Our friends invited us to participate in a Thanksgiving feast.  It was a week early, but that was not of any import. 

The celebration of a uniquely American holiday with 24 friends from 9 different countries meant a great deal to our family.  We are a few thousand miles away from our immediate family where for years we’d gather around a common table.   To be welcomed into a new local family is indeed an honor.

Our host family had lived in the United States for a few years and grew to like and understand the significance of an American Thanksgiving dinner.  Even though they no longer live in the states, it is a holiday they choose to celebrate.  We have noticed that many churches have adopted the holiday as a day of thankfulness to God for the blessings of the year. 

While it is not a holiday that involves a 4 day weekend as it is in the US, some churches have had special feasts and banquets.

Brenda organized the children to do a little drama that told the story of an American Thanksgiving.  She made crafts for cornstalks, pilgrim hats, and plates full of food.  They were awesome ideas.

We enjoyed a big turkey, pumpkin pie, as well as some green bean casserole and corn.  One thing we do miss from the US is silver queen corn.  There is no replacing that sweetness with local corn.

The fellowship around the table was fantastic.  Nine different nationalities.  One of the blessings of being in this country is that it is also a national melting pot of immigrants.  While Spanish is the common language, many come to Panama in search of a better future — economic and social.  There is lots of economic opportunity in this country, even in the midst of such extreme poverty.

To see the full photo album (23 photos), visit our Facebook Photo Album.

Earlier this fall, we had a chance to meet up with our Sunday School class for dinner at a local restaurant. 

Our church, though very large, does not have an active small group ministry.  The Sunday school class is attempting to fill that void and felt need.  What a joy to visit with people and to share a little time of fellowship.

We attended the married couples class.  We break down into smaller groups based on the seasons of marriage (1-5 years, 6-10 years, 11-20 years, 20+) when we meet on Sundays but this was the first attempt at gathering many of us together.

As it turned out, it was also our waiter’s birthday, so the class took a moment to honor him, then pray for him a blessing.  It was our chance to minister to him.  

Saying Grace in Public

The biggest surprise of the night for me was being called on to say grace for our food.

Praying an impromptu prayer, in Spanish, before a crowd of listeners (and God, of course) turned on the anxiety faucet pretty quickly. However, I stumbled through it.

Spanish for me still is a little clumsy, but conversationally I do OK.  I’m told it’s still a little “heavy” meaning the grammar is not always right, the prepositions might be in the wrong direction. 

Fellowship Photos

Today is Halloween. 

To give you a glimpse of celebrating US Holidays in a foreign country, here were some of the challenges.

Finding candy corn.

In the US, the holiday of Halloween is a big commercial enterprise.  Most big-box type stores anywhere have loads of candy near the entrance and a section of the store dedicated to all things for the holiday — costumes, decorations, candy, and supplies to run it all like bags, batteries, and other goodies.

What’s candy corn?  Didn’t find it.  Not even in the candy section.  Needed to visit a store that caters to expats with imported items.

Want yarn?  Find the store where they sell yarn and ribbons.

Need sugar cookie mix?  Supply issues in one store meant none for that day. 

Without a car to help us get from store to store, whatever was missing from the store that day didn’t get bought.  On top of it, yesterday was payday before a three day holiday weekend so traffic was hosed, as it is today as people are trying to get out of town.

Brenda found the yarn in a specialty shop that sells only yarn and ribbon tapes, because it was a block from our house.

Since Halloween is a US Holiday, there is no retail madness to have all the baking supplies or candy near the front door or in any kind of simply 1 stop location in a store.

No complaints, just inconveniences.

 

 The scarf you see pictured — hand made from yard using straws as a loom. 

Brenda spent hours last night hand making it.  What a labor of love.