Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This is the story of the most memorable Thanksgiving we celebrated in Chad, Africa. Hopefully the lessons we learned will encourage you as you gather with your family next week.
First of all, a fun, obscure fact: there ARE actually turkeys in Chad! Once, as we were walking to one of the shops while in N’Djaména the capital city, my daughter and I saw one in front of a family’s house. It was very colorful, just like the turkey on the Bells Seasoning box. It was also very mean and nasty… which probably had something to do with its concern over her brood of poults (baby turkeys).
So, although there are turkeys in Chad, they are very hard to come by, especially on a plate, and definitely on Thanksgiving! So most Americans living in Africa will enjoy roasted chicken in its place.
Our Unforgettable Thanksgiving
In 2006, on that most memorable of all Thanksgivings, we invited some of our friends/fellow workers over for an afternoon celebration.
The girls had made turkeys and other decorations out of construction paper.
The roasted chicken was plentiful, tender and delicious! And thanks to care packages from our Church Family in the US, we had turkey gravy and cranberry sauce to remind us of America.
We were so happy together, enjoying the day with close friends.
Two days later
Two days later, as the sun was rising, we heard explosions in the distance. Not just one, but several, sustained, noises. As a family, we came to one conclusion: “This is NOT normal!”
Our town was being invaded by rebels.
The phone network towers went dead. There was no way to communicate with the outside world using our cell phones.
As the day went on, the shooting and explosions continued. We were trying to keep the girls calm in the house. Then all of a sudden there was an explosion that was a little too close. Our girls ran towards us. In their haste, one of them fell on the cement floor and scraped her knee.
The boom might have come as a result of this bullet hitting our house.
In all the noise, the girls were looking to us for reassurance. One of them said, “That boom was awfully close!”
That’s when the better of us looked each of them in the eye, and told them, “Yes. That boom was close. But God is closer than the booms.”
Then, throughout the day, the girls kept saying to themselves, “God is closer than the booms, God is closer than the booms.”
In 2020, God is still closer than the booms
As we celebrate Thanksgiving this year, there are booms going off all around us these days. For example, COVID-19 cases are rising throughout the United States. The results of the US election are not yet known. Uncertainty and instability are all around us.
Yet, every day, no matter how noisy it gets… no matter what happens… our Savior is closer than the “booms”.
Cry out to Him; He’s as close as the mention of His Name. Hold His leg, if you need to. Look up into His eyes.
It’s going to be okay.
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