February 1976

 

Dear Brethren in Christ;

 

God's Rainbow! He set it in the sky as a seal for His promise that he would never again destroy the world by a flood. The Lord went on to tell Noah that every time there is a rainbow in the sky the Lord will look on it and be reminded of His promise,

I believe that Papua Now Guinea has some of the most beautiful rainbows in the world. They reach from the ground on one side of the horizon to the other, towering high In the clouds. The rainbows are wide and clearly have every color presented. Red for the blood, orange for the Sun that lights the day, yellow for the streets of purest gold, green for the freshness of new life, indigo for the sky and violet for the majesty of the Almighty Father. God's promise represented by the seal of the rainbow, not only Is a promise of never again flooding the world, but to also an example to us of God's attributes of love, grace, longsuffering as well as His strength and power,

 

These are thoughts which occur to me when with some of the brethren here I sit down with them and want to share with them the old story of the rainbow, but as I start I run out of words because we are speaking in the trade language Pidgin English. I found and continue to find that Pidgin Is just too limited to express the truths of God's Word to their fullest extent. It is here when God impresses upon us afresh the importance of learning the tribal language so the people will REALLY understand what we are telling them. We see again the urgency of Iearning the SinaSina language so that we can share God's Word with them more effectively.

 

There are so many older people who, in a few years, will go into a Christless eternity unless they get God's message told to them in their own tongue as they do not speak or understand Pidgin English.

 

Pray with us that we might be able to move into the Sina-Sina area and begin to really learn the language. Also pray that we will be quick to learn.

 

During Feb.8-15 we began what we plan as a regular part of our work. We packed up the Rover with everything we felt was essential for a week in the bush: tent, kerosene light and stove, kerosene, flea repellant, cots, bed rolls, food, clothes and John's generator. We even took Kathy's sewing machine to use with John's generator, Sunday the 8th we arrived in Bima Piau after checking with the other congregations and their worship periods. The whole village turned out to see us set up our "haus sel"-house sail-tent. We beat the rain by 40 minutes. We held worship with the people and than went to bed. It proceeded to rain throughout the night and most of the next day, During the mornings we set up the sewing machine and sewed up clothes that the natives brought in to be repaired.

 

Some of these clothes were almost completely resewn. These clothes were not only filthy dirty but contained their share of fleas and cockroaches. We gave out 5 boxes of clothes which had been sent from Miami Okla. Thank You brethren! Most days we hold "pasin sua" (bandaged cuts, burns, gave medicine for all ailments) at least twice. During the afternoons if there was anyone around we hold classes with me teaching the men and Kathy teaching the women. Some of my topics were: "Rot I go long heaven (the way or road to heaven); "marit" (marriage); denominational doctrines-Lutheran, Catholic and S.D.A. errors, Kathy taught on the woman's role in life, the church and at home.

 

One afternoon I taught Komane (one of our Christian men) how to arm wrestle, leg wrestle end play mumly peg.

Just before sunset every evening we held lotu (worship) around their fire they had built to keep warm from the chilling night air(60-65). We discussed such subjects as: the True church, God's way of marraige (their custom says pologamy is alright), and our duties as Christians, Thursday a man and a woman wanted to be baptized. The man had been behind the Seventh Day Adventist church for 20 years but after hearing about the grace of Jesus an compared to the curse of the Law he wanted to "bihainim tok tru"- follow the true talk. Friday morning dawned bright and earty with about 150 people waiting for us as we awoke. The leaders of the local S.D.A. mission wanted to talk to Kau (Cow) about his reasons for not staying in their mission.

For two hours we tried to discuss the errors of their teaching as compared to the Bible way and finally when they took to arguing the villagers told them to leave.

 

Saturday was wash day so Kathy and I went down to the spring and washed some clothes. After we returned a young son named Kua said he was tired of Iiving like the heathen and wanted to become a Now Testament Christian. We than returned to the water and I supervised while Komane performed the baptism. He had to do it twice as the first time half of Kua's body remained out of the water.

.

On Saturday afternoon we moved our little two burner kerosene stove outside and opened the eyes of the village to the mystery of corn which"fires up"-popcorn. Their eyes just about popped out as they watched the corn pop. This was a first time experience for all of them as they don't have it available here.

 

Sunday after worship here In Biwa Piau, amidst many of their tears, we bid they goodbye until the following Sunday. The week was a great success and our plans call for us to do this same thing at Dumun and Kumogoko as well.

 

The town council In Kundiawa has a four bedroom house up for sealed bid this month. Kundiawa is located 6 miles from Dumun and would be ideal for our The town council in Kundiawa has a four bedroom house up for sealed bid purchase

this month. Kundiawa is located 6 miles from Dumun and ideal for our needs. We are not sure at present whether we will be able to bid since the min. is $10,000. Please pray that if Its the Lord's will that the funds might be made available through a bank loan there for this house or for us to be able to build a bush house In the Sin& Sins area.

 

Please pray for these three now Christians as they begin their new life In Christ.

 

While at Bima Piau a man came to us from about four mountain ridges away and said that there were about 26 people from his place who would like to become Christians, With heavy hearts we had to tell his that there were no funds or time available for us to work with another congregation as we were stretched full out with the three which we are working with now, Please pray for us to keep on keeping on and please pray that the Lord of Harvest might send more workers into His ripened field of souls here

in Papua New Guinea,

 

 

Yours in the Master's service

The Huffs
Box 878
Goroka
Papua Now Guinea