Thankful Thursday

What I'm thankful for:

1. People seem to think that I look like I can fit into my pre-baby jeans.


2. Hubby's got lots of new jeans that I can "borrow" until I actually can fit into my pre-baby jeans again.


3. Baby smiles.


4. Baby's first laugh.


5. Being able to go outside in January in central New York dressed like it's May in New York city. (The weather's going back to normal tomorrow, pray for us.)


6. Bible study started up again today. We're up to chapter 20 in Acts. (Comments on the book thus far are forthcoming.)


7. The men and women fighting in Iraq and the mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers who patiently and faithfully wait for their return.


8. Sci Fi Friday. (I proudly wear the label of Sci Fi Queen in my family.)


9. This email message from one of the missionaries my church supports:

   Praise God that:
   ·Our local church held a Christmas dinner at the jail.
   
   ·We collected the names and addresses of the children of the prisoners and delivered Christmas gifts to the children and food for their families. This also gave us an opportunity to share the gospel with many families. Pray for wisdom for us and for our continuing outreach with these families and with the prisoners as they are released. Although only one person from each family is in jail, the whole family suffers.

   (This is a follow up report on this.)


10. And this message from some other missionaries from my church:

    Our many friends here have shown us many great kindnesses; we can't thank them enough. And our Ugandan friends, in particular, are very pleased that we decided to have our baby here, among them. I told the news to a student this morning and he, like most Ugandans, assumed that K had gone home to have the baby, like most mzungu. He [was] very surprised and pleased that we had chosen to have our baby here.
    
    One of the sweetest exchanges came at the petrol station, of all places. Most of the attendants are women and girls, and they have gotten to know us over the last months. (A white family in a big white Land Rover is pretty conspicuous.) One said to Karen, "still here?" By which she meant: haven't you gone back to wherever you come from to have the baby? When K told her she had given birth that very night in Kampala, and pointed to J P in his car seat, she shrieked for joy. She gathered all the other attendants together so they could admire the "white Ugandan". Again, there was a bond created by the fact that we were willing to be with them, even in the giving birth of our child.

What are you thankful for?