Last Thursday, November 24th, about fifteen GEO students and four TA’s from Roger’s classes went to Roger’s home church, International Lutheran Church, to participate in a free American Thanksgiving dinner. We left CUK at 5pm and arrived at the church just after 6 pm. We entered the church sanctuary and participated in the service.
During the thanksgiving service, the minister said, “Even though we have different religion, race, or language, we are a family in God. And God loves you”.
During the service, there was worship, music with piano, singing and the minister talked about the meaning of Thanksgiving Day. During the service, a family with two adopted Asian girls sat in front of some GEO students. The parents are both Westerners. The students were very impressed that this mixed family represented the true meaning of thanksgiving and true love. “Even though we are different from each other, we can still share what we have with each other. That is the true love” said one GEO TA. At the end of the service communion was offered to everyone. But before leaving the sanctuary, the minister hugged and prayed for each family, including the GEO students and TAs. The minister said, “Even though we have different religion, race, or language, we are a family in God. And God loves you”. The ministered ended with a warm hug. The students were very impressed by his actions and words.
Yummy and delicious turkey usually served during Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is usually celebrated every fourth Thursday of November in the U.S.
Afterwards, we got in line for the buffet. It was all you can eat and drink buffet. To give you an understanding of the food we ate, here is a listing:
Turkey, stuffing, salads, breads, sauces, chicken, chop-cha, mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, pumpkin pie, brownie, cheese cracker, fruits, kim-pop, along with different wines.
There were about 80 to 100 people who attended the dinner, some of whom were busy serving, whereas others were busy cleaning and organizing. While we were eating, the minister made a toast and then went about visiting each table, mingling with almost every person present in the gathering. One GEO student commented that he felt like he was in America during his visit. The GEO students and TA’s had a wonderful cultural, food and language experience, and as a bonus, the students even received Incentive Bonus Points.
It was the first time for all the students and TA’s to experience a Thanksgiving dinner and eat turkey. Roger had mentioned the sense of community during Thanksgiving and all the students and TA could sense it. We were all thankful for going. It was a memorable experience indeed!
from GEO Class 4-2 (Prof. Roger Foard and TA Sehyun)
