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: 04/Jan/2025
Dear Pastor, Church, & All Supporters:
Mt 25:15 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
Mt 25:16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
Mt 25:17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
Mt 25:18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
Mission Report for December 2024
I had given the students their semi-final exam for the school period they had attended on Monday the 11th of November the students each one took their journey back to their villages. I now had a window of opportunity to do ‘other jobs’ that had been put on hold for weeks, some jobs months had been waiting. I am always surprised to hear people say, ‘I didn’t have time for this or that’, I completely understand the generation we live in; however, God did not give some twenty-four hours in a day, and others HE gave thirty-hours! We all have the same amount, it’s all about how you manage the time, God’s people would do well to (redeem the time) for the days are evil!
A local church building needed help in putting a concrete floor in, the LORD has blessed the work with a heavy-duty truck, therefore I carted river stone, gravel & sand from the river to the building about ten miles in-between, twenty from the house. It’s all manual labour, I take men who have a willing spirit to work (they don’t get paid) I don’t have the budget to hire extra help. An entire day is consumed in loading fifteen ton of material. This is also unloaded by hand, rain or shine the work continues, we don’t just pack it in because the rains come. I live in a tropical rain forest environment, no one talks about it being hot in a desert, and no one in PNG talks about the monsoon rains.)
The next two days, we mixed (by hand) the concrete, poured the floor, this is not a big deal in developed countries, however when its hand labour, and (your involved) the finished job has a different meaning. I went from one job to the next, the Bible Academy building was built rough, with roofing sheets, however the floor needed concrete, so this too was mixed and poured. I am in the middle of this work simply because there isn’t anyone amongst the workers, men all of whom assist – that has a working knowledge of the ratio mixture.
After several days of curing, I set to the task of cutting out concrete tiling on the floor and painted with a two-tone concrete floor paint, it does look nice and adds light to the building.
Further to what has been said, I acquired the material to construct three pulpits-podiums for the three church buildings. The previous pulpits they had were simply made stands, however, this is 2024 not 1960 and there needs to be some upgrading to the church building. The timbers were hand planed, sanded and joinery was used to put together these pulpits.
I was reminded and am every time I work with rough timber, how the tree itself grown wild, without restraint, no guide, cultivation except the rawness of life. Rugged, tough, hard, and often times unprofitable (the tree) until, someone comes along carefully cutting the tree, selection is made for the proper cut to obtain the (best) boards, rough sawn, selection again, carefully dried, hand planed, sanded…what was once hidden to the natural eye, now becomes a showcase to all those who look upon it. So, too, we all were (wild) without restraint in our life of sin, how the LORD elects, takes us out of the jungle of life, cuts out, places us in Christ, through His work we are planed, sanded, made to become a polished trophy in God’s Kingdom. All those who look upon our lives, those who have been redeemed by His blood, clothed with HIS righteousness, we shine for His glory.
Anyone reading this who has been around carpentry, there is rough, finished, and joinery, I have done all the above, but, enjoy mostly the joinery as it reminds me very much indeed of many biblical truths.
I had a few days remaining to start preparing for my twenty-one-day mission patrol in the bush, many things I had to set in order, not only studying for messages to be preached, but also the physical, human side of preparations.
This will be detailed in the next report (s).
I want to thank each of you for your faithful support, I could not do what I do, without your assistance in this great work, His work!
In His Name,
Missionary Peter Halliman