CLTC Thanksgiving Service

Jeff writes:

Each year the students and the staff at the college present items and offerings of thanksgiving to the Lord for His blessings.

The Thanksgiving Service is full of colorful, musical, and cultural pageantry. It really highlights the diversity within our student body. We have students who come from the Highlands where we live.  (The children pictured above are wearing traditional Highland dress.) There are Motuan speaking students from the south coast of PNG, and students from Lae on the north. They come from the great river basin areas fed by the mighty Sepik and the Fly Rivers. The New Guinea Islands area sends us students from Bougainville, New Britain, and New Ireland islands.

The group in the picture are men from the Solomon Islands. They are performing a war dance. It was the highlight of the show. (I tried to upload the video I took of this but was unable to do so. When we see you all again, you will have to have a look.)

Oh yes, the expatriates did a dance of their own. It was the first time we had tried anything like it since we have been here. The ladies did the Virginia Reel. (The men could not dance with them as it would have violated a cultural taboo held by some of our students.) The dance went over very well. It brought the entire crowd running to watch the show and to remain standing on its feet clapping to the beat.

Coastal Students from around Port Moresby

The Lord has created a wonderful world full of rich cultural, linguistic and artistic diversity. How precious this makes our bonds in Christ!

We thank all of you who support us in prayer and otherwise for allowing us to be your eyes and ears in this place. The students you enable us to teach will go to people we cannot reach to share the gospel in their own culturally appropriate ways, which are sometimes beyond our western understanding. This day was truly a blessing. We only regret that you all were not here to share it with us.