In the interior villages of Papua, Indonesia, no holiday or special occasion would be complete without the traditional Bakar Batu feast. The entire community comes together to prepare this meal and many hands are needed to complete the work. Veggies are gathered, a pig is killed, rocks are heated over a fire, and everything is bundled together and left to roast underground. The whole thing takes a good part of a day to complete and the process itself is all part of the fun for the village.

While gathering stories for MAF in Papua, my husband and I had the privilege of attending and documenting one of these feasts. Having observed the entire process, I can tell you that the finely tuned machine of people working together in harmony toward a common goal is a beautiful sight. The feast of sweet potatoes and greens and pork meat at the end is a great reward for all that hard work.

The many parts of MAF are much the same. Being on the field, it’s been great to see firsthand the people and jobs that have come together for the purpose of sharing the love of Christ with isolated people. The final outcome of lives saved and hearts turned toward Christ is a sweet reward for being a part of the MAF ministry.

We made this short video about the feast, and it’s also about how you make a difference when you support MAF. Hope you enjoy it!