For thousands of
years our people have walked
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these jungle trails and paddled
our dugout canoes up and down
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these great twisting rivers.
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For thousands of years
our world remained the same.
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But this could not always be.
Today we know things that our
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forefathers never dreamed
of. Strange people have come and
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built great cities among us.
In their schools we have learned
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many new things
about the changing world.
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We have heard of a new
Papa God unlike any other.
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Suspended between the old ways
and the new, between life as
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we have known it and the
new world of possibilities,
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we are the people between.
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In all the world there is
no place like Papua New Guinea.
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Little more than 100 miles
north of Australia, across the
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Torres Strait, Papua New Guinea
shares the great island of New
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Guinea with Indonesia's
Irian Jaya to the west.
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Unless you have seen it with
your own eyes, and walked the
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land with you own feet;
you will find it difficult to
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imagine what life is
like in Papua New Guinea.
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Try to imagine life from within
such a land of contrasts and
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diversity. Try to imagine
growing up in a family of the
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Dowa People of the central
highlands, trekking many miles
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and hunting by your wits amidst
mountains wrapped in thick
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living green jungle.
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Or, if your father and mother
were Gogodala of the western
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flood plains, try to imagine
spending your life on the
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water, paddling your sleek
dugout canoe along the greater
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and lesser rivers with
the skill and poise of your
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seafaring ancestors.
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Though the great mountains
and rivers are the bones and
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lifeblood of the land,
they have also proven to be very
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capable fences, dividing the
island up and allowing hundreds
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of diverse people
groups to develop in isolation
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from one another.
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Over the centuries, the
myriad mountain valleys and
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impenetrable swamps of Papua
New Guinea have preserved time
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capsules of
language and culture.
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It is staggering to consider
the number of languages spoken
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in this island nation.
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New Guinea is slightly
larger than California, and its
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population numbers roughly
4.6 million people, or slightly
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less than the
population of Minnesota.
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But what is most remarkable is
that these people speak a total
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of 817 separate languages
and over 1,600 dialects!
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What must it be like to grow
up sharing a language with less
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than 100 people?
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This situation is not
uncommon in Papua New Guinea.
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Since many native languages
are spoken by only a handful of
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people in small, localized
areas, most people also speak
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Tok Pidgin, a Creole language
that borrows from German
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and English.
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The Tok Pidgin language is
a good illustration of how the
00:05:04.22\00:05:07.10
peoples of Papua New Guinea
approach spiritual matters
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as well.
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They have proven just
as eager to mix old and new
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religions as they have to blend
old ancestral tongues with new
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western words.
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The traditional worldview
of Papua New Guinea is based on
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Animism. As secluded and
diverse as the many tribes
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were, for centuries they have
been unanimous in this respect.
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For an animist, every moment
of life is colored by the belief
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that spirits of animals, rocks,
and trees, spirits of wind,
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water, and fire, are flitting
everywhere. Greater and lesser
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spirits inhabit all things
and require endless watchfulness
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and appeasement.
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Most are malevolent
or, at best, indifferent.
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If one is brave he or
she might try to manipulate
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the spirits for healing,
personal gain, or revenge.
00:06:02.22\00:06:05.88
But the safest course is
to just do as the spirits
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require and avoid
them as much as possible.
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Many people in Papua New Guinea
today relate to their recent
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technological revolution
with similar wariness.
00:06:25.73\00:06:29.04
Owned as a colony of Australia
till 1975, Papua New Guinea
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leapt from the Stone Age
straight into the 20th century.
00:06:33.98\00:06:38.81
As one might expect, such
drastic modernization has left
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many people behind.
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Even today people living just a
few miles from a large city may
00:06:45.63\00:06:49.58
see an automobile
for the first time.
00:06:49.61\00:06:51.83
Bombarded from all sides by
new ideas and ways of living,
00:06:53.35\00:06:56.94
many people are overwhelmed
by fast-paced modern life.
00:06:56.98\00:07:00.54
Though many will periodically
travel to the city to sell cash
00:07:02.96\00:07:06.88
crops and purchase certain
things, they almost always
00:07:06.92\00:07:10.08
return to their villages
and their old familiar ways.
00:07:10.12\00:07:13.21
Born and raised in a land where
basic survival is the greatest
00:07:13.25\00:07:17.51
test, the rural peoples of
Papua New Guinea take only what
00:07:17.55\00:07:21.78
they want from
modern technology, society,
00:07:21.82\00:07:23.98
and religion. The rest
they abandon in favor of
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more familiar things.
00:07:27.36\00:07:29.43
While this pragmatism helps
the people of Papua New Guinea
00:07:36.12\00:07:39.53
survive in a world of
dizzying change, it has
00:07:39.57\00:07:42.89
certain drawbacks.
00:07:42.92\00:07:44.51
Dale and Lety Goodson and
Jeff and Bobbi Bishop labor with
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this and other issues every day.
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The Goodsons and the
Bishops, with their families,
00:07:50.74\00:07:53.80
are missionaries with
Adventist Frontier Missions.
00:07:53.84\00:07:56.87
Jeff and Bobbi Bishop work
with their daughter Rachel in
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Papua New Guinea's
western province among the
00:08:07.77\00:08:10.11
Gogodala people.
00:08:10.14\00:08:11.59
During the filming of
this video, Bobbi Bishop was in
00:08:11.92\00:08:14.86
Australia receiving
treatment for a back injury.
00:08:14.89\00:08:18.02
She has since rejoined
her husband and daughter.
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The Gogodala people have a
very rich and unique history.
00:08:26.23\00:08:29.73
The name Gogodala can
be translated "wind men. "
00:08:29.76\00:08:33.82
Ancient stories preserve
memories of how the original
00:08:34.86\00:08:37.68
Gogodala, a seafaring people,
paddled up the Aramia River in
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great ocean-going canoes
and began settling along the
00:08:42.53\00:08:46.27
waterways.
00:08:46.31\00:08:47.45
The first British explorers
encountered the Gogodala early
00:08:53.73\00:08:57.50
in the 19th century.
00:08:57.54\00:08:59.05
The explorers reported that
they found the Gogodala to be
00:09:00.13\00:09:02.76
friendly, hospitable people.
00:09:02.80\00:09:04.64
Soon thereafter,
British missionaries established
00:09:05.36\00:09:07.73
schools in the area.
00:09:07.76\00:09:09.00
Because of these early
encounters, the Gogodala are
00:09:09.03\00:09:12.30
unique in that they speak
English instead of Tok Pidgin
00:09:12.34\00:09:15.76
in addition to
their ancestral language.
00:09:15.79\00:09:18.56
The Gogodala are a
water people by necessity.
00:09:22.19\00:09:25.12
Vast silty fresh-water
lagoons and sago swamps cover
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the land they inhabit.
00:09:29.81\00:09:31.34
The men craft long, slender
canoes from the trunks of
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great trees.
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Some canoes can be
more than 50 feet long.
00:09:41.10\00:09:44.03
Displaying a fine sense
of balance, the men usually
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paddle their canoes
from a standing position.
00:09:52.95\00:09:55.29
Most larger canoes now sport
an outboard motor and ply the
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rivers at much greater
speed than in years past.
00:09:59.52\00:10:02.82
The water level in these inland
lagoons can change by ten feet
00:10:06.43\00:10:09.94
or more between
rainy season and dry.
00:10:09.98\00:10:12.49
When the water is high the
Gogodala canoes travel easily.
00:10:12.53\00:10:16.26
But when the water is low,
travel becomes more difficult.
00:10:16.29\00:10:19.99
At low water, streams and
channels are often choked with
00:10:20.02\00:10:23.84
dense mats of floating grass
that grow on top of the water.
00:10:23.87\00:10:27.65
In many places it is
thick enough to walk on.
00:10:27.69\00:10:31.29
At all times of the year,
life centers on the lagoons.
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They are the bathtubs, wells,
highways, and pantries of the
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Gogodala people.
Fishing is a popular job that
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often brings the whole
village together in splashing,
00:10:49.67\00:10:52.18
giggling delight.
00:10:52.21\00:10:53.91
They form up lines of beaters
that sweep the shallows in an
00:10:53.95\00:10:57.91
effort to herd the fish toward
lines of people holding nets.
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Those with nets work together
to slowly surround schools of
00:11:04.22\00:11:07.65
small fish and then
raise their nets together.
00:11:07.69\00:11:10.39
It is unclear which
is the biggest motivator;
00:11:11.44\00:11:13.64
the thought of fish for supper
or the fun to be had in trying
00:11:13.68\00:11:16.98
to catch them.
00:11:17.02\00:11:18.27
Though fishing may be an
enjoyable way to get a meal,
00:11:26.05\00:11:28.77
making sak sak, the traditional
staple food, is plain
00:11:28.81\00:11:31.49
hard work.
00:11:31.53\00:11:33.06
The first step in making
sak sak is to select a suitable
00:11:33.09\00:11:36.92
sago palm and fell it.
00:11:36.96\00:11:38.68
After stripping off the outer
bark, the women begin to pound
00:11:39.56\00:11:43.08
the starchy heart
into piles of fibrous meal.
00:11:43.12\00:11:46.11
Next, they place the pounded
sago into bags made of woven
00:11:46.14\00:11:50.55
grass. By pouring water through
the bags and squeezing them
00:11:50.58\00:11:54.84
with their feet, the women wash
the starch out of the pulp and
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into the pool beneath.
00:11:59.12\00:12:00.54
Modern plastic tarps work
especially well to hold the
00:12:00.58\00:12:04.54
water and starch.
00:12:04.58\00:12:05.79
After a few minutes, the starch
settles out of the water and
00:12:05.82\00:12:09.16
collects on the bottom.
00:12:09.19\00:12:10.26
When the sak sak has
dried, it can be stored at room
00:12:10.29\00:12:13.43
temperature without going bad.
00:12:13.46\00:12:15.54
Sak sak making can keep several
women and girls busy all day if
00:12:18.68\00:12:22.62
the sago palm is of any size.
00:12:22.66\00:12:24.81
The outing is a great time to
00:12:26.29\00:12:27.65
chat and pass along
skills to the young girls.
00:12:27.69\00:12:30.64
Sak sak is usually roasted
over coals in palm leaves.
00:12:33.13\00:12:37.11
It has very little
taste, but it fills the belly.
00:12:37.14\00:12:41.09
Jeff Bishop is no stranger to
sak sak. He and his family have
00:12:46.89\00:12:50.42
lived and worked among
the Gogodala people in the
00:12:50.45\00:12:52.55
village of Kotale
since the middle of 1997.
00:12:52.59\00:12:55.89
They have been laboring
to nourish the interest of
00:12:55.92\00:12:59.04
truth-seekers in the villages
of Balimo and Kotale while also
00:12:59.07\00:13:03.66
providing medical relief.
00:13:03.69\00:13:05.35
Balimo is more than an
hour distant from Kotale, the
00:13:07.42\00:13:10.95
Bishops' home village, but Jeff
tries to travel there at least
00:13:10.98\00:13:14.15
once a week.
00:13:14.19\00:13:15.39
During low water season,
the dense floating grass in the
00:13:18.63\00:13:21.85
lagoon waterways adds
time and effort to the trip.
00:13:21.88\00:13:25.23
With the help of some friends,
Jeff manages to make it through
00:13:25.27\00:13:28.84
to the Aramia River
where the going is much easier.
00:13:28.88\00:13:32.41
When the Bishops first
arrived in Kotale village, they
00:13:34.71\00:13:37.68
discovered that the people
had a very strong interest in
00:13:37.72\00:13:40.66
learning more about
the loving creator God.
00:13:40.70\00:13:43.12
The village welcomed the
Bishop family with open arms.
00:13:43.16\00:13:46.73
Giving generously of
their time, the Kotale villagers
00:13:46.77\00:13:49.91
helped construct a house
for the Bishops and a church in
00:13:49.94\00:13:53.04
which to begin meeting.
00:13:53.08\00:13:54.44
Cutting the grass in
front of the church is a
00:13:58.06\00:14:00.29
community affair.
00:14:00.33\00:14:01.62
Next to the church, the
members are also building
00:14:07.69\00:14:10.07
a new school.
00:14:10.10\00:14:11.24
In 1999 Kotale village was
set ablaze by the smiles of 49
00:14:17.00\00:14:22.13
newly baptized church members.
00:14:22.17\00:14:26.41
Though the Bishops have
00:14:28.33\00:14:29.30
witnessed the Holy Spirit
changing the hearts and lives
00:14:29.31\00:14:31.97
of these people, they
can still hardly believe it.
00:14:32.01\00:14:34.94
Many of their new church
members were infamous thieves
00:14:34.98\00:14:37.87
and drug dealers
before accepting Christ.
00:14:37.91\00:14:40.29
Jeff's neighbor recently told
Jeff that he should lock up his
00:14:40.32\00:14:43.75
fuel drums to keep the people
from stealing fuel at night.
00:14:43.79\00:14:47.18
Then he sighed and added,
"Well, actually, no one is
00:14:47.21\00:14:51.47
going to steal your fuel.
00:14:51.50\00:14:52.85
All the thieves in the village
are now attending your church!"
00:14:52.88\00:14:56.36
Raymond is one such
member. Before his new walk with
00:15:02.08\00:15:05.79
Christ, Raymond was a hardened
murderer who trafficked guns
00:15:05.83\00:15:09.34
and drugs between the mainland
and the Torres Strait islands.
00:15:09.38\00:15:12.85
Today, he and Foxi, also a
former criminal, tell anyone
00:15:15.50\00:15:19.10
who will listen about
their soon-coming Savior.
00:15:19.13\00:15:21.71
They regularly travel to other
villages where they are raising
00:15:21.75\00:15:25.33
up small groups
of truth-seekers.
00:15:25.36\00:15:27.82
The challenge of reaching
the rest of the Gogodala people
00:15:33.83\00:15:36.40
with the good news of
salvation is a great one.
00:15:36.43\00:15:38.99
To travel the waterways
the Gogodala inhabit requires a
00:15:39.03\00:15:43.68
canoe with an outboard motor
and fuel. Fuel costs roughly
00:15:43.71\00:15:48.64
four dollars per gallon,
and outboard motors cost $1,500.
00:15:48.68\00:15:53.54
Traveling just two villages up
the river from Kotale requires
00:15:53.58\00:15:57.96
about $20 worth of fuel.
00:15:57.99\00:16:00.47
Because of the low incomes of
00:16:00.51\00:16:02.29
Gogodala church members, weekly
offerings usually amount to the
00:16:02.33\00:16:05.83
equivalent of only a
couple dollars. Because of these
00:16:05.86\00:16:09.26
realities, the only way the
gospel message can be spread is
00:16:09.29\00:16:12.48
by dedicated laymen who are
willing to donate their time
00:16:12.52\00:16:16.27
and energies to this task.
Though the challenge was great,
00:16:16.30\00:16:20.02
the pieces of
God's plan came together.
00:16:20.05\00:16:22.71
A contributor in Australia sent
enough money to take care of
00:16:22.75\00:16:26.12
the basic needs of three eager
evangelists from the Kotale
00:16:26.16\00:16:29.49
church for one year.
00:16:29.53\00:16:31.18
Then the Kotale
church rallied together and
00:16:31.21\00:16:33.71
constructed a dugout
canoe in record time,
00:16:33.74\00:16:36.45
which they dedicated
to spread the good news.
00:16:36.48\00:16:39.31
These three young
evangelists are now hard at
00:16:39.34\00:16:42.26
work in five work in
five Gogodala villages and
00:16:42.29\00:16:45.18
conducting Bible
studies with 40 people.
00:16:45.21\00:16:47.83
There is no doubt that God
is doing great things among the
00:16:55.94\00:16:58.73
Gogodala people.
00:16:58.77\00:16:59.99
But the Bishops still face
many difficulties. Old ideas and
00:17:00.03\00:17:04.57
ways of thinking die hard.
00:17:04.61\00:17:06.38
Ancient superstitions
still influence church members.
00:17:06.41\00:17:10.31
One Christian woman warned
Jeff never to kill a yellow
00:17:12.72\00:17:16.18
crocodile because bad
things would happen as a result.
00:17:16.22\00:17:19.65
The Bishops have come to grips
with the fact that, although
00:17:24.17\00:17:27.30
they have a church full of
eager interests, they still
00:17:27.33\00:17:30.68
face an uphill battle to
undo generations of animist
00:17:30.72\00:17:34.03
thinking.
00:17:34.07\00:17:35.04
But the Bishops stay vigilant
and continue to guide their new
00:17:35.05\00:17:39.17
church toward a closer
walk with Christ each day.
00:17:39.20\00:17:42.50
Less than 200 miles to the
east of the wet lowlands of the
00:17:48.49\00:17:52.57
Gogodala, across the Gulf of
Papua, the rugged Owen Stanley
00:17:52.61\00:17:56.65
mountain range
juts up from the coast.
00:17:56.69\00:17:59.34
These mountains are home to
an equally rugged and enduring
00:18:00.22\00:18:03.13
people, the Dowa.
00:18:03.17\00:18:05.13
Unlike the Gogodala people,
not very much is known about
00:18:06.10\00:18:09.70
Dowa history.
00:18:09.73\00:18:10.82
What we do know is that
the Dowa migrated south from
00:18:10.85\00:18:14.70
further in the mountains.
00:18:14.73\00:18:16.23
The Dowa are known for their
long treks on foot all over
00:18:16.27\00:18:20.17
these mountains.
00:18:20.21\00:18:21.35
Filled with deadly vipers,
biting insects, and stinging
00:18:21.39\00:18:25.23
plants, the jungles they hike
are very inhospitable places.
00:18:25.27\00:18:29.04
But the Dowa are as proud
as they are tough. They never
00:18:29.08\00:18:32.96
admit to weariness or pain.
A Dowa woman may regularly walk
00:18:32.99\00:18:36.73
several miles with 90 pounds or
more slung from her forehead in
00:18:36.77\00:18:40.47
a woven bag called a bilum.
00:18:40.51\00:18:42.88
To live in such an unforgiving
00:18:42.91\00:18:45.21
land, the Dowa have become very
wise in the ways of survival.
00:18:45.25\00:18:49.09
They can start a fire with a
strip of cane, some dry wood,
00:18:49.13\00:18:53.07
and grass almost as quickly as
you or I might strike a match.
00:18:53.10\00:18:56.92
They beat the bark of a certain
type of tree to make a garment
00:18:56.95\00:19:00.87
which functions simultaneously
as raincoat, sun shade, bed
00:19:00.91\00:19:04.79
sheet, and mosquito net.
00:19:04.83\00:19:06.74
By rolling fibers together
between the hand and the thigh,
00:19:07.66\00:19:10.71
they also make
string for weaving bilums.
00:19:10.75\00:19:13.35
That the Dowa are able to eke
out such self-sufficient living
00:19:13.38\00:19:17.10
testifies to their
resourcefulness and grit.
00:19:17.14\00:19:19.87
But their simple way of life
is under mounting pressure from
00:19:19.90\00:19:23.56
the outside world.
00:19:23.59\00:19:26.26
Lumber mills are moving into
00:19:26.30\00:19:29.40
the area. A massive
construction effort is pushing
00:19:29.43\00:19:32.53
a new highway through all
the way from the capital city of
00:19:32.57\00:19:35.43
Port Moresby.
00:19:35.46\00:19:36.82
The Dowa are struggling
with new issues they are hardly
00:19:36.85\00:19:39.86
prepared to face.
00:19:39.89\00:19:41.09
With their old stability
crumbling around them, they are
00:19:41.12\00:19:43.91
reaching for
something they can hold onto.
00:19:43.94\00:19:46.36
In 1996, Adventist Frontier
missionaries Dale and Lety
00:19:53.29\00:19:57.24
Goodson, with their children
Bonnie, Dale Jr., and Paul
00:19:57.27\00:20:01.33
answered a call to live among
the Dowa and teach them about
00:20:01.36\00:20:05.38
the peace and stability
they could find in a life of
00:20:05.41\00:20:07.98
friendship with their creator.
00:20:08.01\00:20:10.26
The Dowa are a
nomadic people and rarely stay
00:20:17.63\00:20:20.58
anywhere for very long.
00:20:20.61\00:20:22.18
But they liked what
they had heard about this new
00:20:23.82\00:20:25.90
"Papa God" who had sent His
Son to die for their misdeeds.
00:20:25.93\00:20:29.91
A God of love made no sense
when compared to the angry,
00:20:29.95\00:20:33.60
demanding spirits they had
always served, but they were
00:20:33.64\00:20:37.06
intrigued by the idea. So
they agreed to come together
00:20:37.10\00:20:40.45
and live with the Goodsons in
a little village called Kukia.
00:20:40.49\00:20:44.30
With prayer and lots of
hard work, the Goodsons threw
00:20:51.80\00:20:55.19
themselves into meeting the
spiritual and physical needs
00:20:55.23\00:20:58.19
of the Dowa.
Their needs were many.
00:20:58.23\00:21:00.90
Malaria, typhoid, hepatitis,
and snakebite frequently
00:21:00.93\00:21:05.44
claimed Dowa lives.
00:21:05.48\00:21:07.10
Children suffered an extremely
high rate of mortality.
00:21:07.14\00:21:10.69
By implementing a water supply
and passing out mosquito nets
00:21:22.55\00:21:25.72
treated with pesticide,
the Goodsons were able to
00:21:25.76\00:21:28.35
substantially reduce
the incidence of malaria and
00:21:28.39\00:21:30.95
typhoid.
00:21:30.98\00:21:32.37
What diseases they could
not prevent they treated with
00:21:32.41\00:21:35.23
modern medicines and
home remedies. They are also
00:21:35.27\00:21:39.00
assisting the village in
other ways. Lety teaches a Tok
00:21:39.04\00:21:42.72
Pidgin literacy glass on
weekdays. Dale is constructing
00:21:42.76\00:21:46.38
a village workshop where the
Dowa can manufacture crafts for
00:21:46.41\00:21:49.53
sale in the city,
instead of selling beetlenut.
00:21:49.56\00:21:52.84
While the Goodsons can
address the health needs in a
00:22:00.25\00:22:02.41
straightforward manner, the
spiritual needs of the Dowa are
00:22:02.45\00:22:05.63
much more complex.
00:22:05.66\00:22:07.68
There is one primary difficulty
00:22:07.72\00:22:09.34
in introducing the loving
creator God to the Dowa mind.
00:22:09.38\00:22:12.90
It is a difficult problem for
lifelong Christians to grasp.
00:22:12.94\00:22:16.46
To begin to understand, you
must try to imagine that you
00:22:16.50\00:22:19.99
are a Dowa.
00:22:20.02\00:22:21.33
Imagine that your
whole life and culture,
00:22:22.18\00:22:24.35
like that of your parents
before you, revolves around
00:22:24.38\00:22:27.57
avoiding conflict with
thousands of dangerous,
00:22:27.60\00:22:30.34
moody, malicious spirits.
00:22:30.38\00:22:32.48
To survive you must
appease them. If you wish to
00:22:33.08\00:22:36.58
tap into their power, you can
attempt to manipulate them into
00:22:36.61\00:22:39.65
doing your will.
00:22:39.69\00:22:41.06
But for the most part, your
relationship to them is one of
00:22:41.09\00:22:43.74
dread and aversion.
00:22:43.77\00:22:45.46
What, then, would you
think when some missionary began
00:22:48.60\00:22:51.44
telling you about a new
Spirit with supremacy over the
00:22:51.48\00:22:54.25
spirits - a Spirit who loves you
and personally died to save you
00:22:54.29\00:22:59.12
from your own wrongdoing?
You would be excited to hear of
00:22:59.15\00:23:02.93
this Spirit's power, but
you might be doubtful about its
00:23:02.97\00:23:06.71
true intentions.
00:23:06.75\00:23:08.09
How can this Spirit possibly
love you when all other spirits
00:23:08.12\00:23:12.32
deceive you and
sometimes harm you?
00:23:12.36\00:23:16.76
For generations, your
00:23:16.80\00:23:18.58
ancestors have lived by firmly
established rules of how to
00:23:18.62\00:23:22.49
coexist
peacefully with the spirits.
00:23:22.53\00:23:24.71
These rules affect everything
from shaving yourself to
00:23:27.83\00:23:30.72
burying the dead.
00:23:30.76\00:23:32.31
Can you possibly
abandon these rules?
00:23:32.34\00:23:35.44
This is the nature of
00:23:38.32\00:23:39.29
the struggle that takes place
in the mind of an animist when
00:23:39.30\00:23:42.50
faced with the bewildering
possibility that the greatest
00:23:42.53\00:23:45.73
Spirit of all loves him.
00:23:45.76\00:23:48.84
Many such people are eager
to please their missionary and
00:23:53.30\00:23:56.31
anxious to get on the good
side of this new powerful god,
00:23:56.34\00:23:59.32
if only to avoid
trouble from Him.
00:23:59.35\00:24:01.97
They may eagerly adopt whatever
doctrine and lifestyle the
00:24:02.46\00:24:06.29
missionary teaches, but
their motives remain unchanged:
00:24:06.33\00:24:10.12
they simply want to
survive and avoid trouble.
00:24:10.16\00:24:13.45
Many missionaries who
didn't understand this have been
00:24:20.44\00:24:23.30
crushed by disappointment
when they realized that their
00:24:23.33\00:24:26.15
animist converts are
not actually enjoying a
00:24:26.19\00:24:28.81
relationship with Christ at all.
00:24:28.85\00:24:30.74
Their faithful attendance and
offerings are only means to an
00:24:30.77\00:24:34.51
end. They are trying to satisfy
this newest and strongest
00:24:34.54\00:24:38.34
Spirit who has pushed its
way into their already crowded
00:24:38.37\00:24:42.14
spiritual world.
00:24:42.17\00:24:43.81
Only a miracle can cause a
person with this mindset to
00:24:43.84\00:24:47.56
truly begin to relate to God
in a loving and trusting way.
00:24:47.60\00:24:51.28
The Goodsons understood
this danger from the beginning.
00:25:06.81\00:25:10.37
To plant the seed of gospel
truth as deep as possible,
00:25:10.40\00:25:14.05
they began the slow
process of developing deep and
00:25:14.08\00:25:17.69
abiding friendships
with the Dowa people.
00:25:17.73\00:25:20.40
As they overcame the people's
suspicions and prejudices and
00:25:20.44\00:25:24.35
let the love of God pour out
through them, they began to see
00:25:24.39\00:25:27.99
some promising results.
00:25:28.03\00:25:29.96
One major breakthrough happened
when Dale decided to try
00:25:33.78\00:25:37.01
something brand new.
00:25:37.05\00:25:38.43
When he was in the States
on furlough, Dale had taken a
00:25:38.47\00:25:41.91
class on the concept of
worldview - the way a person
00:25:41.94\00:25:45.34
thinks and relates to the world.
00:25:45.38\00:25:47.18
One of the exercises in this
class had been to examine your
00:25:47.99\00:25:50.99
own worldview, looking
for the underlying reasons and
00:25:51.02\00:25:54.62
principles that cause you
to believe and react as you do.
00:25:54.65\00:25:58.59
Dale had found it very useful
in helping him mentally catalog
00:25:58.62\00:26:02.52
his own core
beliefs and motives.
00:26:02.56\00:26:04.99
"What if, instead of trying to
shape their worldviews, I could
00:26:05.03\00:26:10.17
get them to analyze and
reshape their own?" he wondered.
00:26:10.21\00:26:14.07
With a prayer in his heart,
Dale took a select group of
00:26:16.15\00:26:19.65
interested men up into the
mountains for some deep study
00:26:19.68\00:26:23.14
and soul searching.
00:26:23.17\00:26:24.72
What happened up in those
mountains is something Dale
00:26:24.75\00:26:28.41
will never forget.
00:26:28.45\00:26:29.72
These tough mountain dwellers,
slaves so long to the demands
00:26:29.75\00:26:33.78
of the spirits, began to really
open their hearts to this new
00:26:33.81\00:26:37.81
loving God.
00:26:37.84\00:26:38.95
Many began to see themselves
and their fickle commitment to
00:26:38.98\00:26:42.87
God for the first time.
00:26:42.91\00:26:44.66
Men who had considered
themselves good Christians wept
00:26:45.93\00:26:48.71
as they realized that they had
been treating God like one of
00:26:48.75\00:26:51.82
the spirits, merely to
be appeased, manipulated, or
00:26:51.85\00:26:55.54
simply avoided.
00:26:55.58\00:26:57.11
Bit by bit, the Holy Spirit
watered the seeds of gospel
00:26:57.14\00:27:01.30
truth in their hearts and
set their feet on a new path.
00:27:01.34\00:27:05.46
Theirs will not be an easy
journey. The dangers they face
00:27:10.04\00:27:13.37
are the same ones we face
today in our comfortable western
00:27:13.41\00:27:17.10
churches. It is just as easy
for us to forget the amazing
00:27:17.14\00:27:20.81
love God wants to share with
us, and revert to serving Him
00:27:20.85\00:27:24.48
just because we think we should.
00:27:24.52\00:27:27.32
Nevertheless, the Goodsons
and the Bishops both rest in the
00:27:32.36\00:27:35.50
knowledge that God will surely
finish the good work he has
00:27:35.54\00:27:38.65
begun in the hearts and
minds of His beloved people
00:27:38.69\00:27:41.99
in Papua New Guinea.
00:27:42.02\00:27:44.18
The People Between
was produced by Adventist
00:27:52.19\00:27:55.59
Frontier Missions, reaching
the unreached by establishing
00:27:55.62\00:27:59.09
vibrant Adventist
churches trained to raise up new
00:27:59.13\00:28:01.98
believers and churches
among their own people groups.
00:28:02.01\00:28:04.83
For the latest information on
00:28:04.86\00:28:07.25
the Gogodala and Dowa
00:28:07.28\00:28:08.50
mission projects, Adventist
00:28:08.53\00:28:10.23
Frontier Missions, or to
00:28:10.26\00:28:11.93
order a copy of
00:28:11.96\00:28:12.93
The People Between, visit...
00:28:12.94\00:28:14.81
When you call, please
00:28:24.70\00:28:26.00
mention where you saw
00:28:26.03\00:28:27.30
this program.
00:28:27.34\00:28:28.31