As our dinghy arrived at the island shore, it was hard to believe that the man smiling and waving to us from the bank had spent several years in a PNG prison. After making some bad decisions in his younger years, Bani landed in Bomana prison in Port Moresby. While there, he attended a Bible Prophecy Seminar held by a pastor from Pacific Adventist University. That marked a turning point in his life. He was captivated by Jesus, and by the end of the series, he was a baptized member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Other prisoners mentored him and encouraged him to be faithful.
After his release, he returned to his home in the remote village of Uladu and told his family and friends what he had learned while in prison. Every Sabbath for the past 13 years, he has gathered his family on his little island in the middle of a lagoon to worship God, reviewing the Bible materials he preserved from his time in prison and singing from his one hymnal. I was amazed at this man’s faith and tenacity.
Even though we live in the next village upriver, our mission had only had limited contact with Bani. Local members occasionally met his wife or daughter-in-law at the market. Once or twice a year, he attended church in our village. Finally, I decided we needed to meet this man and arrange a visit to his island with my family and some local church members. From their joyful welcome, you would have thought Bani and his family were greeting long-lost relatives. Smiles, tears, and long, hard hugs conveyed their longing for fellowship in a way that words could not. The setting sun forced us to leave too soon, but not before Bani’s wife loaded us with sweet potatoes and sugarcane as a token of love. We scheduled a date to return for a Sabbath service.
A few weeks later, we gathered a few church members and traveled to Bani’s island for church. As we approached, we saw a large crowd welcoming us. Once again, Bani enthusiastically greeted us, but this time we also shook hands with sons and daughters-in-law, brothers and grandchildren. They led us inside the simple bamboo structure they had made for us to worship inside. There we shared simple lessons from the Bible and sang songs they knew and had copied into their notebooks from Bani’s worn hymnal.
Before we left, our group encircled Bani and his family. My friend and I prayed that the Lord would bless and increase their group. Hearing the emotion in my friend’s voice touched my heart, and I looked up, seeing Bani wiping tears from his cheeks. I learned later that we were the first visitors they had ever had on a Sabbath.
I wonder how many prisoners are waiting for someone to take an interest in them? How far do our efforts actually reach? How many other isolated believers need our encouragement? Maybe it’s time for us to do some exploring and find them.
