Steve, I talked to the oldest man in the village, and he has never seen water this high in his lifetime,” said an elderly church member in Kewa.
Was it just a coincidence that when our church began a nationwide crusade that resulted in the baptism of 300,000 souls, this nation also experienced rainfall so heavy it resulted in record flooding and landslides? When the meetings began, so did the rains.
We are blessed to have our AFM mission property bordering the Aramia River, the main tributary linking the 33 Gogodala villages. The part of our land closest to the river is a flood plain about 50 yards deep by about 200 yards long, behind which rises a steep hill on which our mission houses and training center facility are built. But we have three utility sheds near the base of the hill, adjacent to the flood plain. During the past rainy seasons, flooding has never risen above the floor of even the lowest shed. This year, all three were inundated. Equipment and building supplies had to be moved to higher ground or stacked on top of empty fuel drums.
The Gogodala people are accustomed to flooding. It is normal to see water level variations of 10 feet or more in the river from the dry season to the wet season. But this year, we experienced a flood that exceeded all previous flood records. Granted, the Gogodala share an oral culture and, therefore, don’t have many written records from the past. Nonetheless, they have pretty good memories, and when the village elders testify that they have never seen water this high in their lifetime, I believe them.
Last year, when I heard a report that our church in Papua New Guinea was planning to conduct an extensive, nationwide evangelistic campaign in which they expected to baptize hundreds of thousands of people, I was skeptical. Not because I didn’t believe that they could get large numbers into the waters of baptism. PNG has had large numbers of baptisms in certain locations in the past. But I was concerned about the preparation of the church members in such events to receive large influxes of new members and their ability to give each one the nurturing and discipleship they needed. However, what we witnessed in this country was truly humbling. Our PNG church leadership had been gearing up for several years to conduct this nationwide effort. Preachers from inside and outside PNG preached the message live from 2,000 pulpits and grandstands across this small country about the size of the state of California.
Balimo, the main government station for the Gogodala, a 40-minute boat ride from our mission ground at Kewa, was to be the local site for our PNG for Christ event. Two months before the series began, the guest speaker, slated to come from overseas, needed to cancel. We were all disappointed. However, a national lay evangelist stepped in and did a wonderful job presenting Bible truths in a culturally relevant way. Though he was not a Gogodala man, he was from another part of PNG. In the end, he connected with the people perhaps better than someone from outside the country would have.
Despite heavy rain, which fell many evenings during this two-week outdoor evangelistic series, crowds came out with umbrellas to hear the nightly Bible messages. A friend told me a local government official said, “Balimo is different.”
“What did he mean, ‘Balimo is different’?” I asked.
“The officials say that since the meetings began, the townspeople have become much more peaceful. They appreciate the influence the Seventh-day Adventists are having on their town.”
It was my privilege to assist two other pastors with the baptisms at the end of the campaign. It was a joyful day to see 181 dear souls entering the muddy, flooded lagoon at Balimo to seal their decisions for Christ.
“AFM has recently begun a special project to nurture and assist the local church elders in remote areas of PNG. Dale Goodson, a seasoned missionary and trainer for AFM, is leading the project to produce a simple, culturally relevant discipleship manual with input from the missionaries, remote church pastors and elders, and church leadership at the local mission, Union and Division levels. This manual is intended to assist church leaders in isolated regions in dealing with specific spiritual and relational issues that tend to arise. I solicit your prayers and support for this project.
Yes, we got flooded with water here in PNG. But we are praising God for the flooding of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of many people.
