Last weekend was a long holiday for us in PNG. In PNG, both Good Friday and Easter Monday are national holidays which means the office is closed. We get a four day weekend to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus!
Holidays in a different country and different culture are not the same as our home country and home culture. Believe it or not, they don’t do the same things or have the same rituals as we do in America. But that is okay because we are not them and they are not us. However, this makes holidays such as Easter somewhat difficult to celebrate as our customs and traditions don’t match. No Easter egg hunts, no spring flowers, no change of seasons and the coming of spring, nor the tradition songs of Easter…’Up from the grave He arose’.
Though their is one universal standard, Jesus rose from the dead and He is 
alive! On Easter Sunday, we did celebrate the resurrection or in Tok Pisin, Jisas i kirap bek. The Sunday school children sang a special as they held the five letters that spelled the name, J-I-S-A-S. How fitting than to sing about the one who defeated death, overcame the odds of his disciples, and left the tomb empty on that glorious morning.
The story is the same no matter what language is spoken, Jesus died and rose on the third day to live forevermore. Isn’t it amazing that God’s Word transcends all boundaries, cultures, and languages? We may live in a different country, speak a different language and cater to a different culture but one thing remains the same, Jesus overcame death and is alive today.
Now the challenge is to translate that story into the many languages awaiting to read it or hear it in their heart language for the first time.
Tyler and Emily in PNG 
Good reminder. Easter has a universal language. Praise God.
Dad
Well said!!! Thank you Tyler……..
Wish there was as much emphasis on Easter here as there was there. Stores were open and business as Usal. However, we had a wonderful worship service and Jesus was the center with lots of baptisms. thanks for sharing from you part of the world. Also thanks for being a part of getting God’s word to the people there.
I felt similar to Ruth and Gerald’s comment. It was just another weekend here for most people. The Easter celebrations in PNG are a major highlight for me where so much is about Jesus. And for so many who have so little, they certainly know how to throw a party! Glad you had the time to rest!