First-Fruits Festival of Thanksgiving

So many reasons to give thanks!

Though Mexico does not celebrate the American Thanksgiving holiday, our church sets aside a day, around the same time of year, to thank God for His faithful and abundant provision all year long, as the Israelites of the Old Testament were called to do with their First-fruits festival.

Each family brings an thank-offering to the Lord of the “first-fruits of their harvest”- which, in our day, is a box of groceries (which are then distributed to families in need around the church).  Then, during our worship service, each family stands and publically thanks God for specific blessings over their lives the past year.

I never keep a dry eye during the first-fruits testimonies.  This year, I was especially impacted by three youth, Lalo, Erick, and Marion, who had previously been very apathetic toward God in past years, who now publically announced that they really had witnessed and were thankful for God working in their lives.  Wow.

During the big potluck meal after the service, a lady approached me to share

some very difficult situations currently in her life. But, she confessed that the festival had reminded her that even in the darkness she had so many reasons to be thankful and choose to be joyful through Jesus Christ. 

Of course, our Lopez Family had many reasons to thank our God and praise His faithfulness and power- this was our first festival as a family of four, with our son, Asher Obed, in

arms, alongside our daughter, Jemina Mercy.  Words and groceries and song are all inadequate to appropriately thank all our Great God has done and does for us! Praise His Name!