The Finca is such an amazing place full of laughter, peace, joy, and love, but it can be easy for missionaries to miss their families more than normal around the holidays because we are missing incredible family time and fun family traditions in the United States. That being said, I am so, so thankful to have our own amazing holiday traditions at the Finca that allow missionaries to celebrate with the people and the kids that we love so much.
THANKSGIVING WAS AN ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE DAY!!! Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Honduras, so it was a tad strange to celebrate such an integral part of American culture with our missionary community while it was just a normal day with those who we share life with here. However, the majority of the kids, tías, and staff at the Finca, especially if they have lived or worked here for any significant amount of time, know how important Thanksgiving is to us and do their best to celebrate with us. At one point while I was delivering water to houses in the morning, Seidy, the oldest girl at the Finca who has lived here for most of her life, stopped me as I was driving by, gave me a high-five, smiled at me, and said “Happy Thanksgiving” in English. This is just one small example of the love and thoughtfulness that makes the Finca so unbelievably amazing!!
We mostly had Thanksgiving off from our jobs and responsibilities, so we were able to enjoy the present moment with our missionary community and spend quality time with one another throughout the entire day. In the morning at 8am, Kristen and I organized a Turkey Trot and a game of flag football with our entire missionary community. It was so much fun and an awesome way to be active and laugh together as we started an incredibly special day in all of our hearts! For the most part, all the kids, Watchies, and maintenance workers at the Finca were looking at us like we were crazy gringos, but a few of the younger kids played flag football with us toward the end of the game. SO MUCH FUN!!
After the morning festivities, it was time for all of us to shower and make our part of the Thanksgiving feast! AND WHAT A FEAST IT TURNED OUT TO BE!! Every missionary signed up for making a different part of the meal either on the stove/oven inside, on the outdoor fogon, or in the outdoor horno, but we had the traditional Thanksgiving food that we have at home: turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, vegetables, bread & butter, apple cider, pumpkin pie, key lime pie, apple crisp, and box wine! I am still thinking about how awesome that meal was over three weeks later!! Best of all, all of the missionaries gathered around the kitchen table and were able to spend AMAZING time with one another as we ate, drank, and laughed so, so, so much! I am extremely grateful for every one of the amazing missionaries around that kitchen table and for all of us saying ‘yes’ to serve together at this amazing place we call home.
In addition, the priest from the church in Trujillo came to our church at the Finca to celebrate mass. In fact, the Sores let us do the readings in English along with Spanish on this American holiday, which NEVER happens. I am ALWAYS, ALWAYS grateful when my brain has to work a little less hard during mass to comprehend what is being said during the readings. After mass, we celebrated with the kiddos, tías, Watchies, and maintenance workers at the Finca by handing out Thanksgiving goodies, including pumpkin pie and brownies.
All in all, Thanksgiving was a truly PHENOMENAL day that made it very clear how much we have to be grateful for at the Finca! Beginning with the loving community in which we live, I am extremely grateful for how quickly and fully the kids love the missionaries despite our flaws, including our Spanish skills that sometimes results in tricky communication. I am extremely grateful for my missionary community at the Finca, especially all the peace, joy, and laughter that we share every single day as we navigate this challenging yet exhilarating life in rural Honduras. I am extremely grateful for the food on our table every meal, especially as so many in this country and world go without adequate and fulfilling food for their bodies. I am also incredibly grateful for our safety at the Finca, especially for all the hard work of the Watchies that work long and sometimes difficult days to ensure that we are safe. This gratitude list could truly go on forever, and a day like Thanksgiving is a good reminder to slow down from the daily busyness of life at the Finca and to count your blessings in life.
As I am typing this blog, we are exactly ONE WEEK FROM CHRISTMAS DAY!!! Christmas time is such a magical and exhilarating time at the Finca, and I truly cannot wait to celebrate this amazing holiday with the kids and the people that I love so, so much. Luke and Karen, who are missionaries in my class, are the event coordinators at the Finca, so they are hard at work planning the huge parties on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. There are so many incredible Advent and Christmas traditions at the Finca, including the posadas that just recently started on December 15th. This is a truly awesome way to come together as a Finca community every day to deepen our faith and to share in a snack/drink as we prepare our hearts and minds to receive Jesus this Christmas.
Please pray for the three new kids that arrived at the Finca about three weeks ago, specifically that they may feel loved in their new community and that they can come to find Jesus’ amazing love and mercy at the Finca. Please know of my prayers for you and your loved ones this Christmas, specifically that you can come together in the name of Jesus and enjoy your Christmas traditions with your family!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE FINCA! It is my hope that you can enjoy this magical time of the year with the people that you love most.
God Bless!