During a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner in honor of America and Americans, one of the guests asked us to share with her students about American Thanksgiving.She had established private school for the children of the new rich. Her goal was to teach children reared in a secularist, humanist socialist state Christian values of caring, sharing and bearing each others' burdens.
They had eight grades with about 50 kids from all over Moscow. Most rode to school in cars driven by private, armed guards to keep them from being kidnapped. The school was located in former school building and was surrounded by weeds and tall Soviet style apartment houses. Graffiti was scrawled on the formerly white walls and dogs wandered around it.
Inside it was clean, orderly and warm. Pictures, maps and art work hung on the walls and several well rounded Ukrainian cooks welcomed each teacher and child to their educational womb of democracy. The Principal and Teachers had a dream of producing a new breed of sensitive leaders to guide the new emerging Russia.
She wanted Steve and me to relate how the USA had developed into an international economic and military powerhouse while espousing Christian values. She knew the story of the Pilgrims and had taught them about the First Thanksgiving but now she had two citizens of the greatest nation in history to relate how Judeo/Christian values permeated America.
Steve and I told our stories and discussed American freedoms. The Bill of Rights sounded preposterous to them. They could not believe we could buy a gun and go hunting if we chose. Neither of us owned a gun but we had grown up in rural America where everybody had one.
The two most amazing things, however, had to do with faith. In perfect English they asked about our faith and the faith of Americans. The students were fascinated with the fact that we could choose any religion or none at all but over 90% chose Christianity.
The Principal asked if we had some American money. We took out some bills and coins and passed them around to the kids. Their eyes popped out to see that each had a motto. In God we trust!
It strange to them to see that America trusts God more than mammon!
They concluded that America was strong because we trusted God more than money. And they concluded that is the reason that only America has a holiday set aside to thank God for His blessings.
Because we grew up in America, neither of these things was a shock to us. In fact, we were jaded because it seems that we are losing that fervor for thanking God. Maybe Thanksgiving is starting to look more and more like worship of mammon rather than appreciation for the blessings of God.
It was great to see our society through the eyes of foreign children. I now understand better why America is unique.
God, please bless America.
God, you have blessed America!
I am thankful to God for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!
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