Hangi.

This week we have
been working a couple of conferences. The first was the 50^th
Anniversary of Youth With A Mission (YWAM) called Jubilee. There were people
here from ALL OVER who have worked with YWAM, are currently working with them,
or have been touched in some way by them. It was awesome to see how this
organization has made such an impact in so many nations and is reaching
thousands upon thousands. We also got to learn about the natives of New
Zealand, the Maori people. It was very interesting to learn about some of their
many traditions. We were invited to help them cook a traditional meal to serve
to all the people attending the conference called Hangi. We started the day out around 8
a.m. and holes were dug in the ground that looked similar to graves. At this
time a HUGE fire is going with wire baskets filled with rocks that get
extremely hot. We cut up lots of veggies (potatoes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes)
and they got the chicken and pork ready. Then after the rocks were super hot
the pour them into the holes. Then they put the meats on the bottom topped with
all the vegetables. All of this is then covered with wet sheets and potato
sacks. Then piles and piles of dirt are shoveled on top so that no steam can
escape. They let the food cook for 4-5 hours and it is then ready to serve. We
served the food that night and also got to taste some ourselves! We served as
parking attendants, security (I know, I appear to be very intimidating!),
ushers, childcare providers, and pretty much whatever else they needed. We were
working about 12-16 hour days- pretty exhausting, but well worth it!