When the Lord Visits.....                  
Archive: May 2010

When God shows up, things happen.  In the disarray of the village closest to us in the Highlands, the local village youth have been active in many acts of thievery, vandelism and lawlessnes. The local authorities seemed powerless to stop them. Our community began to pray in ernest, for something to change. Then recently, the local church held a week long Easter worship service.  During this extended time, in song, fellowship and teaching, these young men were convicted by the Holy Spirit, and committed their hearts and lives to Jesus Christ!  Suddenly break-ins, both in the village and in the homes of our community, stopped completely.  All this in direct answer to our prayers and the prayers of many around the world.

God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible. What a pity we only plan the things we can do ourselves.  — A.W. Tozer

Today you too can be Praying... for the local church's ability to disciple these young Christians to truly honor the Lord in their thoughts, words and deeds. May many of today's youth move on to incredible works of service for our Lord in the year's ahead.  

How wonderful to see God's hand move with such dramatic results right where we live.

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Helping the Aitape West Multi-Language Project

Mighty Sepik River by Air
The incredible Sepik River becomes the premiere water transportation highway for this part of the world.


Remember the Great Tsunami of the North Coast back in 1998?  The Red Cross and many aid agencies flew in to assist the Arop people, and approximately 1/3 of the population had been totally decimated. There was not one Arop family untouched.  Not one family that had not lost a loved one.  Out of the “rubble” the Lord was at work in the hearts and minds of the people and their neighbors.  To most of us it looked like the Arop language programme was totally dead, and never to recover after these horrible events.

I have found that there are three stages in every great work of God; first, it is impossible, then it is difficult,
then it is done.  — J. Hudson Taylor  

Then after a while....   suddenly and with incredible zeal, everyone wanted the translated Scriptures into their own language! There was a profound surge of interest.  When the Arop villagers moved inland and to higher ground for a future together — they also created a new place to start translation over again.  As the Arop people began to assemble their men to take on this task, surprisingly other selected men from 10 other local languages came by for the express purpose of working for their people group in the same task.  This birthed the present day "Aitape West Multi-Language" project, where selected men of good standing come together to work in parallel over the same passages in Scripture.  Typical Arop Family and House

We have found that something wonderful happens when these men meet to encourage one another in the work. They travel long journeys by foot for month-long workshops and discuss the challenges of how to convey accurate meaning from Scripture texts and Bible commentaries, back into their local languages.  These men are highly motivated, and I found it quite inspiring to help them.

The Arop Translation Center, found in the center of Arop village, has no mains “grid” power from the big towns like Vanimo or Aitape on the North Coast.  Power must be supplied by solar panels or diesel generators.  I (Brian) was sent on a special assignment to assess how to improve their power situation and keep around a dozen laptops going, and maintain center lights, mostly using a rather large solar PV (Photovoltaic) array.  But there were problems with aging equipment, and I was asked for help on how to improve or replace equipment within their limited support budget.

Arop TranslatorOne idea that I suggested was to replace their old and broken laptops with new technology called “netbooks” today. We discovered that an average netbook will consume about 1/4 the power to run translation software, over a conventional laptop.

Josep Aputa ponders exactly how to say
the right words for the Book of Acts

 

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;  — Isaiah 61:1 (NASB)

Suddenly their solar array was the “right size” to do the given task, and a new bank of lead-acid batteries would be able to handle the energy needs of the translation center.  Their lead-acid batteries could be maintained without additional assistance from external deisel generators.  Whereas sunlight is relatively abundant and free, diesel fuel is not.

I had much amuzement in my time hiking around the area.  At one point I hiked about an hour's walk toward the Pacific Ocean.  I was trying to find a special spot where it was said that one could catch a Digicel mobile phone tower.  Man and boy traveling via canoe canalLeaving the jungles behind and almost at the shoreline, I was cut off from the ocean surf, by a strange canal.  At this special spot I got "two bars" on my mobile phone and I instantly called back to my house at Ukarumpa in the Highlands. Success! I had a great chat with Helen (still my sweetheart).

Incredibly about a half-dozen dug-out canoes, often with paddlers adroitly standing — gently glided by with men, women and children off to their appoinments.  I found out that various intercoastal lagoons on the north coast were inter-connected by the Germans of that period around World War I time.  These inter-lagoon waterways endure to this day. How wonderful !  

Aitape West Report Here »

Insights into Papua New Guinea Life

ANHS Cool ShadesHere is the entrance to our photographic favorites.  Come journey to the "land of the unexpected" as seen in our eyes after 20 years of ministry in this fair country.
See More from Years 2008 to 2005»

Higher Resolution Photos are freely available upon request.  Just email and let us know what you would like.


Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye.  — Proverbs 7:2