Emily's Ecuador: Thankful for Thankgiving

   I am so thankful this year!!! For this chance that God gave me to be able to come here, for my family, for great and wonderful friends both here and in the States, and for God's love and safety while I've been here! But most importantly because I had two Thanksgiving this year!!! :) It was really good...both times.

   The first time was actually on Thanksgiving with another missionary family from Nashville. They had a team from Alabama... 3 seniors and their youth pastor!!! It was nice to have an "American Thanksgiving"...and those country accents made it even better. Since all of us were from the South as you know guest go a first as well as ladies, so I was the first one. The guy who was behind me was really wanting to eat and I was taking my time...so he was getting pretty annoyed (but in a good natured way). When I sat down to eat the table, the dad of the house commented on my plate of food! He said something along the lines of, wow...look at that plate, she's my kinda girl for eating!!! My plate did look like a mound! Somehow I ate it all, my salad, and a piece of pumpkin pie. I really don't know how I ate it all!!

   Then for my second Thanksgiving was a little less relaxed, but just as good and fun! It was just the Roseland and the Caicedo families (Luigi, Carol, and Baby Lucas)! We had cooked everything that needed to go in the oven...when out of no where the electricity went out! It was really funny because Mena and I were joking earlier that day that it would be hilarious if the power went out....why not the water and internet hadn't worked that week as well.

The only thing that we were waiting for was the turkey and the guys were frying it, so no electricity was needed...thankfully!! For me it felt like the real First Thanksgiving....minus the battery powered lanterns!! Right when we were about to sit down to eat, Luigi said that it was really cool to have the lights out....and then the lights turned on!!! Of course, those were the magic words!! We ended up turning all the lights of except for one!! The food was so good!! I was so full, but I did leave enough room for a piece of pumpkin pie! To me a Thanksgiving dinner isn't complete without the pumpkin pie dessert!!