THANKS GIVING hearts

When November hit and I started to see "I'm thankful for this... " "I'm thankful for that..." I knew the month of thanksgiving was coming too fast. I was just getting done celebrating halloween with new friends and my spider webs and slowly-rotting carved pumpkins were still hanging around.

busyness and busy streets in a busy world

I didn't have enough time to think of a creative way to give thanks each day in November and start a new tradition (like I saw much of on pinterest and instagram...and I love traditions!) for our new family! I wanted to slow down. It felt rushed to switch into giving thanks after a busy October.

we did both finally got hair cuts though! :)
party hosting should be in our job description ;) they call me "party queen" here

It's now December and I have had 4 thanksgiving parties already in the past 2 weeks. Three of these thanksgiving parties were to give thanks with our friends and family for our wedding since they could not be there. One was a big potluck!

pumpkin pie!!!! from real pumpkins and homemade pie crust :)
I didn't know I could do it but life overseas does that to you...

yummiest sweet potato casserole! on the first try!

good ol' homemade mac and cheese :)

(I'm a housewife in the making, so I'm learning the art of cooking. I love baking and experimenting with new breads, cakes, muffins, everything! But I'm slower at the dinner meals! Thanks to James for being the taste tester of all things that come out of our kitchen.)

My heart doesn't feel rushed into giving thanks anymore.
It feels like it's really giving thanks to the Lord. For that, I am thankful.

We gave thanks with family and friends. We shared our life changes, love story, wedding pictures and videos with friends, we dug deep into scriptures, we worshipped our God, sang, meditated on the Word.

i love this little girl and her parents in our church small
group :) she's so cute. i hope our future baby is like her!

we found a big christmas tree in a hotel nearby
and ran in to take a quick photo

My heart is full- refreshed by looking first to God and seeing how HE loved me so much and sent me His Son, Jesus, to die for my while I was still a sinner. How HE did this for each of us in this whole world, whether each of us believe in Him and call Him Lord or not. He did it for each of us. And I, we, believers, Christians, get to know Him more and more deeply each day and know we will forever be in the presence and care and glory of the Lord.

And oh my heart burdens and breaks for my friends and family who don't know Him yet. But we pray. We pray without ceasing, giving thanks, that the Lord does not stop pursuing us with His love. We rejoice because we know that in our lives we see God's grace. We see many of our family and friends drawing closer to Him and we are thankful for that.

The rush of the past few months reminded me to give thanks everyday. That giving thanks in all circumstances is in the will of Christ Jesus. (1Thess 5:18) And to rejoice, to be filled with joy continuously. So, that is our prayer as individuals and a family. We will continue to count our blessings instead of our (my) grumbling and complaints. I will give thanks unto the Lord. We will give thanks. Because there is so much to be thankful for.

And now with thankful hearts, we enter December... the month of advent... "coming" ... a month of waiting patiently and expectantly for Christmas, celebrating the coming of the Lord, that we celebrate each day. "We are advent people" - Ann Voskamp So we wait... expectantly. :)

Love, Mr and Mrs Chu