Thanksgiving already?

     It's crazy to me that Thanksgiving is tomorrow.  Over this week I've forgotten that multiple times, but naturally Italians do not celebrate or note the American holiday so life goes on like normal here.  Between a weekend in London visiting a sweet friend who frequents Rome often and another weekend with a wonderful visit from my dad, the last few weeks have quickly come and gone.

    Monday evening our team hosted a cultural event for our Italian friends to introduce them to Thanksgiving.  Since Italians don't eat dinner until 8-10 here, we did it around aperitivo time (6-8) which is essentially a pre-dinner appetizer slot to hold you over until the meal.  Our intent behind this Thanksgiving aperitivo was to yes, allow them to experience the goodness of Thanksgiving food, but also to give a brief talk on the history of Thanksgiving in the US and what the Bible has to say about giving thanks.  We had an excellent turnout, filling the whole of our gallery room.  The girls I invited told me they enjoyed hearing about our holiday, and it was a neat way to mention the spiritual reasons we have to be thankful without scaring them away.  Plus, everyone loved the food (how could they not?)

Displaying the 13 kilo (27 pound) turkey

         While it’s sad this is the first Thanksgiving I won’t be with my family, I’m looking forward to celebrating with my family in Rome.  Our team is doing a big meal together with all the usual foods, aside from the ones that require ingredients we can’t get here.  Monday was like a teaser, sampling different dishes, so it’ll be great to sit, eat, and take the Lord’s supper together.  Though we can’t get any of the classic football games here, the sport will still hopefully be incorporated in the day through a movie of some sort!