Date: 29th Nov 2011 Continued…Report No. 16
Dear Pastor, Church & all Supporters;
(1Th 5:23) ¶ “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(1Th 5:24)“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
At 0600 hrs I started the day, it had rained hard all night and with the early morning air, the clouds half hung between the valley floor and the mountaintops. As I gazed over the valley, there was this sense of how God, put HIS own blanket over the inhabitants of the Levini Valley. We had coffee at 0700 hrs, and I began to prepare my notes for the day, as it would be a busy day in the LORD. We cleaned up and dressed for church services and at 0900 hrs we were assembled in the church building.
Again we had a huge crowd at the Gwali Baptist church and the house was packed out, with both rear doors opened, and folks sitting all around the building. The song service, well, many of our Baptist churches around could learn something from the song services held among these simple people.
I was given time to preach and did so, after one and a half hours of service, we took an hour for a break and resumed for another service. Again I preached for another hour, and then we dismissed the services allowing time for the folks to walk home before the rains.
I had a men’s meeting scheduled that afternoon so we met in the men’s house. The meeting revolved around the timetable of our being there, for how long would I spend with each church, I also addressed different issues in the work with the men, pastors etc…
That afternoon we heated up the meat, which had been given us from yesterday at the Mumu. This time, it was not raining and we were able to enjoy the meal as it was meant to be. Sherry was making friends through a translator with several of the younger crowd and younger women.
The rains began to set in for the day, and continued throughout the evening into the night. With no place to go and pouring down rain outside, either one goes into the bush house, or the tent. In the past, I would always sit with the men and spend my time with them up to the point I would go to sleep, of course I have spent many a night in a PNG bush house, however this time would be different, I have a wife and so now I would spend time with her.
It doesn’t take long living in close quarters in the bush to get to know each other.
It was 2100 hrs and time to switch off the glow stick, the LORD had given us a good day and I felt that the church and folks had been encouraged in the LORD.
I want to say a word about the tent, which the LORD has provided for me through the years. The tent, which I had taken with me, has now survived three tours in PNG; I purchased this tent back in 2004 after the first tent I had purchased to take to Africa back in 1996 had lost its ability to shed rain.
At one time when I made a trip to PNG back in 2002, I had travelled from Africa to PNG and had someone send me a tent there. What I got was a $50.00 Wal-Mart tent, well you buy cheap in life and that is what you get (CHEAP!) That may be ok for some things, and that may suite some folks, who drive five min to work, eat out at McDonalds, sit in their lounge watching movies and repeating this process for a ‘so called lifestyle’.
I was once accused for wanting the ‘best’, well, here is what the $50. /dollar tent at Wal-Mart gave me, after six weeks in the Jungles of PNG, the tent started falling apart and leaking. At first I endured two sleepless ‘wet nights’ in this (bargain-tent) I ended up sleeping in the flea infested bush houses with the Natives for the remainder of six weeks again, but no worries, I saved money on the tent.
I would like to share a story that I was told long ago by someone whom was very close to me in life, both as a preacher, mate, and fellow labourer.
The story goes like this, Long ago this man was a young preacher and pastor of a local church in Tennessee, he used to ride his horse as transport, and on one Sunday morning he went to church, the folks came, he preached, and afterwards one chap came up to this young pastor and said, ‘Sir, why is it your horse always look so groomed and presentable, but you Sir, don’t look so well’… The young pastor replied, ‘I look after my horse, and the church looks after me’… end of story!
I spent four hundred dollars on this tent of which I still have today, it has served in Malawi, Mozambique and PNG since 2004 and has NEVER LEAKED! If I were to count the pennies, that would mean I spent ($57.14) a year on the ‘professional tent’ and it is still good and still sheds rain.
31st Aug 2011 Wednesday
0500 hrs I started my day, it still being dark out and nowhere to go, however when I wake up, I am one of these people who must rise. The quite morning hours gives me time to study, make notes, and keep the diary updated. Soon the morning clouds had lifted enough for the morning Sunrays to break through.
The transformation is amazing as I watch the Valley waken as a giant out of its sleep, the air being crisp and clean as though God had bathed this sleeping giant and covered him in a blanket of clouds.
I enjoyed the morning coffee sitting outside watching and admiring God’s creation, As I mused over the Mountains rising to heights above the clouds it was evident that little had changed in this primitive, untouched and unchanged land since the beginning of time. God had wonderfully laid out HIS creation as a testimony to any creature with which, had eyes to behold such. Soon it was time to prepare for worship again scheduled at 0900 hrs. It seems simple enough for some of us, however some folks started walking whilst it was still dark.
We started services, and I preached again, following there were five who confessed to being saved, the pastor asked them to share their confession with the church and then they voted to have them baptized and for me to do the baptizing. The services were dismissed with prayer and we went to prepare for the baptism.
About half a mile away was the baptismal waters, mountain streams that had been dammed up. We arrived; I went over the procedure with the candidates, prayer was made, a couple songs song and then I proceeded with the Baptism. This to me is one of the most vivid messages of the Gospel, and a public witness to those NOT saved.
We made our way back to camp and after changing clothes we had something to eat. Camp was packed up, the men picked up the packs and off we started hiking across the valley floor to the Arapya Bap church, which would take five to six hours depending on hiking conditions and the rains.
As we departed Gwali Bap church and the folks there, many of the younger folks wanted to escort us part of the way, therefore we had quite a large number of children, and young adults (even some older women) who wanted to accompany us all the way to the next church, for no other reason but to hear the preaching of God’s Word.
Missionary Peter A. Halliman