Fear
Sara (left)
One day, when Sara was 11 years old, as she was walking home from school, a man who works witchcraft shot her with his magic words. When she got home, she started feeling sick. The next morning, as she was washing her dishes at the watering hole, she saw some men standing far off, staring at her. She went back home, put her dishes away and sat down. It started getting sunny and as the sun shone on her, she started feeling a lot of pain! She fell to the ground and was turning, turning, and crying out. Some men and women gathered and wondered what was going on. “Witchcraft is killing her,” they all said. Some of Sara’s family carried her and ran to find a “psycho man,” a man who has knowledge about this witchcraft power who can help. When they brought Sara to him and told him what happened, he ran away and came back with some tree leaves and bugs. He spoke some magic words into them, opened Sara’s mouth, and made her eat the leaves. As soon as she finished eating them, her eyes opened, and she became normal again. After this, they took her to a church. The people at the church said that they could not pray for her just yet because she had 2 gods living inside her. One was a god of the ground and the other was the true god. If they prayed over her now, she would die. They said to wait 3 days and then they would pray over her. After 3 days, they prayed over her and told her to go wash and change her clothes. She did this and then went home and rested. Her dad said she couldn’t go around with her friends and sisters yet because her skin still had a distinct smell on her (from the witchcraft or the god being in her). Because Sara doesn’t know who it was who had tried to kill her with witchcraft or if they will ever try again, her and her family are carefully vigilant in looking out for suspicious people who may be after Sara.
Fear. It controls their daily lives. If they do not have a personal story of being attacked by witchcraft like Sara, they either know someone who has, or they have heard enough stories to cement it’s reality in their minds as well as their fear of it. They must constantly be on guard against witchcraft and bad gods or spirits.
Many people in Papua New Guinea have yet to understand the truth that God is the most powerful being of all; that his power and authority are unmatchable. That his son, Jesus has authority over all the spirits and that if they believe in Him and His death for their sins, they will experience freedom from the bondage of fear.
Luke’s language helper, Elijah, may soon be free from that fear. God seems to have been preparing the heart of Elijah. Luke has been able to talk with him about the Bible and Elijah is very interested! Luke loaned him his Tok Pisin bible and Elijah is reading it and coming to church with us where he has heard a clear gospel presentation in Tok Pisin and met other PNG believing men too! We praise God for what He is doing in Elijah’s life, and we pray that Elijah would continue to seek the truth.
Today we are travelling to the Ramu Valley Church Conference. This conference is for all the people groups that have been reached with the gospel in the Ramu Valley. We will gather with them to continue learning the national language and for mutual encouragement with these remote brothers and sisters in Christ. We have a 6-hour bus ride followed by an 8-hour canoe ride to get there and then after the conference we have a 12-hour hike to a tribe called Kaje where some other missionaries are continuing to see a church grow to maturity. Altogether we will be in the Ramu Valley for around 10 days. Our travels home will be only a 2-hour hike followed by a 6-hour bus ride. Please pray for safety over us as well as a fruitful conference and time with many national believers.
Prayer and Praise:
Praise for Elijah’s interest in learning more about Christ and studying the Word of God.
Praise the Lord for the knowledge we have gained so far of the national language and culture.
Praise for the Ramu Valley Church Conference with 4+ different tribal churches coming together to strengthen and encourage one another in their faith.
Pray for Elijah’s salvation.
Pray for the Maliyali people who are hearing God’s Word for the first time in their own language! Pray they would continue to receive the truths of God’s Word.
Pray for health and safety on our long bus and canoe ride, as well as our 12-hour hike! Pray God would use the conference to further build up the body of Christ in the Ramu Valley area.
Pray for our continued language learning.
Pray for the continued strengthening of our walks with the Lord as well as our marriage.
Please continue to pray that God would guide us as we continue to get to know other families and potential teammates we may one day partner with in going into a tribal location.