Happy Easter

With Easter coming up this Sunday, it is hard to believe because holidays always look a little different around here.  Now I know that Easter is not the most celebrated of holidays in the U.S. but at least they have egg dying kits in the stores (which I wanted to do here but all the eggs are dark brown and it just didn't work).  Once again, like Christmas, this Christian holiday will pass without anyone blinking an eye.

However, I was thinking about it a lot yesterday because of a book I recently read called One Thousand Gifts.  This book talks about thankfulness and how Christ sat down with His disciples, broke bread, and GAVE THANKS (Maundy Thursday).  That despite knowing what was about to happen the next day (Good Friday) He still gave thanks.  The book really has me thinking about gratitude and thankfulness when I live in a country where the people have so little and I have so much.  And beyond that I still find the time to complain about the weather, the bugs, the rat that ate my favorite makeup while we were gone (this really happened and I found it when we got back from Khmer New Year), or the rice that we eat everyday.  Why is it that the night before Jesus was crucified he was thankful, and all I can think about is how am I going to get that makeup back?

All to say, I hope you enjoy your Easter with family or friends.  We are going to go to a combined International Easter Church service, then off to a buffet lunch hosted by a local NGO here that works in child trafficking with some good friends.  Then I am headed to the province of Bantay Meanchey for a few days for work.

Easter baskets sent over from Mom, but we already ate all the chocolate!