My birthday was a special time. My family prepared an early celebration for me when they were here. I then spent my birthday evening with friends from the mission center and then the next night with friends from the mission clinic.
Life in the clinic this month was busy and tiring. We have had several playground accidents since the school term started. The first was a young boy who dislocated his thumb. That same afternoon, a second young boy dislocated his humerus. (Isn't our digital radiology incredible?) He had to be medically evacuated to Australia to have pins put in. The third was a young boy who suffered a concussion and amnesia after falling and hitting his head. Do you see a trend – young boys! The same week we medically evacuated the boy with the dislocated humerus, we had to evacuate a man who nearly amputated three of his fingers when he caught them in a pulley. One finger was fractured and the circulation was compromised. Each medical evacuation can be a stressful ordeal even when the patient is medically stable. The process to obtain an accepting physician, permission from immigration to enter Australia, and insurance approval can present new challenges with each case.
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| Dr. Kevin |
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| Dr. Dave, Emma, and Josh |
Our missionary team working among the Dinangat people received word this month that the denominational leaders of that area were attempting to remove our missionaries if they did not comply with their demands. Praying for wisdom and graciousness, our missionaries saw this situation as a wonderful opportunity to disciple the Dinangat believers and Bible teachers as they would stand on the authority of God’s Word alone. The believers protectively encircled the missionaries’ homes but decided to put away their knives, bows, and arrows when the delegation of religious leaders came. NTM leadership and PNG police were flown into the tribe. The religious leaders were given the opportunity to make their demands. They became quite angry and made false allegations against the missionaries. The police continued to reiterate that there is freedom of religion and speech in PNG for all citizens and non-citizens. Eventually the anger began to diffuse. It was now time for the 120 Dinangat believers to speak. They gave no rebuttals, just their testimonies of how God’s truth had been brought to them through the Scripture that was translated into their own language by the NTM missionaries. This truth they reported had changed their lives.
Here is one testimony, from a man named Areke,
presented before the religious opposition: “I am a man of sin; I am a man of sin. I am not a good man. Look at me; I used to be a man who sinned a lot. I am a man who makes a lot of trouble. My legs carried me to make sin. I sinned with my hands, my eyes and my mouth. A long time ago you [the religious delegation] gave me the work of overseeing [a village] and teaching them the things that you believe. And I thought by doing this work I was earning my way to God. Also during this time I did work as a witch doctor. I [practiced] sorcery. I did these things while I was doing your work. You gave me this work and I did it, but I didn’t understand God’s Word. But now I’ve heard what Jesus did for me in my own language, I understood it and I believe. It’s only because of Jesus that I will go to God. Now because of Jesus I am free.” After awhile, the pastor of the denominational church apologized and said he was wrong. The police then ended the meeting, but the Dinangat believers continued to give testimonies. They said God won that day and gave Him the glory as the church body was further unified! While this is probably not the last the Dinangat believers and missionaries will hear from this group, the missionaries are staying for now. It was agreed they could stay until the translation of Scripture is done. Please pray for the safety of the missionaries and continued unification and spiritual growth of these believers.
My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. Daniel 6:22
To God Be the Glory!
