Easter Week Review

This Easter our organization held a family retreat. Our colleagues from all over Papua gathered together to have times of fun, fellowship, and learning. A church from California sent a group to run nursery through high school activities for kids, and their senior pastor taught from the book of Hebrews. I am so grateful for a great nursery crew who cared for Kate. She left the weekend learning how to use crayons to color and how to nod her head yes. I was thankful for a break from routine, but was really happy to get back to it once the weekend was finished. 

Prior to retreat weekend, a massive amount of food needed to be prepared. An incredible team stepped up to the challenge of feeding 200 people, 8 meals, in 4 days in a place where you can't just run to your local Costco or Sam's Club and purchase items in bulk. Weeks before meat was cooked, sauces were made, items were purchased and stored throughout the community. Kate and I went on a couple of shopping trips to helps purchase some of the materials. 

We also went to the open air market with our house helper to purchase produce for the retreat. This was the first time Kate had been to the pasar, and it was the first time I had been in a while. I enjoyed going with Ibu Engge and now feel more comfortable going to pick up a few items. 

Our shopping cart was a guy pushing a wheelbarrow. He followed us through the market and our kilos of produce was loaded into the cart. 

Honestly, you never know what you may find here. You may find shark in the meat market, ready-to-eat bat, beautiful handmade bags, or feathers of rare species like a Bird of Paradise.

Kate learned how to use crayons after the retreat. She brought home some beautiful artwork. 

She wore a pretty dress with bunnies on it that a neighbor friend gave her for her 1st birthday. The bow lasted for about 20 minutes, much longer than any of us thought was possible! 

The dress I chose for her to wear on Easter arrived a few days later in the mail. So we saved it and she wore it to church on a sunny Sunday. 

The week of Easter I went to a program put on by a local school for Papuan students. Papua School of Hope (SPH) has a holistic approach to education- teaching them spiritually, physically, and intellectually. The students produced a drama of the final week of the life of Christ. They sang beautiful songs and helped us see what the last week was like for Christ. A friend from a Bible study group I attend was directing the program. They did a wonderful job! 

So while the weeks prior to Easter were very busy, I'm so grateful we had a retreat weekend set aside that helped us focus on what is really important- Jesus. The teachings were about the supremacy of Christ in all things. This was a great reminder for me to check my attitude in difficult situations and a new picture of the meaning of the resurrection was painted for me. A new personal appreciation of the meaning behind the resurrection was created. Happy Resurrection Sunday!