A Chain of Thankfulness

When our children were still too young to write, we started making a thankful chain in preparation for the American celebration of Thanksgiving. We cut strips of paper large enough for the children to draw on. Then, each evening after supper, We each put down at least one thing we were thankful for. 

It's a family tradition we've continued. The chain starts out with just a few links. In the days leading up to Thanksgiving, it continues to grow. Guests at the thanksgiving feast are invited to participate. 

Our thankfulness does not end with Thanksgiving. Sometimes the chain becomes part of our Christmas decorations. 

And sometimes a portion of it wraps around our family bulletin board all year . . . until it's time to start the next thankful chain.

This year has made us stretch our thankful thoughts. There will be no guests. There's been a lot we were not grateful for. But as you can see, even this year we have linked one thankful thought after another. 

With grateful hearts,

Keith & Mary

God at Work . . . even through a forgotten passport

 This story happened back in 2008. But things like this are still happening today!

“It was a blessing from God,” Alina said. We got to know Alina when she was working as an au pair here in the Netherlands. Her employer had a business in her hometown in Romania. One Sunday he had taken the train to Schiphol to return to his business. Once at the airport, he discovered he didn’t have his passport. “He never forgets his passport,” Alina emphasized. He had just gotten back to home to pick it up when Alina received word that her grandmother had passed away. 

Because a family member drove Alina's employer back to Schiphol Airport, Alina was able to ride with him. Once their flight landed in Bucharest, she was also able to ride with him the 400 km to her hometown. This saved her a lot of trouble in a time of great grief. God works through many things . . . even a forgotten passport.

HAPPY KIDS

          Why are 

          these kids 

          so happy?

They were having a great time,  

playing games  (Tag Trio) 

 

and learning about God at a Bible club

 

led by our friend and ministry partner, Zoltan.

F10 Tag trio

 

Needed: space to run around.

 

Activity:

One person stands in front: Number 1.

Someone else  holds his/her hand:  Number 2

Ask the group, how can we make 3 from this? Yes, another person will hold his/her other hand: Number 3

These three are “it.” Everyone else runs from one side of the play area to the other. The three holding hands try to tag them. The three must keep holding hands for the “tag” to count. Once everyone has been tagged, another three are chosen to be “it.”

 

Note: It is possible to do the same game with another number–a “culturally significant number” or  whichever one you want to focus on.