Pastor Nathan Miller
Don’t Wait to Celebrate
When it comes to seasonal decorating, Martha Stewart’s got nothing on my mom. Every holiday season as a child, I could count on fresh colors, decorations, and scents to accompany the next big celebration. And as my siblings and I grew up, mom added our school crafts to her own décor for immersive seasonal changes. Thanksgiving was no exception, from pilgrim cut-outs and woven cornucopias to pumpkin candles and laminated turkey placemats.
“What happened to ALL my pans?” I still remember my mom’s flabbergasted question to my family after returning from an early January trip.
A few years ago, my wife and I had the privilege of visiting her sister’s family on a mountain ledge in Papua New Guinea, where they live and serve the Pal tribe. As missionaries with Ethnos360 (formerly New Tribes Missions), they live deep in the jungle, 30 minutes by helicopter or a three-day hike. Living in this new environment was a huge culture shock for us. We were not used to the food, the clothing (or lack thereof!), the homes, the animal and plant life, the daily rhythms of the people, and the tools they used. The differences in culture were overwhelming, yet we loved my sister-in-law and her family so much, we wanted to support them in their work and see the people they were serving first hand.
