30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 26 and 27--Family away from family/Our house

We're heading out of town tomorrow, so we're doubling up on our blog post tonight, and we'll do two on Sunday as well when we return from the mountains of Nicaragua.

Day 26: Family Away from Family

Without a doubt, the hardest thing about living and serving in Nicaragua is being away from family. This is always true, but of course hardest on the "special" days, like holidays and birthdays and the school programs that would normally bring us all together. We missed being with our families during Thanksgiving today. . .missed that irreplaceable and automatic sense of love and belonging that we feel when we are with our moms and dads and brothers and sisters and grandparents.

BUT. . .we have created a family here. Not ever able to replace our true "blood" families back in the US. . .but a lovely community of people that make the holidays and birthdays and special events okay, because we can do life together, and do it well, in Nicaragua. The unique thing about this place (and I find it similar to Rehoboth, NM), is that when many people do NOT have their blood family around, they are more open, ready, and in need of folks who can stand in for family. And community happens.

 

 

We loved hosting 30-some folks at our home today for Thanksgiving. And while we missed our New Mexico and Michigan and Ohio families today, we felt very much "home" with the Holtrops, Sjobergs, Marins, Weigands, Boersemas, and Alex Pasker, too!

Day 27: Our Home

We are so thankful for our home. We love that we can comfortably squeeze 30 people in here to celebrate Thanksgiving today (okay 13 adults ate inside. . .the kids were all outside, thank goodness!)! We love that we have an extra bedroom for guests. We love our location, and our neighborhood, and our neighbors. We love the space and the high ceilings that make it a little cooler in here. We love the layout and the laundry room with a screen for a ceiling that lets the rain in. We're thankful for the many windows that are stuck open, and the fact that we never have to lock our doors (unless we're at church, when all the neighbors are gone, too!). We're thankful for this space and this place that we call home in Nicaragua, and we pray that we can continue to be hospitable here. Come visit!