Thankful Thanksgiving

The Flaugher family spent Thanksgiving being thankful for some very strange things.

Living among the Elseng people, learning the culture and language and building relationships, has opened their eyes to another lifestyle. So when they had to spend several days in the city they learned some other new things.

Scott wrote, “We spent Thanksgiving in Bali, where we went to visit the US consulate office.” They had left their Elseng friends for a “big city visit.”

Scott was sick in bed with malaria and a respiratory infection and was thankful that he did not have any appointments with a doctor, a dentist or a government official. He was also thankful that he didn’t have to eat a traditional big Thanksgiving dinner in that condition.

Thanksgiving dinner was a local dish that is normally fried, but was served in the Balinese way.

“Thank you, Father, for Cap Chai Soup! It was probably just what the doctor ordered, a close equivalent to chicken noodle soup,” wrote Scott.

However, their day, as usual, didn’t stay quiet. Soon they found that their reservations had ended and they needed to find another room for the remainder of their stay. After a bit of searching they found a room an hour away and then had to move all their things into the new location.

“That was our Thanksgiving day,” Scott wrote, “and although not every aspect of it was desirable, there were certainly many things for us to give thanks for.” Now that’s what makes a traditional Thanksgiving.