Thanksgiving Festivities 2012

Well, Thanksgiving is now a memory of the past and Christmas is right around the corner!  We're sorry we haven't blogged for a while...we have posted so many pictures on our blog in the last several months that when we tried to post this, we found out that we weren't allowed to post any more pictures.  We've got it all taken care of now, so let the blogging continue!

Our first Thanksgiving in Ukraine was special and enjoyable.  We had four days of celebrations!

Day 1: "American Thanksgiving" with our Ukrainian Friends

We attend a small group at our pastor's home every Wednesday night.  The week before Thanksgiving, they decided that it would be fun to celebrate the American holiday with us, the Americans!  We planned to have a small potluck the next week.  Cassie made a corn casserole and sweet pumpkin bread.  The corn casserole was gone in no time!  (But trying to explain what a "casserole" is to someone who doesn't know anything about it can be difficult)!  It turned in to "Cassie's role!"  The pumpkin bread didn't go as fast...Ukrainians don't usually prepare sweet baked goods, and they normally don't use a lot of spices either.  The rest of our Ukrainian/American feast included: sliced carrots and dip, steamed cauliflower with cheese, bean salad, bread & butter, grapes, cheese, salad, and--of course!--turkey!

Andy was asked to share a little bit about the history and traditions of Thanksgiving.  He showed a short video clip about the history of Thanksgiving and then talked about some of our traditions with our families.  He spoke in English, and our pastor translated for him. 

Enjoying the Thanksgiving Feast with our Ukrainian friends!  (Our friend and short-term teammate, Ryan, also joined us and is pictured in the front right).

Andy and Pastor Sergei

 Day 2: Thanksgiving with our SEND International Team 

On Thursday, we enjoyed a huge potluck dinner with nearly the entire SEND Ukraine team--including missionaries from other cities in Ukraine.  We haven't had that much food in a long time!!  We had all of our Thanksgiving favorites: turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, along with countless other dishes.  We had a great time fellowshipping with our team and celebrating all of the Lord's blessings.

Making pumpkin sheet cake...yum!  This Thanksgiving, Cassie had her first experience making her own "Libby's" pumpkin puree from scratch.

We met in the chapel at the seminary because the room was big enough to hold all of us!

We also had a great time of worship!

 Day 3: Bowling!

On the day after Thanksgiving, we had an all-day team business meeting and followed it up by going to the bowling alley in the evening!  This was our first time to go bowling in Ukraine!

Bowling with some friends on Lane #1!  We must say, we think the floor was a little slanted...and it wasn't just because of our poor scores!  :)

Friends!

Day 4: The Perfect End to a Holiday Weekend: "The Game"

Much to Andy's delight, Thanksgiving weekend always ends with "The Game" between Michigan and Ohio State.  It may be one of his favorite holiday traditions!  We ordered Domino's Pizza for the occasion.  

All ready for the big game!

Literally on the edge of his seat...