Give Thanks

"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."  Psalm 100

As you can imagine, being in Kenya for 5 weeks has made me more aware of the blessings that the Lord has so graciously given me.  I have been surouded by a community of people who are truly grateful unto the Lord.  Many of whom we back in the States may look at and wonder what exactly they are thankful for.  I am touched by the humble hearts of those here at Tenwek, and the fact that any blessing, no matter how big or small, is understood to have come straight from God. 

I have many things to be thankful for this year.  I decided to share some of them so that the one who gave them to me can get the recognition and praise that he deserves. 

• Salvation in Jesus Christ.  Lord knows I fall short every day, but his mercies are new every morning.
• Mark.  I'm not sure why God chose to make him mine, but I am so glad that he did.  I am constantly in awe of the man that my husband is and continues to become.  Serving together in Kenya has been yet another reminder of his generous heart and his selflessness. 
• My family.  Unconditional love, that is what they give to me.  What comfort in knowing that no matter what is going on in life, I can always go home.  I am also thankful for the opportunity to extend my definittion of family when I married Mark, giving me even more people that love me and make sacrifices for me. 
• My friends.  I am one blessed girl! I truly have the best friends anyone could ask for.  I believe that their love for God enables them to love me more fully.  I can honestly say that I have friends that would put my needs before theirs, how comforting!
• The Physician Assistant Program at UK and my Classmates.  I am thankful to have the opportunity to educate myself and persue a profession I love and that will allow me to help others.  It has also given me the opportunity of a lifetime here in Kenya.  And my classmates? Well, praise God for them.  Its no secret that I tend to stress, but having them to remind me to "get it together" and have fun has not only gotten me through countless marathons of studying, but have made the process a very enjoyable one.
• Cooper.  I truly believe that God has blessed me through my dog.  He never fails to bring a smile to my face.  Any while sometimes I get annoyed that he ALWAYS greets Mark at the door and usually greets me, he will always be our first child.
• My sister.  Lindsey was in a car accident the morning of Thanksgiving while driving home in the early morning after a night at work.  And while her car was likely totaled, my sister was not. I will count this my greatest blessing.  Praise God for keeping her perfectly safe in the palm of his hands.  What joy to know that he still has great things in store for her.

The above is by no means an exhaustive list of all my many blessings.  I guess you know you are really blessed when you have to cut your list short.  Being in Kenya has reminded me to be thankful for other things that I might usually take for granted...a roof over my head, transportation, food, access to healthcare, clean water, clothes, and the list goes on.  Thank you to all who read this blog.  Many of you have blessed Mark and I by your prayers, encouragement and financial support for this mission trip. I pray Gods blessings on all of you and I hope you had a wonderful and very happy Thanksgiving!