Monday, July 05, 2010

Celebrating the 4th in a Foreign Land

Celebrating any American holiday can be a bit challenging when you live in a foreign country. There are no US flags waving around town. Daily life goes on and no one gets a day off from work. I saw no signs for fireworks being set off to celebrate our country's freedom (fireworks are just a daily part of life here, so it's not that special). There were no supermarket fliers promising great buys on hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, sodas, or other fun picnic treats. So, you have to make a concerted effort to celebrate, thinking on the meaning of this important holiday and trying to create some fun things from home as well. I was blessed to have the ingredients to make a yummy (if i do say so myself) cheesecake. I also found the things to make a pretty good cheeseburger. With my American flags waving inside and patriotic music playing, The 4th of July was celebrated in this foreign land from this small apartment. As I was thanking Father for our nation, the freedom to w_rship Him was what stood out the most. We have many wonderful freedoms, but the most important one to me is the freedom to w^rship Him. This privilege is one that parts of our world do not know. So, I celebrate our great nation and the freedom to give gl*ry to our King of Kings. I also pry that the people of this nation without this right would have the opportunity to hear about the One who can give them true Freedom!

1 comment:

Patty Sumner said...

We saw so many fireworks and heard fireworks after we went to bed....It sounds as if you made the best of the fourth....May our Father continue to bl2ws you!