So I have officially celebrated my second Thanksgiving in Asia.  I can’t believe how fast the time has gone by; it seems like just yesterday that I was getting on the plane for the first time.  Over a year later, I sit here in awe.  I’m amazed by how much that I can truly say that I am thankful for.  Words cannot express.

On Friday, the 5 of us got together and celebrated Thanksgiving.  We had an amazing meal that included a chicken, a goose, and two delicious turkey legs. On top of this, we had potatoes, stuffing, pie, and so much more.  Somehow, despite there being only 5 of us, we managed to eat almost everything – with minimal amounts of leftovers.  Our afternoon consisted of watching a football game (which was actually enjoyable), playing an ice and stick version of baseball, eating more food, and so much more.  And, as the guitar got pulled out, the 5 of us sat together and sang songs of worship to our Father and spend time thanking Him for His abundant provision.  Without Him, this holiday would mean nothing to me.  It’s a reminder for me to live each day with a heart of thankfulness…each day, every day!

The last couple of blogs that I send out have been focused on Asian friends.  So, I wanted to give a quick update on my team and language study.  The team is doing great! I absolutely love them all.  God has been blessing me so much through the other four! I love that I get to work alongside each of them.

In regards to language study, all 5 of us have been faithfully working towards the mastering of this language.  While we have only been here for 3 months, everyone’s language ability has increased dramatically!  We’ve all had opportunities to testify about God in our classes and with our teachers.  Some of us are going through the Asian Bible and learning key vocabulary to share the Gospel. And all of us have already been able to go out and testify through the use of this new vocabulary.

From Monday through Saturday, we speak nothing but the local language, with an exception of 30 minutes a day for English.  This was definitely a challenge for me in the beginning, but as we continue to commit to our language covenant, it’s getting a lot easier and a lot more fun!  What I thought would be impossible is becoming a reality.  As we study this language, God is doing so much more than I can imagine.  I’m actually able to carry on conversations fully in the local language!  That’s pretty crazy stuff.

From December 6-11 (a week from now), the 5 of us will be doing a completely English free week!  This means that all communication with everyone will be 100% in the local language.  I am expectant that this will be another week of breakthrough for each of us individually.  For me, specifically, I am praying that God would give me a complete breakthrough in my ability to take all the knowledge and comprehension that I have stored somewhere inside my brain, and let it out in words. He is faithful and He will do it!

So, as next week rolls around, please remember to lift all 5 of us up to God.  That He would give us the grace we need to go an entire week without English, grace for each other when we try to express ourselves, and grace for ourselves when it gets a little frustrating.

Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers!

Love,

Amilah

Pr@ises!:

* My niece, Jeanne Ann Marie Fincel, was born on Nov 15th! She’s beautiful!

* I had an amazing Thanksgiving with the team