Radio Advent Papua (RAP)

No!   I didn’t come up with the name RAP!   That’s what a group of pastors locally is calling our dream.   The dream is to one day have 15 or more radio stations that will cover the whole western half of the Island of New Guinea with the Adventist Message 24 hours per day 7 days per week.

We know the dream is too big for us.    And definitely way to big for Papua mission.   Yet it never hurts to dream.   If God be for us who can be against us.

Here we are in my office. . . a group of mission administrators and district pastors who are wrestling with the idea of Radio.   There are already amazing grants and gifts becoming available as long as we meet certain criteria.   Yet even so we’ll need to raise probably $250,000 dollars or more.    From my best guess only $50,000 of that will be able to be raised from people here in Papua.    Keep in mind that the average Adventist in Papua makes $74 per month.   21,000 members who make $74 per month could not afford much but I believe they will give their widows mite.

We’re working on exact details and costs for an initial proposal that will allow us to get a small studio up and running for recording purposes.   We need at least 1,000 hours of recorded material in the local languages of Papua.  

Some have asked, “Doesn’t Adventist World Radio reach Papua?”   The answer is yes but its in the wrong languages for most to understand here in Papua  and its on Short Wave radio which is not used extensively in Indonesia.   In fact it’s hard to find Short Wave radio’s.   I’ve never seen one here in Papua and I’ve been looking. 

Our Communication Director and myself are working on a written proposal to be ready by December for Radio Advent Papua.    The hope is that at minimum we can have a studio built and recording by early to mid 2013 and on air with our first radio station in early 2014 and rapidly adding more thereafter.    Please consider donating to this cause!!!!

54 Baptized in Biak. 400 came Nightly.

Opening night of our Evangelism meetings in Biak.

There are about 20-25 cities of 50,000 to 600,000 in population within Papua Mission’s territory.   Typically, we try to have a number of small meetings in the surrounding area’s and then I come for a major meeting in the city center.    Biak is a good example of the hard work of some of our finest pastors working together with the Power of the Holy Spirit.

On this Beautiful Island Paradise located above the Neck of the Birds Head Peninsula off New Guinea’s coast these two pastors cover 6 churches and 6 start up churches called branch Sabbath Schools.    They’ve been through very trying times as break-away group who claims they want Revival and reform took the congregations of 3 of their churches.   Despite their lives being threatened and constant heckling the Pastors keep focused on Evangelism.

When we reach beyond ourselves and focus on heaven’s work, not on our own belly buttons, the things of this earth become strangely dim in the light of His Glory and grace.   The members became excited as the week went on.   More and more were making decisions to become baptized.  

There was the pastor who had left the largest Lutheran Church in town two years ago to follow truth but the non-denominational church that he joined and became their pastor wasn’t willing to follow the Bible and Bible only.  Then in August his wife dreamed that a white man would travel from the east and preach on end times.   Imagine to her surprise two weeks latter in early September bill boards went up all over Biak with my picture and I was from east of Biak (America is east and so is Jayapura where I live.)   But to top it all off I was the exact person she saw in her dream.   They came each night and are making plans to join the Adventist movement in December and many of his congregation listening as he preaches the same series I preached.   His 15 year old daughter joined already on September 29.    And he and his wife will join December 1st.

There was the hardened man who never followed his wife to church.   Each time she invited him to church he became angry.   Opening night this wife asked me to pray that her husband would come the next night.   So right there in line we prayed and next night he was sitting on the 4th row back.

There was the extended family of 10 who joined all in one group.   Tears flowed freely as it was this family made their stand for the truth they had learned.

54 of the newly baptized standing with their new Bible Studies, Baptismal Certificates and a new Bible.  In this group stands former prostitutes, former drug addicts, a pastor and his family following more light, families who once worshipped the devil.   Victory in Jesus!!!!!!!

This lady became the 54th Baptism of the day!    She came with sobs of joy as her past was being washed away.   Her past is one that is too great to tell on this blog but praise God He lives within her heart today.

Island Paradise off Biak shores north of New Guinea

I’ve been working on several major writing projects for the past month. . . thus the serious tardiness on keeping up my blog.    About a month ago I was preaching evangelism meetings in Biak an Island off the neck of the Birds Head Peninsula on the north of New Guinea.    The district Pastor arranged for me to go with he and some church members to the Beautiful Island Paradise of Musinda.   Musinda is an small island with 196 residents located 50 miles across the Pacific ocean south of Biak. 

We rode for more than 1 hour on this 30 foot long boat.   It had two 40 hp engines.   The guy in orange at the front was a local guy who knew where the underwater reefs were and where the logs and trash that floats on these parts of the ocean.   Notice he’s indicating with his left hand that we most avoid something on that side of the boat.

Pastor James Hadjo’s oldest daughter was lulled to sleep by the constant bobbing up and down of our “speed boat.”

About 15 miles out I was able to zoom into Musinda Island and get this photo.

As we drew within 2 miles I was able to zoom in and see this beach.

The reef extends for 1 plus mile beyond the shore of this island.   This would be a fabulous divers heaven if the locals would stop dynamite fishing.

We navigate our way through the passage in the reef.

The engines are cut and we coat into shore.    The coral and fish can be seen just below us.   Fabulous!!!!!!!

The local Adventist church is made up of 33 members.   Here they stand with a my poster for my big meetings in the city of Biak.   I’m here to baptize 3 of their youth on this day.

On this location the church has dreamed of building a church.    But they’ve been hoping to build here since the early 1970’s.     This would be a perfect candidate for a One Day Church from maranatha.org.     But how do we get it here and help them raise the money to get one all the way from America to here?

Pastor Zul.   posses with the local members with their catches of the day.

The young boy in the last picture allowed me to paddle his boat around the other side of the island where the village is.

Shells were absolutely everywhere.   I’ve got one in my hand which has now become decoration in our boys bathroom.   This stump was pretty amazing.

This bird has a white cap.   Not suppose to be there.   If you zoom in a bit you notice some violet reflection around that white cap.   This was suppose to be a normally occurring bird but the white cap and violet reflection make it a mystery bird from the Monarch family of birds.    I have several Ornithologist friends who are trying to positively ID.   The latest is that it might become a newly discovered species named Boyd’s Monarch.    Now isn’t that cool?