$100,000?! We couldn’t believe our ears!
“Wow—that’s hard to believe!!” A good friend and coworker in Papua New Guinea recently told us that in the last two years they’ve ordered $100,000 worth of the Chronological Lessons for Pidgin speakers in PNG. Since starting working with this project back in the ‘90s we never imagined that it would be so well received. But we are thrilled to hear how God is getting His Word out. We’ve seen second, third and even fourth ‘generations’ of Christians being taught through the Bible with the help of these books. (None of us receive royalties from these books, and they are subsidized so that they will be more affordable but it still costs about two days of (PNG) wages to buy a book there, so you know these people must be serious about getting them!) With 5-6 million Pidgin English speakers, it looks like these books will be in demand for years to come.
When we left PNG in 2003, Jim Tanner carried on with the books. He produced more lesson books and he and Greg Greenlaw have been all over the country helping Bible teachers with the lessons. Here’s what Jim wrote recently:
“Our new ministry has gone in directions we had never expected. We are able to do pastors’ seminars… in Pt. Moresby, Manus, Mt. Bosavi and Orokana and Goroka so far…Word is getting out …many groups in PNG are asking to be taught…We’re also working on translating a simple English version of the lessons for PNG…” Some churches are asking for the curriculum to be put into their Bible Schools. Here are some responses from pastors, after having been taught through the first 13 lessons:
Gireva – “This is better than Bible school because it’s understandable to the layman and it’s targeted to our PNG culture. Our spiritual maturity level shows poorly for the 100 years of having the gospel in PNG. We are blown around by all kinds of new movements, but this is different. This curriculum is different and can bring real help to our churches because it’s JUST GOD’S TALK: it doesn’t change or disappoint. We pastors need to finish learning this so we can pass it on to our congregations.”
Casper – “I’ve had 7 years of Bible School and Seminary but I’ve never seen this. I’m realizing that we have come to Christ so suddenly that we have no Christian Heritage. We have come from tribal religion to Christianity in a single generation and we have no firm roots. Most of us still believe in sorcerers and witches. It’s like that with physical things, 1 ½ generations ago we were living in caves and wearing leaves. Now we’re suddenly living in fancy houses with metal and glass and fibro-board, but we don’t know how that stuff is made, how to value it, or how to maintain it. Our Christianity has the same problem, we don’t know its history and so it’s hard to value and sustain it. We were ‘short-cutted’ to Jesus and now we’re here, lost and confused.”
These testimonies have inspired us to keep working on more books to help the nationals of PNG! I’m now working on another book and planning to take it with me on another teaching visit to PNG this summer. Please pray for the focus and clarity of mind I need for the next few months (and for my chiropractor to be able to keep my neck in shape).
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