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| Ready to Serve |
It's Thanksgiving, and
Legacy Church hosted its annual Thanksgiving Dinner for the students and families connected to the
English Language Program. As a Pastor, I am seldom more proud of Legacy than when
we provide the food, table hosts, and loving atmosphere for the international families in our community.
Lue Kraltchev, our Literacy Missions Director,and her team planned and served the meal to over 400 students, their families and friends. Over 50 Legacy volunteers cooked, served and donated all the food and drinks except the ham and turkey meat.
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| Full Plates and Hearts |
Legacy members and ELP faculty members also served as table hosts. They were
the English experts for those who sat at their tables. I sat by two families from China, and we shared as much as we could about our homes, families, and language while sharing traditional, homemade Thanksgiving food. These table talks were where life connected to life, and hearts opened to the love of God.
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| Father-Son Serving Team |
We had families who had only been in the USA for a week. And others who have been in the States for years and brought their family members who did not know English to the feast.
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| Friends from Brazil (and Plano) |
Lue walked around with a wireless mic and asked what people were thankful for, and they were grateful for everything from their ELP teachers to the food they ate that day.
My favorite part was
the entire room reciting Pslam 100 in English. Times like this draws my heart to Heaven when John painted the picture:
After this I looked, and there before me
was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe,
people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:9, 10)
Thanksgiving is not Thanksgiving for me until I participate in this gathering of the nations. The life stories and diversity of backgrounds remind me of the height, depth, and breath, of God's love.
May you have a thankful and praise-filled heart this Thanksgiving, and may the God of the nations be the One you thank most openly.
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| Room for one more! |
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| Friends of all ages |
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| Reciting Psalm 100 together |
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| Service with a smile |