Thanksgiving -PNG Style

I have several stories for you guys.
First ~ Last Sunday a few of us had a chance to go into town and go out to lunch at a restaurant! I know, it probably sounds funny to you all, but this is a big deal for us. We went to a hotel/restaurant called pacific gardens. Here are some pics of us having fun in the garden:

The food was very good. One very typical PNG incident... I went up to the "salad bar" and when I got to the end to put some dressing on my salad there were 5 bottles of dressing all labeled different thing - Ranch, French, Thousand Island, Honey Mustard & Italian - but they mysteriously all looked like they were containing the same liquid inside. Sure enough, it was ALL Italian dressing, just put in re-used bottles. HA!

Second ~ this week started in such a sweet way. On Monday morning I heard a soft "Nikio!?" coming from my porch. I went outside to greet my visitor - my special friend Joyce from the village. She brought me a bag of veggies - cucumbers, green beans, & cherry tomatoes (my favorite) - from her garden! This is a very cultural thing to do. It is a sign of friendship to show up unexpectedly a bring a little gift. It also requires some kind of reciprocation on my part. I'm not sure what I will do yet, but plan to bake something sweet for her and Baby Rich (her little boy). I am very happy to be growing this friendship with a national lady.

Third~ We celebrated Thanksgiving in a special way. First, our little group (Beth, the Germans & I) had our own celebration. Turkey is outrageously expensive, so our choices were pukpuk (crocodile) or chicken... we decided on the more exotic route. Hey, it's PNG... When in Rome! So we had grilled croc & zucchini and mashed potatoes. Yummm, it was FANTASTIC. We all agreed it was our favorite meal we've had here!
Today we had a staff shindig, and celebrated with a more traditional Thanksgiving. We all pitched in to get a small turkey and some chicken. We all ate up at the dining hall and pulled some tables together so we could have 1 long table. Here are a few pics:
Tammy & Danny Tobi & Jonny

Me & Adonai

The whole gang
While we were all eating together I was overwhelmed with how thankful I was to be here, and that I wasn't as homesick as I'd feared I would be. I was amazed at how much it felt like home! Everyone was talking loud and laughing and eating too much, just like my family back home... and it occurred to me that God has truly given me a family here. I got a little teary-eyed, but hid it well. After dinner we set up a projector and a sheet up on the wall and watched a football game! One of the guys here (Danny) is a huge Steelers fan and his family sends him the games on DVD. Even though it wasn't a Packers game, it was still GREAT to watch some football on Thanksgiving!

And finally, we decorated for Christmas. It feels very odd to all of us to be putting up a Christmas tree and lights when the weather is exactly the same as it was in July when I arrived. Still 80 degrees! But we decided to have fun with it and try to get ourselves in the Holiday mood. We had a great time! It really helped prepare our hearts for the season to be decorating and singing together.

I love that last picture because we are all genuinely laughing in it.
My heart is so full of joy and thankfulness. I can't express how grateful I am, once again, just to be a part of this ministry, and that God has surrounded me with family. No matter where I am, I have family in Him. I am happy. ~ Nicky

"If we could only see the heart of the Father, we would be drawn into praise and thanksgiving more often. It is easy for us to think that God is so majestic and so highly exalted that our adoration makes no difference to him. Our God is not made of stone. His heart is the most sensitive and tender of all. No act goes unnoticed, no matter how insignificant or small. A cup of cold water is enough to put tears in the eyes of God. God celebrates our feeble expressions of gratitude. " ~Richard J. Foster