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| The Christmas Dinner Chicken! |
Our Christmas Day here in PNG is more than half over. We have had a good day. Our tradition is home-made sticky buns for breakfast and the reading of the Christmas story followed by opening gifts. Then a little later comes dinner. We had a chicken for dinner this year. One of our national friends, Wapi, came to our house on the 23rd and brought us a live chicken for our Christmas Dinner! It was white with little beady grey eyes. Another national friend, Meti, who helps us out around the house a couple of days a week was here on that day. She offered to kill and clean the bird for us. Yippee! If it were up to Jeff and Susan, she would still be sitting by the back door clucking away! Ethan took advantage of the opportunity though and learned the tricks of the trade doing most of the work under Meti's supervision! It tasted quite good, even though we knew what she looked like before she made it to the table!
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| Jessica's gift to Mom & Dad a collection of her various writings. |
God is so good to us! We have been blessed abundantly! Friends and family from the States often times comment about our sacrifice in being so far from home and family. It is true that the Holidays, more than any other time of the year, draws our thoughts to family back home and maybe brings a few tears but this has become our home and our colleagues here are our family...and this is where God has called us to be. It doesn't feel like a sacrifice. In fact, we often times wonder if we are giving enough.  |
| Ethan's gift to Mom & Dad, handmade book markers. |
Many of us look at Christmas as the end of the year. And it is according to the calendar. We look back over the year and marvel at how God has seen us through it. This, of course, is a great practice as we don't want to forget all that God has done! Along those same lines we remember the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Again, very appropriate. But perhaps we should look at it as another beginning! We can begin, even on this day, Jesus' Birthday, to look ahead to the New Year and anticipate all that God has for us! Perhaps we will think about things we would like to improve on in the coming year, growth we would like to attain or goals we hope to meet! Maybe for some this day will be the beginning of a relationship with Him, maybe for the first time! How exciting! All is fresh and new, no mistakes, no regrets, no loss. We are going to be focusing on what we can do for God from this day forward. Whatever He has in store for us in the new year, we don't want to miss it! Will you join us in searching out what more God has for you to do for Him from this day forth?
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| Ethan & Jessica checking out a Christmas gift. |
God Bless you all! May God's peace and love overwhelm you today!
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