Thanksgiving is such a happy time on Canaan. We Sisters make sure that none of our little family is missing, no one out of town. We all want to be together for the occasion, and often we have some guests. Thanksgiving is special for us. During the day some Sisters go to minister and distribute encouraging leaflets and gifts at various dining rooms in our city, for example the Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul etc. There a wonderful thanksgiving dinner is served to many people. When the Sisters return to Canaan, it is usually time for the Thanksgiving Service in our Chapel. Here we sing and thank the Heavenly Father for all His goodness. When we come into the dining room, the tables are beautifully decorated and we have a joyful Thanksgiving meal. After dinner comes a very special time where every one shares something personal that they want to praise God for.
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Sisters thanking for RAIN
One Sister shares:
The Song on the Wall
This story is about our Radio programs and fits for thanksgiving. (See Realities in the Desert – 40 Years of the Heavenly Father’s Loving Care, page 106. It reminds us of the joy we had when we began working with our new audio station. Rose, our faithful coworker in this department, proved to be a fast learner. Yet, as soon as we thought we had the worst behind us, another big problem arose. Due to new technological advances, radio stations now required that all programs fit within an exact time frame. Our programs, however, ran up to two-and-a-half minutes over this new standard.
This new regulation was quite a blow to us. It meant that our 600+ programs would have to be edited to meet the new requirement. It really seemed like an impossible challenge for both of us. And our only refuge was the song we had pinned to the wall of our radio room. We were desperate for God’s help. Each program varied in length and we had to do a lot of intricate calculations. Sadly, neither of us was good in mathematics. So we sang our song every day for months and that gave us strength and perseverance. When the “math mountain” seemed insurmountable for us, we sang this song several times a day. And God answered!
After four years, finally, to the glory of God, all our 1-, 5-, 15-, and 30-minute radio programs were completed in the required standard format – to the second! Moreover, we were able, for the first time, to produce masters for our branches in Australia and the United Kingdom and also for our Motherhouse. Now, all over the world, messages are broadcast proclaiming God’s love and grace, such as: “God lives and works today! He wants to glorify Himself through us and let us experience His wonderful miracles. But perhaps your need is so great and everything seems so hopeless that you almost wonder if God can help at all. This is just the moment when God can do His greatest miracles….”
This message closes with our song:
Enjoy a Thanksgiving Video
[wpvideo 4nnujLMQ]
Giving “Thanks” means to receive. This reminds us that for every difficulty in our lives, the way to receive help is to give thanks. There is tremendous power in thanking the Lord. When we give thanks something happens whether we’re in a hopeless situation or in the midst of money, job or family problems. When we say, “Lord, You always have a way,” we praise the love of God which finds a way and carries us through. MB