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During the first weeks of November 1986, a young American woman began preparing
for her family’s upcoming Thanksgiving celebration. Her preparations included
waiting in lines at local stores in hopes of finding flour, sugar, or cooking
oil which were in very short supply. Dried grass substituted for cornhusk
decorations. A visit to the local butcher yielded an extremely lean chicken as
the best option for roasting. “Meter beans” would closely approximate the green
beans her family enjoyed. Cassava would have to substitute for potatoes.
When her family gathered with friends on Thanksgiving Day, the neighbors went about their daily routines with no interruption. It was not Thanksgiving Day for them—in Paramaribo, Suriname. But the Americans who were gathered together in Paramaribo had a lot for which to be thankful. Despite the civil war that made life in Suriname less secure and more unpredictable, God’s protection and providence was evident. Ironically, about halfway through the meal the unmistakable gobble of a turkey wafted through the window on the tropical breeze. I may have written to you before about this Thanksgiving memory from my family. I suppose this memory comes back to me every year at this time. It focuses my attention on God’s providence and reminds me that His providence sometimes comes to us in unanticipated or unfamiliar ways. Lately, I’ve been more thankful that God doesn’t always answer my prayers as I think best. If He had, my life, and the lives of those around me, would have been much poorer. In His word He reminds us that His ways are above our ways. His provision for the ministry of Wycliffe Associates is a constant example of this. He provides in ways and at times that we cannot anticipate. As you gather to celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I pray that you will have a clear sense of His providence in your life—especially if it has come in ways you did not anticipate. “I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:3-6, NIV). You are a part of God’s providence for Bible translation. We thank God for you! Bruce Smith
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