Giving of Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all those celebrating. No, Ghana does not celebrate Thanksgiving as this is an American Holiday but since we are an American school, we had the two days off as any typical American. I did teach this concept to my kids as you can see pictures up above. As we celebrated as a staff on Thursday amidst the bright sun and sweat pouring down my face, I thought more closely of the idea of Thanksgiving which I would rather term as giving of Thanks. We are suppose to thank God for the blessings He has given us but is just saying "thanks" enough? I believe that I can give thanks to the Lord through my praises to Him but also through my actions. The next time a kid calls my name at least a thousand times and I can calmly answer him or her back, I can give thanks to the Lord who constantly shows patience to me. When I have been wronged or hurt I can quickly forgive, giving thanks to the God who has forgiven my ultimate sins. When a friend or family member shows me grace and love no matter what, I can give thanks to the Lord who Loves me unconditionally. Giving of thanks must be constant and I must be aware of giving the Glory back to Christ instead of myself. Christ has shown me grace so many times, the least I can do is show grace to others, and ultimately giving the thanks back to God.

To celebrate Thanksgiving at school. I taught the kids about the Pilgrims and the helpful Native Americans such as Squanto through songs, short videos, and role playing. We did our annual making of Native American hats in which we wrote on the feathers ways to be thankful for God according to Psalms 103. This was followed by the third annual Thanksgiving celebration with the kindergarten students as we helped them make pilgrim hats. This was an extra special celebration as my current second grade students were the first class of kindergarten students to do this2 years ago. Most of them did not remember this party until I showed them a picture. At first they asked who the kids were and then I exclaimed, "you!" They were shocked as they were so tiny and cute, however they are still very cute!

On Wednesday, we had our annual Field Day where the PE teacher put together a day of activities for the entire school. I had the opportunity to hang out with team Burkina Faso for the day which insisted on a student from each grade. We started the day with making team chants which one of my soccer boys on my team informed me that having a second grade teacher while making up songs was a bad idea as I would just make up some cutesy, embarrasing song. I quite like my cutesy songs but I guess this isn't flattering to a ninth grade boy. The day went well and the PE teacher's hard work was definitely worth it. At the end of the day, the winning team got to shave the PE techer's head which was quite hilarious especially since they left the back of his hair long. On the way to practice that afternoon, the boys enjoyed telling all the passerbys about his ridiculous hair. The only bad part of the day was losing to the high school students in the faculty vs. teacher soccer game. Man, am I out of shape! I bet the boys that if we lost, they could run practice for the next two days. Unfortunately, their dream came true and we have spent many times doing push ups, for their sake!

On Friday, two of my friends and I traveled 2 1/2 hours on 4 trotros to make it to a children's home but thankfully the trip went smoothly. They rescue children from the Volta region who have been sold by their families to be used as slaves for the fishermen. These families do not have a lot of income so it is easier for them to sell some of their children. This couple is trying to stop that be putting in preventive measures like giving the families ways to sustain themselves so they do not sell their own children. They have rescued several already and they live with them in their own. This year, they have opened a school on land in which a chief gave them. They have 120 students with Ghanaian teachers and an American principal. The American is trying to instill proper teaching skills to the teachers instead of rote memorization. It has been a difficult task but they see much improvement which is great. I loved being at the school and just seeing how the Lord is providing the means to give these children a quality education and help these teachers learn better techniques. They said that one challenge is getting the teachers to use positive behavior enforcement instead of caning. In fact, at the last PTO meeting, the parents begged that they would cane their children at school which is the Ghanaian life and the parents said that they turned out well because of caning. However, this goes against the American way and thus they won't allow it. It is hard to change mindsets but you have to start somewhere. During the day, they had a Love Feast or their version of Thanksgiving. We helped cooked some but spent a lot of time hanging out with the kids before we all ate. Around 75 adults and 100 kids ate to their heart's content that day with still some left over. There were some American traditional Thanksgiving staples aside from the rice and fufu which the Ghanianas at least tried but not sure how much they enjoyed! Overall, the day was a successful and we are excited to partner with them in the future to help our own students see other ministries and a typical Ghanaian lifestyle. I am excited to find out more about how the lady does teacher training as I am still fact finding and in prayer over my whereabouts for next year. I am confident that the Lord will open the correct door at the right moment.

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

1 Chronicles 16:8


Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever

1 Chronicles 16:34


Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29:13


Cry out, "Save us, O God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, that we may glory in your praise."
1 Chronicles 16:35


In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."~1 Thessalonians 5:18