Thanksgiving with Japanese Friends

Last year, we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving. We'd just arrived in Hiroshima, and had just moved into our new home. Things were a little bit too crazy. We also knew only a handful of people.

But this year, on Saturday, November 19th, we got to celebrate Thanksgiving with friends! Well, Juhee's friends from Samuel Yochien and her friends & families to be exact. It was an international collaboration, and I could not have done it without the help of many.

The evening started around 5pm with everyone writing their name in English on a name tag. One dad was very impressed that with just a little bit of help, her 4 year old could write her name in English. Once that was all done, then came the Thanksgiving Turkey craft! I'd printed out very simple instructions in English and included a "before" and "after" picture of a real turkey and a cooked turkey too. They found it really interesting. :) The turkey craft was a collaboration with Global Harvest Church's House Church, Rising Son HC, in Dallas, TX. The idea came from them and so did most of the parts. They even pre-made one big turkey, lots of completed turkey heads and cut out the webbed feet for me as I knew it'd take too long if we had to do that on the day and I wouldn't have time to prepare it beforehand (or completely stress myself out trying). Along with the craft, they also sent our first ever Thanksgiving decorations!

This is a group picture of the kids and one of the moms holding Sungjae, each holding up the turkey craft that they'd just completed. I was going to take a pic of just the turkeys but I forgot... My bad!

Of course, we took a group picture with everyone too. :) Peter took the pic so he's not in this one. Need to invest in a tripod... 3 dads, 4 moms (hubby was working on a Saturday evening - voluntarily!), 4 preschoolers, 3 siblings, 14 total.

I then read them the "The First Thanksgiving" lift-a-flap book that Jeeyun from San Jose, CA sent me after reading our last newsletter. She responded right away, and together, we found this simple, fun book. :)

The kids and moms were very into it. They found it very interesting. It was all new to them.

Then, I read them the "Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks" book sent by Kim, a dear mommy friend in San Diego. It was a surprise when we received this book and it worked so perfectly together with the one that Jeeyun sent us. God's planning is so perfect! I used Jeeyun's book to give a bit of a background and then Kim's book to tell them about what we do on Thanksgiving Day, what the day is for.

And then, it was dinner time! Pastor Y, one of the dads, prayed for the meal in Japanese. Thanksgiving Dinner was a fusion of Korean and American dishes. We had mixed grain rice with a Korean chicken dish (닭도리탕). I made two types of the chicken dish - a spicy one for the adults and a non-spicy one for the kids. The side dishes were American - mashed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes (mixed instant from sister Jade & friend Melanie in Dallas with freshly mashed potatoes), spinach salad, and one non-American side - kimchi! :) Kids were eager to play so barely finished while dads enjoyed seconds. Everyone enjoyed tasting the sides but weren't big on them and was astonished when they tried Juhee's slightly rinsed kimchi, especially when they found out that she's been eating kimchi since she was just one!

For most of the evening, the girls played together and sometimes sang together. One of the songs that they sang was one they learned at preschool. It's the Christmas story told from the viewpoint of donkeys and their take on their role in the Christmas story. I don't understand all of it but I know the main parts. The moms knew it, but it was an unfamiliar song to the dads. The awesome little house structure that Peter had made was completely ruined that night... So sad... Our kids LOVED playing in it. He'd made it so that they could go all the way around in a loop and created little "windows" too so they could peep out. The other kids loved it too, obviously.

And for most of the evening, the boys played separately. It was so cute how Sungjae really attached himself to M-kun. I guess even at such a young age, babies know that boys are boys and that they play differently. Amazing, right?

Dessert was pumpkin bread, baked from a mix sent by Bonnie in the Bay Area. It was delicious! Everyone was surprised at the taste and how moist it was. One of the girls had brought little handmade place mats & coasters for dessert time in a little basket. She very happily passed them out. :) They were so cute! There were so many different types, all (I think) created by her mommy.

Juhee was sick for the first two weeks or so of November and then she got sick with vomiting the day before the party so I was afraid we would have to cancel, even more so when Peter got sick that evening, also with vomiting (and diarrhea). So in terms of prep, I didn't get everything done I wanted to get done and the food wasn't perfect (or all hot). But I'm so thankful that both Juhee and Peter were well enough for it to happen, and that despite not everything being perfect, it was good enough for it to be an acceptable, fun, successful evening with lots of laughter, new experiences enjoyed by everyone, and a time of being able to give thanks together with our new friends. It's awesome to be able to share our lives with those that God has brought into our lives.

Thank you God for friends to celebrate Thanksgiving with, for friends who so generously gave of their time and finances to help make it an American Thanksgiving Party, and for making it happen. Couldn't have done it without you and You. :)