I am thankful that in my first Christmas away from family and friends in the US, I was not alone, but had my new PNG family to share it with. After talking with the Nash family this am and opening some presents, my day got quite busy. I enjoyed breakfast with the Radcliffe family and Mimi. Then we went to church at Mamuka - about 20 minutes up the road. Jim and Tim played their trumpets for the church and I had communion for the first time in PNG. After the service many people came up to say hi, but I was very surprised to see a girl named Rachel. She had been admitted to the hospital twice in the past month for mastoiditis and during that time the Lord worked in her life and she was now celebrating Christmas in a new way this year. She gave me a bilum as a way to say thankyou, it was very sweet.
After we got back, I joined the Riggins, Radcliffes, Becky Morsch, and Mimi for dinner at McCoys. We had a very nice ham dinner with lots of fixings including cabbage. We then sang Happy Birthday to Jesus - Aden attempted to blow out the candles. After this we watched the movie Amazing Grace, which someone had gotten for Christmas present. We went for a walk and then decided to have a bonfire at McCoy Park. We enjoyed the warmth of the fire, sang some songs and shared testimonies about our lives. It was neat to get to hear how the Lord has worked in everyone's life and how He brought them here. I am thankful that the Lord, who years ago left His throne in heaven and came to the earth as a baby, still works in our hearts and calls us to himself and uses us to share His truth with others. I pray you all have a blessed Christmas as you celebrate the birth of our Savior.
