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: 4 June 2020
Dear Pastor, Church, Supporters;
Mission Report continued from Part Four (4); Part Five (5)
Acts 8:30 — And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
With every conversion of one of GOD’S Elect, there is always a great background and events connected with it, as in the biblical days, so it is today. Philip was in the middle of a great revival — what physical reason would he have had to leave that great work in Samaria and go to a desert, to travel with specific directions and at a specific time? The LORD had one of HIS sheep that needed to hear the Gospel — and so the story of Philip and the man of Ethiopia.
23 April 2020 — Day Four
Three days’ hike over some very rugged mountains and I have come to a place situated between mountains on every side, a white-water river racing towards the Sepik river and ultimately to the South Pacific Ocean. Here nestled between the mountains in a crevice unknown to the world and untouched by the developed world were a group of people some eighty in number.
The old village life still being carried out — bush houses filled with smoke from fires burning, the sweet-potato gardens being tended to, half-wild, half-domesticated pigs and hogs tethered here and there. Though these people had western clothing, it was obvious that many had been wearing the same clothing for a long time.
We were welcomed with a long line of people standing forming two lines for us to walk through and into the area where we would stay and conduct the Bible Conference for the next few days.
The people had collected limestones from the gardens and mountainside to line a pathway about three feet in width, with flowers planted alongside. We reached the entry of the area — a village — where an arch had been constructed with bush material and split timber, decorated with flowers, the entry tied with flowers and bush string, as they awaited for me to arrive and cut the string to officially make the entry into the area.
As greetings were made, I was escorted to my quarters where they had built a house for me to reside in until I was ready to go back. It was a good house, built mostly out of bush materials except some nails and hinges for the door. Being built off the ground gave the house ventilation and the ability to keep dry with the heavy tropical rains each night.
As we settled in and set up house, backpacks were unpacked and domestic chores were soon under way. I soon had my bath water ready to bathe. A good bath-house of bush material was prepared for me, and a toilet.
After I had time to bathe, change clothes, and catch my breath, it was time to attend the welcome ceremony of the official PNG mumu — where again the food, pigs, and veggies are cooked in the ground with hot stones and covered with fern and banana leaves, and finally the earth. The people had already prepared this in the morning hours as we were hiking, so by the time we arrived all was ready and the food was being uncovered.
Everyone was summoned to the mumu site, where the food had been removed and was being cut up in preparation for serving. As usual, people are divided into groups, each associated with the area of where they come from. Lots of noise, talking, shouting orders to the porters responsible to serve the veggies and finally the meat. They have their own way of cutting up the meat and serving, so it is a long process.
That afternoon, everyone forgot the long hard road we had hiked to get there. It is a delight to see people happy, not complaining, and enjoying the blessings that GOD has graciously supplied.
Tomorrow would begin our Bible Conference, and in the late afternoon hours I sat with the preachers who had come along and discussed the schedule and programme we would follow. Most of the Bible Conferences we conduct here in PNG, I am asked to do most of the preaching — the preachers see this as an opportunity to learn and sit in a seminary session. I have no problem preaching for several days, and do, however in-between I usually use some of the preacher brethren to speak in order to give my voice a rest.
The day was far spent and, being weary from the day’s hike, I was ready to retire for the evening. Tomorrow would be a full day and time to worship the LORD in congregated form.
To be continued…
Missionary Peter A. Halliman