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Dear friends,

The village hosted another huge basket exchange party on Saturday, and as you can see from the picture we contributed to the festivities by dressing Hannah in local finery. The red and yellow grass skirt and feather headdress are the dressiest clothes of the old culture, and they are still worn on special occasions. A basket exchange is one such occasion because it celebrates a centrally important aspect of this culture: giving and receiving.

In America people are expected to stand on their own two feet, but here the whole community is expected to pitch in whenever someone experiences a need. In America we save, take out insurance, and borrow money to pay our own bills, but you can't save these people's income, which includes sweet potatoes, pineapples, and greens. This is not traditionally a cash society. So instead they prepare for the future by giving generously to those in need, such as families who have to host a wedding or funeral, and they know that when their time of need comes, that family will pay back the debt by giving generously to them.

But of course, people don't like being in debt, so after any such feast they send the guests home with as much of the leftovers as possible. For example, after we went to a funeral last week, bringing our sack of food and helping with the transport, the family gave us some uncooked sweet potatoes, squash, cooking bananas, and a pig's leg to lessen their debt toward us. At the biggest feasts, when important guests bring whole herds of pigs, those guests return home with almost the same number of live pigs. The hosts just ensure that no one leaves with the same gifts they came with. This kind of "exchange" was strange to us at first, but it sure makes for an impressive celebration!

So now maybe I can explain this basket exchange. It is a fairly new kind of celebration, a natural way for this culture to adjust to the new cash economy. The village needs to raise money for a building project, so they invite another village to a basket exchange. Each participant weaves a basket out of coconut leaves, fills it with food and other presents, decorates it with flowers, and tries to raise the participation fee of about $1.50. Then they come to sing, eat, celebrate, and exchange baskets with the other village; the hosting village receives the money. Later this year we will all go do the same thing in the other village for one of their building projects.

This culture of giving and receiving really makes some of Jesus' teachings more vivid for us. For example, he told his followers not just to give to people that would reciprocate on this earth, but rather, "when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Then you will be blessed, because they have nothing and cannot pay you back. But you will be repaid when the good people rise from the dead" (Luke 14:13-14, NCV). In some ways, Jesus' culture resembled PNG, and in other ways it resembled America, but the principle applies to all.

Most of you who receive this are making some sacrifice so that these people can know Jesus better. You are even allowing us to keep that cute girl in the picture on the other side of the ocean. These people are too poor to repay you, but for that very reason God will reward you all the more, long after your other savings accounts have come to nothing.

Love,
Marcus Reese (with Diane and Hannah and one on the way)

P.S. Thanks to those who prayed for my first big teaching event in the village. It finally happened yesterday, and about forty people turned out and really seemed moved by it.

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