SOVEREIGN GRACE BAPTIST MISSION
International – Papua New Guinea / Malawi Africa
P.O. Box 60150 Ndirande Bt. 6 Blantyre Malawi /
P.O. Box 233 – Mt Hagen (WHP) Papua New Guinea
Tanggi Mission Station – North Koroba, Hela Province, PNG
Missionary / Evangelist: Peter A. Halliman
Email: panagioite04@gmail.com / Website: sgbm-malawi-africa.com
Date: 17th September 2022
Dear Pastor, Church, and All Supporters:
Proverbs 16:3 — Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
Psalm 37:4–5 — Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
This report covers the month of August, as I did not have time to write at the end of that month. I was teaching two Bible schools simultaneously — one in Malawi via internet video, and one here in PNG. Lessons had to be translated into different languages, consuming many evening hours. My days started early and by eight a.m. we were in class until three p.m., sometimes longer.
With tribal people you do not simply prepare an outline, hand it out, and tell the students to come for examinations on Friday. Rather, it is dialogue, class participation, interaction, Q&A sessions, and going from one language to another.
Mr. Preacher, explain to me how you would translate the word “Sanctification” to these people when they have no word for it in their language and no cultural concept of the idea. Furthermore, it is woven into the fabric of their culture that when they hear how Judas Iscariot sold the Lord out to the enemy, they all cheer — because in their world, deceiving the enemy is the way to survive. Do not assume that because someone becomes a believer, all old habits immediately drop away. That is why it is called the Doctrine of Progressive Sanctification.
I have spent some 300 hours of class time in eight weeks. This is class time alone — not my study or preparation time.
I prepare the lesson, translate it into outline form, and make copies for the students each Monday. We spend the week in class, and on Friday there is an examination. The examination serves two purposes: to show the student where he stands, and to show the teacher where the student is in relation to the class and level of learning.
Over the years of my absence, many damnable heresies were brought into the churches — from prior Bible school teachers, from the pastors themselves, and from other denominations. The result is everything from customary traditions to Catholicism and self-made doctrines having nothing to do with the Bible.
When GOD’S Word begins to touch people’s lives, one of two things happens: people change for the good, or those who used the LORD’S work to obtain financial gain react with anger and attack the one bearing the light. The same holds true here.
The school in Malawi has been closed for this year due to the growing season. The school here in PNG continued, but I had to temporarily suspend classes due to the death of a church member killed in a vehicle collision. I felt led to close the school for six weeks and allow all the pastors to return to their villages. On 1 November the pastors and students will return to class.
I will have more in another report soon. May the LORD keep each of you in the centre of HIS will and smile upon the work of your hands. I want to thank each of you for your sacrificial support and prayers.
In His Name,
Missionary Peter A. Halliman