Thanksgiving

(From Alyssa)

Thanks especially to Jessica and Rachel's hard work organizing our feast, we actually enjoyed a pretty traditional Thanksgiving this year here in France. Having now celebrated three Thanksgivings outside the U.S., it seems that we actually try harder to carry on the traditions while living in a foreign land. We certainly miss family time (and football :)) but the other ingredients are here - thankfulness, friends, and culinary delights. :)

 Sarah planned a story and crafts for the kids about thankfulness - creatively using her elementary school teacher skills

 Listening to the story

 Making pilgrim hats

 Micah modeling his pilgrim hat

 Thankful charts - all the kids are very thankful for their mommy and daddy and Jesus. Even the littlest ones drew pictures. 

 Ben and his buddy Josiah with their hats

 Maggie and Abi

John explained the story of Thanksgiving and did his best to incorporate all the nationalities represented at our feast into the story - he got a little stuck with Slovakia, though! (We have classmates from Holland, England, and Slovakia and of course included some French friends and professors at the feast.)

 Carving the five enormous turkeys - too big for the ovens, even. McLaughlin's oven actually began to flame in the process of cooking one of these birds. Thankfully they remembered where the fire extinguisher was and quickly put out the fire before anyone (including the turkey) was hurt. 

 Everything tasted delicious and we enjoyed sharing this time together. We have so much to be thankful for this year - being all together in one place as McCropders again, Rachel passing her OB/Gyn boards, happy and healthy kids, safe travels through thousands of miles this past year, God's strength for learning a new language, and especially the provision of God of so many partners in this journey making it possible through prayer and support for us to continue on this path towards Burundi. Dieu vous bénisse (God bless you).