Greetings Everyone,
It has been some time since the last short update requesting prayer for the Island of Kimuta as things seem to be happening so quickly lately that I can’t keep up. Sorry if this is a bit long.
Phil and I were very impressed with the size of the facilities at the Bethel Centre in Port Moresby. Firstly the sheer size of the complex is impressive. The church has a seating for 1000 set out in rows of different coloured chairs and was more than 3/4 full on both Sunday services. It is the largest free standing wooden beamed structure in the Southern Hemisphere. It has high ceilings and is open-sided to allow airflow and enclosed at one end with extensive meeting rooms and accommodation for delegates to conventions.
The Bible College is a 15 minutes walk away and has numerous buildings of mixed bush materials and permanent housing and can caterer for about 80 students. The grounds are well kept with lots of greenery and big shady trees — a strong contrast to the dry, dusty littered look of the surrounding area. We were housed in a motel type room, a pleasant change from the Starship.
We were impressed with the calibre of the staff, virtually all nationals apart from a gentle New Zealand lady, Auntie Jean, involved in children’s ministry who has been at Bethel for 31 years and Jeremy Steel and his family involved in administration and maintenance.
Phil was impressed to see Pastor Fuwe, the head of the CRC Church in all PNG, up at 5am in his old clothes chopping fire wood with the students. He’s a real leader with servanthood.
The third thing that impressed us was the commitment of the students. It was good to catch up with those we knew — Jeremiah — whose fees had been paid by one of our friends in Australia, Mark who did his commitment at Rossel and Gabriel, ditto at Alotau and Rame, a young lady from Alotau who flew to the Philippines last Saturday to continue missionary work in Muslim areas there. Many of these young men and women have a burning desire to serve overseas — no money or idea where it will come frombut strong faith in God to provide. We would like to help some of them find the team support and funding necessary for overseas missionary service.
At the Children Workers’ Conference there were about 50 delegates most from the area around Port Moresby but also from the five other southern provinces, a good mix of older people with experience to share and new ones eager to learn, including ten men. There were three of us teaching, me, Jean and Allen Steel, a pastor working with aboriginal people in Alice Springs. We were a good team and fitted in well together.
However, the thing that came home to me was that all those who could afford to come to the conference had access to some materials and teaching and really brought home to me the value of our yacht ministry which enables us to take materials and teaching to the isolated areas where they have nothing. That’s where our heart is.
An update on the Kimuta tragedy. It turns out that the mother was bathing her baby, about two years old, when a fellow came up and grabbed the child. The mother said please don’t hurt my baby and the fellow then cut off his head and dismembered him in front of the mother, shoved the pieces in his bag and went bush leaving behind one hand. The mother fainted and when she came around was, naturally, uncontrollable. Last we heard they have not found the remains. The island only has 600 population
and many are related. The child was the nephew of our friend that was minding our boat while we were at Port Moresby and he was keen to get back to his family. The fellow had been to Lae and got involved with Satan worship. He was arrested and put in the jail at Misima but we heard yesterday that he had escaped.
Since the time at Bethel we have completed a Relationship Conference at Alotau and then bashed our way back to Panaeati. That trip took three days of hard motoring and almost $300 of fuel (at PNG prices). The trip the other way only took 28 hours and no motoring. Going to Alotau is not our favorite pastime!!!!
At Panaeati Phil installed another solar panel and lights in the pastor’s house. When we return later this year he will put lights in the church. We hope to add a radio at this island next year.
We showed the leaders the video “How Great is Your God” and it really impacted on them. The head pastor preached from it on Sunday emphasizing the bigness of our God and outlining the immediate plans they have for evangelism of their nearest island and then further afield using the large sailing canoe called “El Shaddai” which they completed last year.
Tomorrow we are heading back to Misima to regroup and then head for Rossel Island.
God bless you all,
Pam and Phil
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