thanksgiving goodness

hi.

i never realized how much i loved thanksgiving until i didnt have it.  funny, how people don't realize how good they have things until they dont have it anymore.  like the season of fall, and running water, and time with family with lots of good food.
i can give thanks though for the fact that we were able to pull together a thanksgiving meal for our group last week.  we got turkey, mashed potatoes (a tad spicy but hey its ghana and it was the cooks first time ever making thanksgiving - he did a fantastic job!), stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and bread.  i dont even like half of that and i ate it all.  i have really learned to appreciate a good meal when it is given to me. (dont know how much i will ever appreciate vegetables though)
i also am really thankful for the time i have been able to spend here.  i can say i lived in ghana for four months. that is pretty incredible.  it has had its fair share of challenges and been very trying at times but i did it.  and i am so glad i did.  i have some amazing experiences that i can share with people back home and memories that will stay with me forever.  the challenges have really pushed me to focus on my relationship with God and that is worth it.  God is pretty amazing, you really can do anything with Him.
that being said, as thankful as i am for this experience... i will be through the roof excited to go home. it will come quickly because we are really close to the end and busy busy busy.
here is a little update:

we have the week off for thanksgiving break! i am leaving EARLY tomorrow morning to make our way down to the coast to lay on the beach for a week and get all tan and happy :).  i will be back on friday and then i have the weekend to hang around Accra and finish up schoolwork.  i will probably head to the markets again :)  markets here are very dangerous.  not really. but they are when you become a shopoholic -- i have contributed a lot of money to ghana's economy.  packing is going to be a challenge... not thinking about that yet.

then we have one more dancing and drumming class on wednesday.  pretty easy school week here in ghana!
next thursday we head back up to akropong for a little reflection time together.  (ps. akropong is where we went in the very beginning and also for the odwira festival).  so we are there thursday and friday and then are stopping at adenkrebi on that saturday to say goodbye.   i dont want to say goodbye to adenkrebi.
then that monday we have our final good bye party with everyone we know in ghana... not joking. its a big deal. and then i leave to rejoin you all in the freezing tundra of the midwest on december 7, arriving in chicago december 8, and heading to grand rapids december 12.

so clearly, my time at the end here is going to fly by!!

i hope you all have a wonderful thanksgiving! appreciate everything you have.
i cant wait to see you all.

love.