“Holy God in love became.  Perfect man to bear my blame.  On the cross he took my sin.  By his death I live again.”  Mumble, mumble mumble, “AMEN”!

This is what Lydia is singing and saying while I’m typing and watching the Patriots beat Miami on the TV in a hotel room in Florida.  That entire sentence holds meaning.  Lydia singing the gospel song and finishing with a prayer, me watching the Patriots live on TV, and us being in a hotel room in Florida.  None of these things I could have predicted two years ago.

Thanksgiving time will always be an extra special time for us as it was this time that we officially brought Ronnie and Lydia home two years ago.  They were bald headed, willful, and beautiful blessings whose world we dramatically stole, in order to give them a new exhilarating one.  A new world that moved them around the globe, introduced them to many smiling faces who spoke to them in a language they did not understand and made them follow rules they never had.  Over the past two years they have learned to walk, climb stairs, ride bikes, put on clothes, eat pizza, ride a bus, ride a pony, color, conquer every park, say “thank you”, ask for help, and sing the gospel song.  Wow!  Wow.  They have grown so much!

This thanksgiving also has been unique since we are experiencing a reverse deployment.  Barrett is still in Puerto Rico but managed to make it here to celebrate his 40 crazy, grace-filled years of life the week before Thanksgiving.  He was able to put vision to the conversations we had been having and faces to the names.  The kids and I were thrilled to hug and love on him for 7 sleeps!  We were able to celebrate gotcha day with handmade craft tacos and chiros made with love in Fort Lauderdale!  We were all so grateful for the trip.

He went home to Puerto Rico so he could serve underprivileged kids Thanksgiving dinner as well as eating at the galley.  The four of us had a very different experience as we were blessed with a ball-like feast at the hotel the day before Thanksgiving sponsored by the Coast Guard auxiliary.  The food melted in our mouth and the kids had a mini magic show followed by a dance floor Phenom where they rocked the chicken dance, Macarena, and limbo for a couple of hours.  Then we headed to a friend’s house for actual thanksgiving and feasted again.  Here we told of our thankfulness of how the Lord has made blessing out of hardship and beauty out of ashes.  Our family loves to serve on Thanksgiving, yet the Lord saw it fit to for us to be served in amazing ways this year.  It is humbling and I wish I knew how to express our thankfulness.

We are entering month three here in Florida.  We know our housekeepers and maintenance men, we visit the front desk just to say hi, and we have a normal parking spot.  The kids get a daily Spanish lesson from the Venezuelan ladies who hand us our towels and take our trash.  They consistently enter the room with huge smiles and loud, “OLA’S” when they see the kids.  Hugs and kisses are given all around…well, except by me of course…maybe in month 4?  I didn’t realize how much this room has become our home until we almost lost it due to a faulty keycard reader.  We just put up a decal Christmas tree and some lights, have books stacked on every table, and we know all the hiccups and bugs.  The memories we have had here all rushed in and I began to feel sad…until the maintenance man from Nicaragua announced it was fixed and we could stay!  I gave him a high five and didn’t tell him that my Pats just crushed his Dolphins (he was taping the game to watch it at home).  This place has strangely become a family.

I would never have chosen to spend Thanksgiving in this manner, I’d much rather have Barrett with us, yet the Lord really overwhelmed me and my family by faithfully showing us His enduring love in odd circumstances.  I praise Him for this kindness, but as Lydia reminded me as I began this update, I praise Him more for lovingly sending His perfect son as a baby to live a life I could never live and die the death that I deserve.  Then He rose again conquering sin forevermore so I can be right with God forever!  The Pilgrims came to this new world so they could raise their families in this knowledge, I praise God that my 3-year-olds spontaneously sing about this same savior two years after entering their new world.

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” —Psalm 100:4-5