Dear Friend of the Mission,
Because COVID is still very much with us, our 2021 Thanksgiving Day celebration is once again going to be a somewhat small affair. We normally have a big crowd of 130-140 people – our residents, volunteers, Mission friends, New Life Program graduates, staff members, and family members of our staff and residents. I have celebrated 32 Thanksgivings at the Mission, and our Thanksgiving celebration is always one of the highlights of my year. When my four kids were still living at home, our Thanksgiving Day dinner was always at the Mission. But this year, in order to protect our residents from COVID being brought unknowingly into the Mission by a visitor, we are once again going to limit our Thanksgiving Day celebration to just our 55 residents and a few staff. As you might recall, we had a serious COVID outbreak last December that affected 7 residents and 6 staff members. We thank the Lord that we have not had any additional outbreaks since January 2021. We want to keep it that way. So the most loving thing we can do is to be extra, extra careful this holiday season for the sake of our men and staff.
But we are still going to enjoy a delicious Thanksgiving Day feast fit for a King (the Lord Jesus Christ Himself :-)!). Our Thanksgiving Day feast includes roasted turkey, homemade gravy, seven-cheese macaroni (which I make every year), creamy mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, savory stuffing with cranberries (which I also make from scratch every year), green beans almondine, buttered corn, rolls & butter, cranberry sauce, apple cider, and an amazing assortment of desserts – pies, cookies, brownies, cheesecake, and candy.
For many of our residents, the Whosoever Gospel Mission family will be their family on Thanksgiving Day. Together we will enjoy good food, warm fellowship, and a double portion of laughter as we gather around the tables. Just recently, one of our former residents asked to come back into the New Life Program. When he called us asking to come back, he shared that he didn’t realize until after he left that we really are like a family to him. The Scriptures say that Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11). Likewise, we rejoice in calling our residents family.
Thank you in advance for your kind and generous support. Thank you for being part of the Whosoever Gospel Mission family. The Mission family is like Jello in the old TV commercial – there is always room for more!
Thanking God for you,
Robert A. Emberger, D.Min.
Executive Director
