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June 2024
Dear AWR Friend,
Greetings from Papua New Guinea! What a time to be alive! Wonderful things are happening all across the country as we wrap up the first phase of PNG for Christ 2024. People have flocked to the evangelistic meetings and are being baptized in record numbers.
More than 2,000 meetings were held throughout the country, with a huge attendance at every site. General Conference President Ted Wilson opened his meetings with 70,000 filling the stadium. People traveled from across the country, many camping for weeks in anticipation of the event, and remaining for the full evangelistic series. It was a long-awaited spiritual celebration.
On the first baptismal Sabbath, more than 98,000 people were baptized throughout PNG. The baptisms continued every Sabbath, and to date, the total stands at 300,000, with thousands more who responded to the calls and made decisions for Jesus! By the time the PNG for Christ 2024 initiative concludes next year, 600,000 baptisms are projected!
These are huge numbers to toss around, and it’s hard to get an exact figure as the baptisms continue, but we were hard-pressed to believe this was even possible when we first heard the expected projections. And yet, God has far exceeded our expectations! Anything more is just icing on the cake.
Yet despite the growing numbers, our churches in PNG are careful to avoid hasty baptisms. They believe in discipleship and in a thorough understanding of biblical principles before a baptism takes place, and their commitment is producing results.
But how did this happen? Why are we seeing such an incredible response? We can only say, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)
The Unexpected Setback
Four years ago, when we were preparing to launch the PNG initiative amid much enthusiasm and anticipation, the world shut down due to COVID, and everything came to a standstill. Or so it seemed. Because what we couldn’t see was that this apparent setback was really God’s setup for a better comeback! And what a comeback it’s been!
After the initial disappointment, we decided to take a step of faith and continue the preparations, as did our brethren in PNG. The rest is a miracle. Let me share the highlights of what turned out to be the largest live evangelistic event in the history of our church so far—because we believe this is only the beginning.
The Miracle of the Mega Medical Clinic
We first launched PNG for Christ 2024 with a mega medical clinic following the God-inspired counsel for effective evangelism: “Medical missionary work is to be to the Third Angel’s Message as the right arm to the body. Both are to work in harmony. Then the salvation of the Lord will be revealed.” (EGW Letters & Manuscripts, Vol. 15)
We had tried this on the island of Mindoro, Philippines, with amazing results (you know the story!), and we thought nothing could ever be better than that—because what could possibly top the miracle of Mindoro?
But we were wrong! God again “utterly amazed” us. (Habakkuk 1:5)
Here are a few of the highlights:
- → The need for medical care in PNG is huge, and we had pre-screened 10,000 patients for treatment, which included cataract surgeries, dental extractions, diabetic screenings and a host of other medical issues. A total of 443 local and international healthcare professionals traveled from different countries to assist in this massive endeavor, and tens of thousands of dollars in medical equipment and supplies had been pre-shipped or hand-carried by our AWR team and volunteers to the event.
- → On opening day, more than 20,000 people waited, hoping to be treated! Throngs lined the streets, some having walked for days, and many on makeshift crutches. They had then waited in line for two or three more days and nights, just hoping to be seen by a medical professional. Much of the time it rained, and they waited patiently in the rain and mud.
- → One of our cameramen, Daniel Hosford, shared a heartfelt testimony: “At the close of the first day of the clinic, I went out into the lines of thousands of people still waiting, and talked and prayed with them. Mothers would grab me—crying and asking me to help their children who were sick or injured. I am not one to cry, but I was so moved by their need. I prayed with hundreds of individuals. Each one was so appreciative, and I felt that even though I was just the cameraman, I was able to be a tangible blessing to these people. It broke my heart to realize how much simple medical treatment meant to them.”
- → One young lady, Annie, faced challenges with her vision and had been fervently praying for a miracle—a pair of glasses to correct her sight. That day, her prayers were answered when we provided her with the exact glasses she so desperately needed.
- → One of the most special moments was when a man who had been completely blind was able to see after cataract surgery. His whole family was gathered around him and they were laughing and crying. He said, “I haven’t seen my wife and children in 16 years, and now I can see again! Thank you!”
- → There were some people with spinal cord injuries, and with physical therapy, they moved their legs for what they said was the first time in years. The PT team was able to give them exercises and stretches that could bring long-term healing, even if not complete restoration. One young lady who received a wheelchair for the first time overflowed with gratitude when she said, “Now I won’t have to crawl anymore!”
- → By the time the event concluded, we had provided more than 23,000 services, performed more than 2,000 cataract surgeries and 4,400 eye screenings, and given out more than 1,300 pairs of eyeglasses. Over 2,200 received dental care, and 1,400 got dental extractions. Then there was pediatric, cardiology, gynecology and PT care. The needs were huge and varied, and our hearts were moved to compassion by the suffering of these dear people who showed gratitude at the smallest effort made on their behalf.
The Miracle of Lives Changed
The mega medical clinic was followed by the evangelistic event throughout PNG, and the people were ready. Five years of working and planning had created a hunger to know the truth and attend the long-awaited events. Here’s another snapshot of the highlights:
- → We have a radio station network in PNG that was transmitting from 11 different locations across the country, broadcasting the meetings 24/7. In some preaching sites, the meetings were recorded for later broadcasting so that the message was being aired continually. Most people in PNG have no cell phones due to the poverty level, but they all have radios!
- → Guest speakers from all over the world signed up to participate in the event, including our General Conference President Ted Wilson, and North American Division President Alex Bryant, who both led by example, along with several other church leaders and laypeople.
- → Just like in Mindoro, entire churches made the decision to become Seventh-day Adventist since the PNG for Christ 2024 initiative began. We’ve confirmed 16 so far, and had the privilege of attending one of the “changing of the sign” ceremonies as a Church of Christ became a Seventh-day Adventist church. It was a thrilling and moving experience!
- → Pastor Steven Miniji from the Jiwaka Christian Outreach Center gave a moving testimony after his baptism. He said: “I am a senior pastor and have enjoyed the fellowship at a Sunday church for 22 years, but recently I learned that the Sabbath truth in God’s law still stands. Many times we, the pastors of Sunday churches, hide this truth. Therefore, I made my decision to come out and tell the truth to all Christians and to all people. Yesterday I was baptized and joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I changed my church sign and told my church members: ‘The choice is yours to join or not.’ I am appealing to all my fellow Sunday pastors, please, we need to tell the truth to all our Sunday churches and our fellow Christians so they can be saved into the kingdom of God.”
- → A group of young men who were marijuana growers gave their lives to Jesus and uprooted and destroyed all their marijuana plants in a special ceremony before their baptism. Our church leaders are very careful in upholding the standards and requiring total commitment before baptism. This includes giving up the offensive and highly addictive betel nut so pervasive in PNG.
- → The chairman of the local Anglican church and his wife were also baptized and gave a moving testimony. They shared that the truth presented in the evangelistic series was so clear as found in the Bible, that they could not reject the new light.
- → AWR sponsored a group of 24 seminary students and four professors from Andrews University who also participated in the event, traveling to PNG and each holding their own evangelistic series. It was a life-changing experience for all of them.
- → At one of the meeting sites in the town of Buka, the evangelist was preaching on baptism and made an appeal asking those who wanted to be baptized to come to the front. At first no one moved. There was a reluctance to come forward, and as the seconds ticked by, it began to get awkward. Then a dog appeared out of nowhere. It came forward, walking all the way to the front. Then it sat looking out over the audience. When the people saw the dog respond, they also began to respond. Soon a large crowd was surging forward, responding to the call. God had used a dog to show them the way.
A Voice in the Night
You may recall the story of Ellen and Simon, whom we met in 2020 on one of our last trips to PNG before the pandemic hit. They were both pastors in the Evangelical Brotherhood Church of Jiwaka, having been assigned there after they graduated from Bible college.
One Sunday morning, Ellen had been preaching to her congregation when she read from Luke 23. When she came to verse 54, she had stumbled on the words, “It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin . . .”
She realized then that she and Simon always skipped verses in the Bible that mentioned Saturday as the Sabbath day. This bothered her, but as always, she let it go.
But God didn’t let it go, and that Friday night, when Ellen and Simon were home, they heard what they can only describe as a “strong voice” impressing them with urgency to find the truth about the Sabbath day, and that once they found it, they should follow it.
They had heard of only one “Saturday church,” so the next morning, they searched for it in their city, and that very morning attended services. It just so happened that it was the Sabbath when a special offering was being collected for our PNG project. Ellen and Simon felt impressed that they should participate!
If you recall, they didn’t stop there. When they returned home, they decided to dismantle their home and build a Seventh-day Adventist church in its place! And all this before they were even baptized! When we met them in 2020, they were planning to be baptized later that year when we returned for our PNG event.
A Promise Kept
Fast forward to 2024 and we’re back in PNG for the PNG for Christ 2024 initiative. Guess who was waiting for us? Ellen and Simon! Not only had they finished building the church, but they were waiting to be baptized. Except now they didn’t come alone. They had 17 precious souls ready for baptism!
It was a joyous occasion, a time of celebration, and even though the enemy had tried to throw a wrench in their joy, he hadn’t succeeded. Just before we arrived, someone unhappy with the work they were doing had burned down the small house they had built behind the church where they lived with their seven children. When we asked them if they were discouraged, they said, “Never! We would rather die than give up our faith and the work we are doing!” Our church in PNG has provided temporary housing for them, as we help them with a more permanent arrangement.
Your Gift Will be Matched!
It’s hard to express the joy we felt after years of planning and hard work as we witnessed the throngs responding to calls to follow Jesus and saw thousands being baptized. One verse kept coming to mind: “Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.” (Psalm 126:6) And what a joy it was!
There are so many stories of what we witnessed in PNG that it’s impossible to share them all at once, but this is the first installment. We left PNG with a deep sense of gratitude for what God had done, and a conviction that God is preparing His children to light the world with the knowledge of truth, “Knowing that now it is high time to awaken out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11)
We also left with a deep sense of gratitude to you, our donors and supporters. We could not have done this without you. AWR funded the major portion of this project with more than $1 million. And that was possible only through your support. Whenever our coffers are depleted, your faithful giving supplies the need. And this month we have a special treat. Someone has generously offered to match every dollar you give in response to this letter! We praise God for this blessing as your gift will multiply like the loaves and the fishes.
Thank you for partnering with us in this amazing journey of faith. It is only as we work together that miracles like PNG, like Ellen and Simon, and like the thousands of lives changed, happen!
P.S. What an amazing experience! God’s Spirit was at work in PNG as we witnessed the largest live evangelistic event in the history of our church. And this is only the beginning! Thank you for supporting the work of Adventist World Radio. You are making a real difference!