"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18
There is nothing more delectable than the smell of the house when Thanksgiving dinner is being prepared. At times, it is as if you can close your eyes and envision the delicious delicacies that are roasting in the oven. However, I do recall one particular Thanksgiving at my mother's house when this was not the case. As we walked through the door, we were greeted by a very peculiar aroma. I traced its apparent path of origin; it seemed to be emerging from my mother's oven.
Wondering if she was attempting a new recipe, and not wanting to offend the host who was willing to cook for everyone, I opted not to question her culinary skills.
However, there is nothing like the transparency of an articulate four year-old to identify the elephant in the room and so eloquently inquire loud enough for everyone to hear, "What stinks so bad?"
Immediately, everyone's attention was drawn to the oven (with the exception of the mother of the four-year-old who was staring at the four-year-old's father in disbelief!), and the majority voted to investigate by opening the oven door. To everyone's astonishment, there sitting next to Mr. Tom Turkey was Mr. Pot Holder, who was "smoking mad" that he had been left in the oven ever since he assisted with Tom's arrival! To this day, there still are certain aromas that can vividly trigger this memory for me!
Aromas can be extremely powerful! At St. Matthew, it is our goal for our students to be "the sweet aroma of Christ", meaning that we provide our students with opportunities for people to instantly think of Jesus when they witness our students words and actions.
Last week's Turkey Trot is a perfect example of our students exuding the sweet aroma of Jesus as they ran with tremendous joy to help orphans in South Africa!
As of this date, we are absolutely thrilled to announce that our students have raised over $10,200 to assist Christian Outreach for Africa in South Africa for orphan assistance, as well as a Christian education scholarship plan. In addition, 105 students raised over $50 and will receive a "Cover South Africa With God's Fingerprints" t-shirt!
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving next week, our hearts are especially full with tremendous gratitude for your generosity. We now pray that the recipients of these gifts will see God's fingerprints in their own lives. It is such a joy to partner in ministry with all of you as we strive to "Cover South Africa With God's Fingerprints". We are so grateful for your love and support!
Happy Thanksgiving!
In Jesus' Love,
Mrs. Palka