It’s been too long since we have provided an update here at the S.E.A.Side. Our apologies for that! Let’s start with a brief word about our Thanksgiving as it was our first major holiday here in Medan and so far away from family and friends back in America.
We were able to get almost all the food that we needed to make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. (Kali made sure to pick up some pecans on our way through Singapore). We invited an American family that we have gotten to know over the past few months and their friends (also an American family) came over as well. It was Amazing. We had the complete spread: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, cranberry sauce, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie.
We were also blessed by the great conversation with the two families that joined us. We were able to share our common frustrations with the process of getting a visa, we received a lot of tips and tricks for life here (both other families have lived here for over a year), we talked about what we love (fresh fruit, the friendliness of the people, the love the people here have for children and families), and we talked shop a bit too.
The children also got along wonderfully! They were busy playing together for hours and hours, which left the adults time to sit and do boring adult things like talk and drink coffee.
Of course, we miss our friends and family back in the states. Yet even with that weighing heavy on our hearts, God abundantly blessed us this Thanksgiving and brought us a lot of joy. We can see that God is working for us as he helps us to form friendships and put down roots here in Medan.
Please join us in thanking God for our wonderful new friendships. Please also join us in prayer that as we strengthen our language skills, we will also forge deep and lasting friendships with Indonesians.