Thanksgiving Weekend in Kiev

Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone!

It's been a little longer than usual since my last post, but I have had an amazing Thanksgiving weekend here in Kiev.  :)  I love sharing my favorite traditions with new friends who have never experienced them before, and who appreciate them as much as I do.

My Thanksgiving traditions usually included turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sparkling apple cider, and other such delicious foods.  However, since I became a Christian, I've loved also spending time with God and telling him how grateful I am for how he has changed my life and given me more than I could ever have imagined.  I also love sharing this gratitude with my fellow believers and church family, which I was able to do here in Kiev.

We usually meet on Thursday nights as a small group for a little talk about the Bible and fellowship.  This week, I asked if I could host a Thanksgiving dinner.  I had already asked my mom to send some of my favorite childhood food recipes (thanks, Mom!), and I looked some new ones of my own up for those I didn't have.  It was amazing!  Not all of the ingredients are common here in Kiev, but with the help of one of the gals in my group, Nastia (who always cooks amazing dinners for our group on Thursdays), we were able (with our limited ability to communicate) to get everything, even a turkey small enough to fit in the oven! (Ovens here are half the size as in America.)

It was perfect!  Everyone loved my Mom's famous mashed potatoes, which I've made traditionally for almost every Thanksgiving dinner or potluck I've attended as an adult.  When I asked if anyone wanted seconds, nearly every plate shot out.  I laughed out loud, I was so happy they enjoyed them as much as I did!

We poured out the Zhivchick (a sparkling apple drink here that is marketed more as a soda, but tastes just like sparkling apple cider, to me), and I made a toast.  I shared the origin of the Thanksgiving holiday and why we celebrate it, and connected with how I relate to the pilgrims.  They had come to a foreign land by faith, and though they suffered, God provided for them and gave them new friendships and new abundance.  They had given up everything, not knowing what future awaited them.  Like them, I have felt scared and alone, yet I have been amazed at how God has provided for me in unexpected ways.  And I have made incredible new friendships that I believe will only grow stronger as I keep giving my heart and walk by faith.


Thank you, my true and faithful God.  Though the world may not recognize you, or realize it is from your hand their blessings come, you are the source of all good things, and I honor you in my heart this weekend, and say, "THANK YOU!" for caring for me and providing food, shelter, and friendship, even on the other side of the ocean.

Thank you, everyone, for being a part of God's blessing to me.  My family, my old friends, and new Kiev relationships...

Thank you.  May God bless and provide for you and your loved ones, and may you also experience the joy of giving thanks to the true source of everything we have to be grateful for.