On Thanksgiving day, families across the country will go around the table and say what they’re thankful for. For many, those words of gratitude will be spoken around a crowded table. Eyes will be closed, heads bowed, and the air thick with the smells of turkey and stuffing. Children will peek while waiting for their turn in the Thanksgiving prayer.

It’s a beautiful tradition. But for many, there is no crowded table laden with food. Because of the work God has called us to, we know all too well that thousands of families in Virginia alone are in deep need of reconciliation. Broken homes in need of mending. Vulnerable children in need of security.

And yet, knowing this reality, we are still grateful! For the families we serve. And for the partners who serve alongside us.

Friends, we carry this deep hurt for a broken world alongside profound gratitude for all that is being done to repair it. And how amazing it is that we are called to work alongside Christ in this ministry of reconciliation and mending.

That’s why we are providing you with an invitation to gratitude this Thanksgiving season. This prayer guide is an invitation to set aside your lists, your anxiety, and bow at His feet with thanksgiving. Our hope is that by focusing on gratitude for a week, God will open your eyes to all of the ways He is redeeming His world. And that He is inviting you into this transformative work!

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With Thanksgiving: Seven days of gratitude with FIVE18 leads you through an entire week of lifting up your praises for all God is doing — both in and through FIVE18, as well as your own life. You can download the full guide, and you can sign up below to receive each prayer in an email, beginning November 21. 

This gratitude guide is a way of warming up for the holiday season. Let it be a reminder that in the rush of things, taking a moment to say aloud the ways God is at work is a gift. As G.K. Chesterton once said, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” 

This week, we invite you to join us in gratitude, happiness and wonder as we lift up the families we serve and draw closer to the Lord in our own lives.

During this week, we will express gratitude for:

Thursday, November 21
The Ministry of RECONCILIATION
Our heartbeat is that of reconciliation. Just as we are drawn to reconciliation with God through Jesus, we are empowered to pursue reconciliation in the world around us.

Friday, November 22
The HOPE for Mended Families and Futures

Hope can be scary for children in foster care, and the families who serve them. We thank God for the gift of hope that can only come from Him.

Saturday, November 23
Community PARTNERS

We are called to do this work of serving foster homes within a thriving, God-centered community. It’s the only way real change will happen!

Sunday, November 24
Each PERSONAL Commitment

Each person who has stepped forward to help children in crisis through FIVE18 has taken on a personal calling. We are grateful they answered to provide family services to those in need.

Monday, November 25
Strength in UNITY

We are all unified in one calling — to help mend families. How grateful we are for the way that draws us together.

Tuesday, November 26
Strength in DIVERSITY

Each person brings different experiences, thoughts and ideas. We are grateful to serve with those who listen and care.

Wednesday, November 27
TRANSFORMATION

What a gift transformation is! Both in our individual lives, as we respond to God’s call to serve, and in the lives of the families we partner with.

Thank you for helping expand a Thanksgiving prayer into an entire week of gratitude. We are so grateful for your partnership. Download the full prayer guide, or sign up to receive daily prayers in your inbox beginning November 21.

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