of our own.  Many people gather around the Thanksgiving table with people they have known their whole lives, but we were with new friends.  I think it was one of those God moments where the conversation flows and you feel like you’ve known everyone much longer.  

It's in these kinds of moments that I think accompaniment with one another is really magnified.  This was a time when our hosts met us in making a wonderful meal for Thanksgiving.  They took the time to prepare a meal they had never been a part of before.  And we had the joy of sitting side-by-side and swapping stories, jokes, and insights.  At the same time, we asked questions of each other and learned.  The holidays can be a great opportunity for deepening relationships as we walk with many different communities.  It can be a time where we share long-held traditions and maybe even  walk away with some of our personal practices for the holidays somewhat changed.  

As I prepare for Christmas (yes, we’re already making plans at church), I hold these feelings from Thanksgiving close.  This will also be my first Christmas away from my family and I admit, thinking about it brings on some feelings of homesickness.  This is one of those not so easy things that I considered when I applied for YAGM, but didn’t know what to expect.  But this past Thanksgiving gives me hope. I was apprehensive about how I was going to feel and yet, I found God’s abundance in a meal shared with new friends.  It gives me hope to look toward Christmas and the experiences I will have with my own community this year.