Judy in Dusin

A few weeks ago, fellow missionary Dr. Becky Morsch and I went to Dusin in the Middle Ramu District, a remote mountain region of PNG, to continue training pastors and laypeople in Community Based Health Care. We also took Jesus film equipment to be used throughout the district during the following year.

There are no roads in this rugged area. The only way to reach it is by walking 3 days or by taking an MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) bush plane from Mt. Hagen. Many of the people who came to be trained had walked 2 or 3 days to reach the church where the meetings were held.

While there, Dr. Becky taught the Jesus film team how to operate the equipment. Can you imagine how challenging it was for these guys to learn to run equipment they didn't even know existed? They had never had a television set; few had even seen one. They had never held a remote control.

Sunday night the team started getting the equipment set up for the Jesus film showing. They actually started at 3 p.m. because they wanted everything to be ready for the service, but they ran into problems. First the generator wouldn't go. Then the DVD player stopped. Then the projector. Then everything. We realized this wasn't really just a problem with the equipment, so we stopped to pray. These Christians are mighty prayer warriors, and God touched the equipment! It all worked at the same time!

The people began coming. This is a church building that probably would hold 300 people in North America, but there were over 1400 men, women and children packed in! There was literally no ground showing! There were a few benches on the sides, but in the middle section and back people sat on the floor. The windows were full of faces!

We started the film. It was in Tok Pisin, the language most understood, so it was incredibly moving for the people here. A pastor stood on the side and translated into the local tribal language.

When we got to the crucifixion scene, so many were sobbing that District Superintendent Elijah asked the team to stop the film so people could come forward to pray. It was like a flood! Some of the little children had fallen asleep, and parents and brothers and sisters had to quickly drag them out of the way so people could get to the altar. Women began climbing over the benches behind Becky and me to get there. Soon the seekers at the altar were 15 people deep all the way across the church!

In Tok Pisin they would say "Papa God i bin kapsaitim Holi Spirit long mipela" -- God poured out his Spirit on us! What a wonderful time! We prayed for a long time and then when needs were met, they began the film again. Just in time for the Resurrection!

In Christ,
Judy