Tag: thanksgiving

Thankful Hearts!

On most Wednesdays when we are not traveling, we have an English language lesson to help our media-ministry staff practice and improve their English skills. Most of them have good English, but just need practice. On Thanksgiving week (November 27) our topic was about Thanksgiving. Each one shared a verse from the Bible that they like. They also shared what they want to thank God for. With their permission, here is the summary of the Bible verses each one shared and the things they want to thank God for:

  • In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” I Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)

Chantha, one of our media hosts/programmers, shared the above verse. He is thanking God for blessing him, for being with him in all situations, good and bad. He also thanks God for His protection.

  • “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,” Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV)

Rukha, the administrative/office manager, shared Ephesians 2:8 with the group. He is thankful to God for blessing him and his family, and for God’s protection. He also thanks God for providing for all his needs.

  • “We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near.” Psalm 75:1 (NKJV)

Bopha, another radio/media host, shared the above verse. She thanks God for the blessing of family, for His care, for blessing her with a baby, and for a good husband.

  • “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
    For His mercy endures forever.” Psalm 107:1 (NKJV)

Kiry, another radio/media host, shared Psalm 107:1. He is thanking God for the support, love, and joy of family and friends. He also thanks God for making each day more meaningful. Kiry continues to thank God for giving him talents and abilities, and for giving him the opportunity to experience new things. He thanks God for helping him overcome many challenges and enjoy the simple blessings of everyday life.

  • Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.  Psalm 118:1 (NKJV)

Mengly, one of the newest staff members in the ministry office, works in the IT department. He shares the above verse. Mengly wants to thank God for blessing him and his family with this new job. He expressed how much he likes and enjoys his job.

  • “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God,” Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)

Sopheak is the manager for the programming department and shared the above verse. He wants to thank God for taking care of his family. He also thanks God for blessing him with a satisfied heart and good health.

  • Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4 (NKJV)

Reaksa, another radio/media host, shared this verse. She wants to thank God for everything; for blessing her to grow into the person she is now. She also thanks God for blessing her with family, friends, and people who care for her.

  • David shared the same Bible verse, Psalm 100:4. He shared with the group that he thanks God for the blessing of his wife, as we celebrated our 127th month-sary on November 27th (our wedding was on April 27, 2014).  
  • I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Philippians 1:3 (NKJV)

I (Vicki) shared this verse with the group. I also thank God for blessing me with my husband, and for blessing us to serve God with these wonderful people, the FEBC Cambodia staff.

On Thanksgiving Day, (Nov 28th), we all had fun and a good celebration. We thank the Lord God for providing a Thanksgiving traditional meal of turkey, stuffing, pie, etc.

Why Do We Celebrate the Thanksgiving Holiday?

During this session, David and I shared a quick and simple history of American Thanksgiving, beginning with the time when the Pilgrims sailed from Europe to the New World. We also briefly shared the old and modern traditions of celebrating Thanksgiving with family dinners of turkey or ham, vegetables, pumpkin pie, etc. We also shared that family reunions and watching American football are also part of the modern Thanksgiving Day celebration. We also shared the following with our staff:

  • “Some 100 passengers set sail on the Mayflower in 1620 to start a life in the New World. They landed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and settled the first colony in New England, shaping the future of the American colonies.” (https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/mayflower-pilgrims)
  • The First Thanksgiving was on November 23, 1621, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Colonists from England and the Native American Wampanoag people shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.
  • Thanksgiving was recognized as an official holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863.
  • Since 1941, the annual tradition and official holiday has been on the 4th Thursday in November.

We hope you all had a good Thanksgiving holiday with your family. May our hearts be full of gratitude to our Lord God, not just on Thanksgiving, but everyday. We thank our Lord for blessing us with the love of families, friends and for the gift of life and eternal life.

Grateful!

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever. ” I Chronicles 16:34 NKJV

A nice cruise on the Mekong River with friends

First Thanksgiving Celebration in Mekong Land

Of course, thanksgiving is not an official holiday in Cambodia. Besides the USA, only a few countries have official Thanksgiving Celebrations in various dates such as Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Liberia. Others countries such as Brazil, Germany, the Philippines, and perhaps a few other countries celebrate Thanksgiving unofficially.

In the recent past, David and I celebrated Thanksgiving with a special meal with his sister’s family. The usual tradition is roasted turkey, dressing with cranberry sauce, some veggies, and pumpkin, or pecan pie. In America’s southeast region, casseroles are tradition for cooking vegetables, such as green beans or squash casseroles. They are delicious! When I joined David’s family, the Asian eggrolls became an addition to the Thanksgiving family get together. 🙂

This year, since we live in the Southeast, finding ingredients to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal was a challenge. First, dressed turkey or turkey meat is not easy to find. After a few weeks of looking, we were delighted to find one store in the city that sells frozen dressed turkey, imported from another country. However, the price is a bit high. (About $68). Later, we found out we can buy a rotisserie chicken in another store for five bucks! I thought I could cook some veggies and perhaps try to make a turkey dressing or stuffing. However, we could not find sage seasoning in any shops in the city. There are all kinds of cooking seasoning, but no sage. Then another ingredient we tried to look for was canned cranberry sauce. Again, no luck.

When our friends the Mayfields were planning to visit, I requested them to bring a can of cranberry sauce if they find something. And they did. They found a canned cranberry sauce while traveling in Bangkok. Sad to say, when they got to the airport to fly from Bangkok to Phnom Penh, the canned cranberry sauce was not allowed to board the plane. Perhaps it was considered liquid?

The week of Thanksgiving (Nov 19-25) was another hectic week. Besides friends’ visiting, David and I participated in a wedding event of a family member of one of the staff. Then couple of days later, was an engagement celebration/dinner. (Besides learning the language, we are still trying to understand the local’s culture, tradition and values).

On Thanksgiving day, sad to say, I was feeling sick. So, my plan to cook was thrown out the window. So, we ended up ordering Thanksgiving meal delivery from a restaurant. Thank the Lord at least 2 restaurants in the city offered a Thanksgiving meal set of roasted turkey or ham, some veggies, a bit of cranberry sauce and a slice of pumpkin pie! Thank you Lord!

Even though we missed families, we are grateful that we celebrated Thanksgiving with good friends, Martyn & Lynda.

(posted on December 05, 2023, while visiting Jakarta, Id.)