Celebrating as a team

This Christmas as we celebrated with the employees from our local community we realized we had so much to be thankful for.   We began 2015 with a daily teaching time to present and explain the work that we do here in PNG to the local employees, the work they are a part of as they labor beside us on a daily basis.  Then they heard the story of God’s Word from Genesis to Revelation and after it was complete we were excited to know that some understood the gospel of grace for the first time.  Many of the new believers continue to study through God’s Word at their lunch break two days a week and are now digging into the book of Acts.  What a blessing to visit with some of our co-workers and hear their excitement as they continue to learn about God’s Word!

With so much to be thankful for and with a desire to promote unity among workers we had the first annual center–wide Christmas party.  We were so excited to bring the men and women from the security department, the business office, the supply department, the maintenance department and more to celebrate our Savior’s birth together.  It was a great time to acknowledge each one’s part in this big job of supporting the teams that are serving out in the remote village locations.  It is good to know that we all understand our purpose and have so much to be thankful for in the jobs God has given us to do.

Check out the pictures below of our “Bikpela Kaikai”

 

The preparations began as women prepared the greens and the rice and the men prepared the cooking bananas….

And heated a heap of stones to cook the chicken in a large hole…A cooking style called a “dry mumu”, with the chickens halved, marinated, wrapped in foil and then put on the hot stones to cook.After being covered with more hot stones, banana leaves and dirt it only took half an hour for the chicken to be cooked to perfection and ready to be served with all that the women had prepared in the kitchen. 

It was a great time for the team, just feasting and spending time together.  After the meal each department was acknowledged and thanked for a year of work supporting the many church planting teams that work in the remote areas of this country.  Some of these men and women have worked faithfully for over 20 years and it was the perfect time to say thank you for their service.

God is so faithful to enable each one of us and we are thankful that we are all a part of this great team here in Papua New Guinea.