I keep hearing new stories of God’s activity in PNG from preachers who went there from other parts of the South Pacific Division. Some unusual lights appeared in the sky over a village that was hosting a PNG for Christ site—in the same place for two nights. So, some neighbouring villagers decided to jump in boats and check it out. They stayed, and some decided to follow Jesus and become Seventh-day Adventists. A pastor whose only transport was walking had a very bad pain within his foot, which had troubled him for weeks. He asked the visiting preacher to pray for healing. Reluctantly, he did pray. Two days later the pastor rejoiced that his foot was healed—there was no pain and he could walk at his usual pace.
The stage manager of one of the sites overheard a group of local people at the market saying how much they appreciated hearing the PNG for Christ messages from the Australian preacher in their local language. He approached them and said that the Australian preacher only spoke English. However, the people were adamant he spoke their language as that is how they heard it.
An elderly man heard the PNG for Christ messages as he sat in his home at night—the speakers boomed the messages out! He was crippled, blind and used a catheter. At the end of the meetings he asked to be baptised after the other baptisms had taken place. A local pastor and others carried him down to the sea. The waves washed his catheter out—it was lost. But when the man came out of the water, he could walk and see. There were other healings, casting out of demons, unusual lights in the sky and supernatural occurrences. God and His angels were certainly active in PNG.
These other preachers are also sharing with me the reaction of people who hear their stories. There is joy and amazement in some, but cynicism and questioning in others. ”That may happen over there—but it doesn’t happen here.” There is a danger that we disregard what we do not understand. Angels and supernatural occurrences are recorded throughout Scripture. God is the same then as He is now. He is the same in PNG as in the rest of the SPD. May our response to what God is doing be the same as the man who asked Jesus to heal his son who was plagued by demons: “Lord I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).
