Survival.
00:00:42.05\00:00:43.58
Virtually every aspect of
jungle living is centered on it.
00:00:43.62\00:00:47.15
Animists believe that every
object in nature, every bug,
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every rock, every plant and
raindrop has a spiritual entity.
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They also believe that every
sickness and crisis comes from
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this spiritual world. For
most animists, physical survival
00:01:05.24\00:01:09.60
is a spiritual battle.
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My name is John Kent. I'm
the director of training for
00:02:03.46\00:02:06.00
Adventist Frontier Missions.
00:02:06.04\00:02:07.52
This is our second video
report on the work of Adventist
00:02:07.55\00:02:10.61
Frontier Missions in the
country of Papua New Guinea.
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In our first program we learned
about the Gogodala of PNG and
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how this animistic people
group were in search of the
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River of Life.
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There we met two missionary
families, David and Cindy White
00:02:21.59\00:02:25.07
and Steve and Laurie Erickson.
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They live and work in the remote
villages of Balimo and Kotali,
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bringing to the Gogodala the
good news of Jesus, the one true
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source of the River of Life.
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In today's program, we move
from the lowland delta of the
00:02:37.56\00:02:40.99
Fly River to the Gulf
Province villages of Kukea,
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Suatua and Epakota.
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Dale Goodson and his wife Lety
established a church-planting
00:02:46.63\00:02:50.04
movement among the Dowa
people living in this rugged
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mountainous region.
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Their goal was to establish
an Adventist church where people
00:02:54.20\00:02:57.57
didn't just know Biblical truth
but also applied it to every
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aspect of their lives. In
our final program, we will take
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a 20-hour canoe ride to our
last destination, the May River
00:03:05.36\00:03:07.92
Project. This is the most
remote place on earth that AFM
00:03:07.95\00:03:12.04
is working in.
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Today's story relates how God
has raised up a brand new body
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of believers
among the Dowa people.
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As we begin, I would like to
share some fascinating insights
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into their
jungle life and culture.
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One of the staple foods of the
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Dowa people is called sak-sak.
To make it, they start by
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chopping down a Sago tree.
They strip off the outer bark
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and then use a special tool
to chisel out the soft middle
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part of the tree. The
shavings are gathered up
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and put into a palm trough.
Water is then poured over the
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shavings and the starch is
squeezed out and collected into
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this container made out of tree
bark. Later it is cooked into a
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thick jello-like consistency
and then eaten with other things
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like bananas,
vegetables and meat.
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Today, you will find many
jungle-dwellers in New Guinea
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who continue to do many things
the same way they have done
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them for hundreds of years.
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For instance, this lady
is picking leaves off of this
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tree to use in
cleaning her pots and pans.
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These leaves are special.
They have a very rough texture
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similar to a scrubbing pad
that you might find in a store.
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Instead of going to a sink like
you would to do your dishes at
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home, she takes her dishes down
to the riverbank, where she uses
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the leaves to
scrub them shiny clean.
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They teach their
children to be expert hunters
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using bows and arrows
according to the traditions of
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their ancestors. They also use
slingshots and traps to catch
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birds and other wild game.
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Tropical jungles can be a
very uncomfortable place to be
00:05:01.23\00:05:04.68
if you can't find any
fresh water, so Kopeko
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is demonstrating a little-
known secret for finding fresh
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water from a jungle vine.
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Having too much water can be
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just as dangerous as not having
enough. Working as a missionary,
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I had to cross this river many
times. During the dry season
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it might dry up to barely a
trickle. Then a big rain would
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come and fill it up overnight.
On occasion it would overflow
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its banks, and we would have
to turn back or wait for a few
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days for the river
to calm down again.
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During emergencies, we
would have to chance it
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and just swim across anyway.
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The women do most of the
cooking, and it's always done
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over an open fire.
When they make a big feast
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they start by gathering
food from their gardens
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and what they can find
in the jungle. Here, they're
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preparing a huge pile of
bananas and an assortment
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of other vegetables.
After the food is gathered
00:06:02.85\00:06:05.48
together, they build a
fire in a cooking pit and heat
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rocks with it. Once the rocks
are glowing hot, they cover
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them with leaves and load
the leaves down with food.
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More leaves and hot
rocks go on top, and the food
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is allowed to steam for
several hours. Food can also
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be stuffed into
hollow sections of bamboo and
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cooked directly over the fire.
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Roasted bugs and grubs
go great with the veggies!
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You might be wondering what
these ladies are doing in this
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muddy pond. Well, this is
one of the ways they catch fish.
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They get into the water
and thrash around until all the
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mud is circling around in
the water. The fish dive to the
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bottom for cover.
The ladies then run
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their hands through the
silt and catch the fish there.
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A quick bite to the head
kills the fish and keeps them
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from escaping if they
fall from their mouths while
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fishing for more.
00:07:00.70\00:07:01.99
Life in the New Guinea
jungle isn't easy. Between the
00:07:02.02\00:07:05.16
struggle to find food and
dealing with disease, it's
00:07:05.20\00:07:08.70
a struggle just to survive.
On ocassion, unrest develops
00:07:08.73\00:07:12.19
between neighboring
tribes. When I returned to the
00:07:12.23\00:07:14.78
jungle for a visit last
year, I happened to arrive just
00:07:14.81\00:07:17.85
after an unfortunate
incident had taken place.
00:07:17.88\00:07:20.51
It didn't take long to discover
that something was dreadfully
00:07:20.55\00:07:23.41
wrong. As we got closer to
the turn-off for our village,
00:07:23.44\00:07:26.93
the road was blocked by
hundreds of warriors, and nobody
00:07:26.97\00:07:30.43
was allowed to pass through.
Fortunately, an old friend
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recognized my face,
and after some hugs and
00:07:33.93\00:07:36.20
handshakes, the warriors
parted and allowed us to pass.
00:07:36.23\00:07:39.98
It's an old Melanesian custom
to dialogue and settle disputes
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as calmly as possible.
I was grateful that they
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tried this custom
first. Several days of meetings
00:07:46.67\00:07:49.20
were held to try and sort this
one out, but nobody was sure
00:07:49.24\00:07:52.23
if it would work or
not. One night I was awakened
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from my sleep to hear
people yelling and running
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into the bush. A few minutes
later, all was quiet again.
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I had no idea what was
going on, so I said a prayer and
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went back to sleep. The
next morning, we discovered
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a threatening rumor had
gotten started, and the entire
00:08:06.99\00:08:09.83
village had been evacuated
and run off into the jungle.
00:08:09.86\00:08:12.66
All but my family and my
friend, that is - the one
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who took the
video pictures for us.
00:08:14.73\00:08:16.36
We have included
these cultural pictures, not
00:08:16.39\00:08:18.86
simply for your
curiosity's sake,
00:08:18.90\00:08:20.91
but to provide a little
00:08:20.94\00:08:21.91
background to the stories, and
demonstrate the unique survival
00:08:21.92\00:08:25.60
skills these
people have developed
00:08:25.64\00:08:27.14
over the centuries.
00:08:27.17\00:08:28.56
While they might not
think and live like you do,
00:08:28.60\00:08:30.69
this doesn't mean they aren't
as intelligent or as skilled.
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They have just had to use
their intelligence to overcome
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different
obstacles and survive in
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a completeley different set of
00:08:38.68\00:08:40.02
circumstances, that's all.
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I love my Dowa friends.
And my greatest desire for
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them is that they might
find a new life in Christ.
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My wife and I tried to share
the Gospel in words and concepts
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they could understand.
Not everyone accepted what we
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shared, but for those
who did, we praise God.
00:08:54.13\00:08:56.86
One of the people to give
their lives to Christ was my
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friend Titus. Before he was even
baptized, he was witnessing to
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people around
him. His ministry was
00:09:05.40\00:09:07.77
so effective, his
friends and relatives
00:09:07.81\00:09:10.11
soon gave their lives to Christ
as well. And not long after
00:09:10.14\00:09:13.76
that, he organized
a local school board
00:09:13.79\00:09:15.81
and started a village school.
00:09:15.84\00:09:17.28
His story
begins with a sore leg.
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When I became ill, or was
in desperate need of something,
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I would turn not to God,
but to witchcraft and magic.
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So was my life until
one fine day when an AFM
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missionary showed
up in the neighborhood.
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That missionary happens to
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be Dale Goodson. He
arrived here sometime in 1996.
00:09:42.44\00:09:46.33
I was here at home when he
came. He had settled at Malowa.
00:09:46.37\00:09:52.14
But he came here
looking for sick people to help.
00:09:52.18\00:09:56.16
My ulcer was a common
knowledge to both denominations,
00:09:58.72\00:10:02.59
clergymen and members alike.
But no one cared about the
00:10:02.62\00:10:06.46
painful damage it was
doing to me. But this AFM
00:10:06.49\00:10:11.39
missionary, Dale Goodson, he
took me to his house at Malowa
00:10:11.42\00:10:15.17
to be treated there, and he let
me eat and live with his family.
00:10:15.21\00:10:19.44
It was then that I began to
see what Adventist Christians
00:10:19.48\00:10:23.47
were like. They
did not eat pork.
00:10:23.51\00:10:25.75
They did not chew beetlenut.
00:10:25.79\00:10:27.41
They did not smoke cigarettes.
It wasn't long before I
00:10:27.45\00:10:31.01
realized that here was
what I had been looking for.
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When I first met him, my friend
Titus already knew who Christ
00:10:37.30\00:10:40.56
was and had a longing
to serve Him. It seemed the
00:10:40.59\00:10:43.45
more he understood, the
more he committed himself to
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serving the people around
him as well and introducing them
00:10:46.32\00:10:48.99
to Jesus. Sadly, this past year,
00:10:49.02\00:10:52.31
my friend Titus contracted a
liver disease and passed away.
00:10:52.35\00:10:56.14
Titus wasn't perfect, but
I can honestly say that he
00:10:56.18\00:10:59.97
became a selfless,
giving person; someone who
00:11:00.01\00:11:03.01
loved God with his whole
heart. I'm looking forward to
00:11:03.05\00:11:06.20
seeing him
again on that glorious
00:11:06.24\00:11:08.02
resurrection morning.
00:11:08.06\00:11:09.53
New believers
from Animist cultures
00:11:09.56\00:11:11.52
have a whole different set of
00:11:11.55\00:11:12.75
spiritual questions,
concerns and fears than do those
00:11:12.78\00:11:15.93
from the west.
00:11:15.97\00:11:17.00
Effective ministry must take
all of this into consideration.
00:11:17.03\00:11:20.64
For multiple generations,
people in our area had
00:11:21.90\00:11:25.21
depended upon enchanted
necklaces, charms and plants
00:11:25.24\00:11:28.28
to connect them to the
help and resources of the
00:11:28.32\00:11:31.52
spiritual world. For
example, the tanget plant was
00:11:31.55\00:11:34.72
believed to be the
home of tribal spirits.
00:11:34.75\00:11:37.10
They were planted by their
human homes for protection.
00:11:37.13\00:11:40.34
Well, new believers wanted
to know what to do with all of
00:11:40.38\00:11:43.56
these things once they
gave their lives to Christ.
00:11:43.59\00:11:45.99
In many cases, they
chose to follow Paul's example
00:11:46.03\00:11:49.37
in Acts 19 and burn them.
00:11:49.40\00:11:52.24
Satan has a thousand ways
to confuse and destroy people.
00:11:53.88\00:11:57.36
One of these ways is through
sorcery, witchcraft and other
00:11:57.40\00:12:00.44
spiritual practices that are
deeply ingrained in the lives
00:12:00.48\00:12:03.57
of so many animist peoples.
Once entangled, it can be a
00:12:03.60\00:12:06.62
real challenge to leave all
this behind and experience a new
00:12:06.66\00:12:09.62
life with God.
00:12:09.65\00:12:10.76
Though often challenged
by jungle living, I found my
00:12:10.80\00:12:13.48
work very rewarding,
especially when I saw those
00:12:13.52\00:12:16.13
who had been controlled
by Satan completely surrender
00:12:16.17\00:12:18.86
their lives to God.
Listen to Kopeko as he
00:12:18.90\00:12:22.14
tells you how he went
from living under the fear of
00:12:22.17\00:12:24.89
ancestral spirits to
living by the Spirit of God.
00:12:24.93\00:12:27.61
I am here in the front of
a graveyard, and I want to
00:12:29.40\00:12:32.97
talk about graveyards,
how we Kamea people believe
00:12:33.00\00:12:36.49
and think about dead people.
We Kameas, we believe that
00:12:36.53\00:12:40.67
when a person dies,
he has a spirit that
00:12:40.70\00:12:43.86
continually lives when the body
dies. But the spirit continues
00:12:43.89\00:12:47.81
to live and then communicates
with the living people.
00:12:47.84\00:12:52.51
So by planting this tanget,
so that this tanget becomes
00:12:52.55\00:12:57.56
like a door that stops the
spirit from coming to the house.
00:12:57.59\00:13:02.57
So by planting this tanget
00:13:02.60\00:13:04.70
it helps people,
or the living people,
00:13:04.73\00:13:07.76
to keep them in
health and in a good place.
00:13:07.80\00:13:11.83
When I became a Christian,
I am no more under the care
00:13:11.86\00:13:15.26
of this tanget. So by
showing I am no more under this
00:13:15.29\00:13:18.62
tanget, I will burn the tanget
to show that I am no more under
00:13:18.65\00:13:22.48
the umbrella of this
tanget but I am under the
00:13:22.51\00:13:24.78
righteousness of Jesus.
00:13:24.81\00:13:26.58
So my life no longer
belongs to the tanget.
00:13:40.05\00:13:41.82
My life belongs to Jesus.
00:13:41.85\00:13:44.77
My life belongs to Jesus.
00:13:47.82\00:13:49.41
The positive changes that
took place in Kopeko's life
00:13:49.44\00:13:52.57
soon convinced family
and other community members
00:13:52.61\00:13:55.48
that Christ had
something to offer them as well.
00:13:55.51\00:13:58.32
Kopeko studied with them,
and a large number of baptisms
00:13:58.35\00:14:02.14
soon followed. This church
was then built to accomodate
00:14:02.18\00:14:05.94
their worship needs.
00:14:05.97\00:14:07.61
Kopeko and Titus's stories
the freedom, joy and sense
00:14:11.52\00:14:15.31
of purpose animists
receive as they move from living
00:14:15.34\00:14:19.09
in the darkness of
fear and manipulation of
00:14:19.13\00:14:21.65
spiritual forces to
lives of worship and
00:14:21.69\00:14:24.14
obedience to Christ.
It's such a beautiful journey.
00:14:24.18\00:14:27.72
Now don't go away.
There's much more to come.
00:14:27.75\00:14:30.10
We will be back in a few moments
with the rest of our story.
00:14:30.13\00:14:33.22
You know, most people don't
think about darkness unless
00:14:37.16\00:14:39.92
we are in it.
00:14:39.95\00:14:41.27
Darkness is a place
of shadows and fears,
00:14:41.31\00:14:46.40
of things unknown.
00:14:46.44\00:14:48.90
It's a place
where we go to hide.
00:14:48.94\00:14:52.93
A place where we
wonder who's out there.
00:14:52.97\00:14:56.23
A place of uncertainty.
00:14:56.26\00:14:57.75
In John chapter 8,
verse 12, Jesus declares,
00:14:57.79\00:15:00.78
So, when God steps into
the picture, light dispells
00:15:05.64\00:15:10.37
Darkness. Life destroys death.
00:15:10.41\00:15:12.65
Whoever follows Me
00:15:12.68\00:15:14.86
will never walk in darkness.
00:15:14.89\00:15:18.68
Have you ever wondered
why the Bible spends so
00:15:18.71\00:15:22.58
much time talking
about light and darkness?
00:15:22.61\00:15:26.97
Could it be that behind
the veil of darkness are faces?
00:15:27.00\00:15:32.39
Faces of people
with hearts and families?
00:15:32.43\00:15:37.47
Faces of people that God loves?
00:15:37.51\00:15:41.04
Jesus said, "You are
the light of the world. "
00:15:41.07\00:15:46.30
Will you go and bring the light
00:15:46.33\00:15:50.43
to the people God loves?
00:15:50.46\00:15:53.78
Welcome back to the second
half of our video report from
00:16:08.91\00:16:12.06
Papua New Guinea.
Through the conversion
00:16:12.10\00:16:13.92
of Dale's two Dowa
friends, Titus and Kopeko, and
00:16:13.95\00:16:16.68
their witness to their
families, friends and neighbors,
00:16:16.72\00:16:19.37
a brand new group of
believers had begun to grow.
00:16:19.40\00:16:22.77
Let's listen as Dale
continues his story on
00:16:22.80\00:16:26.01
reaching the Dowa people.
00:16:26.05\00:16:28.04
*children singing*
00:16:30.03\00:16:34.51
As work among the Dowa
progressed, more and more
00:16:50.41\00:16:53.11
believers asked the
question, "What's the purpose of
00:16:53.14\00:16:55.81
owning a Bible if no
one knows how to read it?"
00:16:55.85\00:16:58.14
Three different villages soon
formed their own school boards,
00:16:58.17\00:17:01.53
hired teachers, and
started their own schools.
00:17:01.56\00:17:04.00
As enrollment increased,
the appeal came for assistance
00:17:04.03\00:17:07.29
in building a large school
00:17:07.32\00:17:08.37
building.
Although yet incomplete,
00:17:08.40\00:17:10.75
they built what they
could with the funds that came
00:17:10.79\00:17:12.78
in, and here is the result.
00:17:12.82\00:17:14.91
I realize that the students
- most of them are illiterate.
00:17:17.86\00:17:22.93
They couldn't read
00:17:22.96\00:17:28.27
or write a single word.
00:17:28.30\00:17:30.10
So, we thought it would be best
00:17:30.13\00:17:35.76
to start with
the little children.
00:17:35.79\00:17:38.34
I will say it as a question.
00:17:38.37\00:17:40.29
Remember?
00:17:40.33\00:17:42.87
Your eyes? Dry
them. *children repeat*
00:17:42.91\00:17:46.26
They slipped through a
hole. *children repeat*
00:17:47.10\00:17:51.00
There's no one
around. *children repeat*
00:17:51.04\00:17:53.60
When they are still
young, we can educate them to
00:17:53.64\00:17:58.85
read and write and give
them the Bible to read, so that
00:17:58.88\00:18:03.48
they can read the Bible
and know the truth themselves
00:18:03.52\00:18:08.04
and accept Jesus Christ as
their personal Lord and Savior.
00:18:08.08\00:18:11.92
That prompted me to take
00:18:11.96\00:18:15.52
to switch to education ministry.
00:18:15.56\00:18:20.20
And so I started this year with
00:18:20.24\00:18:24.33
my colleague Mr. Nelson Job.
00:18:24.36\00:18:29.06
And he has done a terrific
00:18:29.10\00:18:32.92
job. Both of us work together
00:18:32.95\00:18:36.70
hand in hand, united
together, and came this far.
00:18:36.74\00:18:42.64
I would like to appeal to our
00:18:44.36\00:18:47.39
faithful, cheerful and willing
00:18:47.42\00:18:50.66
friends and sponsors and donors
00:18:50.69\00:18:53.55
of the Dowa project to continue
00:18:53.58\00:18:56.37
the support you have
always given us from day one
00:18:56.40\00:19:00.07
since Dale came to this place
00:19:00.10\00:19:03.76
through the AFM initiated
00:19:03.80\00:19:07.42
Dowa Project.
00:19:07.45\00:19:09.01
Hey, my name is Samuel
Mora. I am 13 years old.
00:19:09.04\00:19:13.23
I am doing great.
Thank you AFM and our
00:19:13.27\00:19:17.67
cheerful sponsors in the
USA for the gift of this school.
00:19:17.71\00:19:21.74
Thank you, and God's blessings.
00:19:21.77\00:19:24.70
Hey, my name is
Daniel. I am 14 years old.
00:19:45.73\00:19:48.88
The gift of this school
is a real blessing to me.
00:19:48.91\00:19:52.63
Now I can see a
bright future before me.
00:19:52.67\00:19:56.99
Thank you, and God's blessings.
00:19:57.02\00:20:00.23
This young man is making
an announcement about the
00:20:00.26\00:20:03.07
beginning of the new
school year. There are no P.A.
00:20:03.11\00:20:05.84
systems out here, so in a voice
loud enough so the whole village
00:20:05.88\00:20:08.87
can hear, he yells,
"When you hear the sound
00:20:08.91\00:20:11.65
of the bell ringing early
in the morning, that means that
00:20:11.68\00:20:15.02
school is about to begin.
Leave your hunting, fishing,
00:20:15.06\00:20:18.03
and other business for
later and hurry over to class!
00:20:18.06\00:20:21.00
Do you hear me?"
"Yes," they all reply.
00:20:21.04\00:20:24.40
AFM sends its missionaries
into some of the most remote
00:20:37.53\00:20:40.29
and difficult areas
of the world to reach.
00:20:40.33\00:20:42.47
After they launch to
their projects, they dive deeply
00:20:42.51\00:20:45.87
into the heart of the
people groups they target.
00:20:45.90\00:20:48.17
With the knowledge
they learn through the study
00:20:48.21\00:20:50.66
of the culture, they're
able to find the clues they
00:20:50.70\00:20:53.73
need to best reach
their people with the Gospel.
00:20:53.77\00:20:56.77
Dale and his family
lived among the Dowa for many
00:20:57.56\00:21:00.43
years, and while there,
they faced numerous challenges.
00:21:00.46\00:21:03.55
Let's listen as Dale describes
what his ministry was like
00:21:03.59\00:21:06.65
and what those challenges were.
00:21:06.68\00:21:08.34
Life wasn't easy, that's
for sure, but I was probably my
00:21:08.91\00:21:11.46
own worst challenge.
00:21:11.49\00:21:12.80
I went to the jungle
thinking that Biblical
00:21:12.83\00:21:16.55
teaching was the same thing
as Christianity. So the bulk
00:21:16.59\00:21:19.59
of my ministry was wrapped
around either teaching or
00:21:19.63\00:21:22.98
preaching. But I was wrong.
Biblical teaching only lays
00:21:23.01\00:21:26.03
the foundation for Christianity.
Real Christianity is
00:21:26.07\00:21:28.82
what you get when you
take those Biblical teachings
00:21:28.86\00:21:31.54
and then apply them and use
them to address the relevant
00:21:31.58\00:21:35.02
critical needs in
everyday life. The Dowa people,
00:21:35.06\00:21:39.34
on the other hand, they
were, their culture was built on
00:21:39.38\00:21:43.13
animism. And so
animism pervaded and permeated
00:21:43.17\00:21:46.18
every aspect of their
culture and day-to-day living.
00:21:46.21\00:21:48.77
And that's what they
needed Christianity to do.
00:21:48.81\00:21:51.30
And I should have
been modeling that to them.
00:21:51.34\00:21:53.76
The Dowa spiritual
beliefs provided the foundation
00:21:53.80\00:21:56.70
that their entire culture
was built upon, and it permeated
00:21:56.74\00:22:00.80
everything that they did.
They hardly ever talked about
00:22:00.83\00:22:04.47
the beliefs, but those
beliefs were reflected in their
00:22:04.50\00:22:08.10
entire culture.
On the other hand,
00:22:08.14\00:22:10.40
my ministry was talking about
00:22:10.44\00:22:13.11
beliefs and teaching other
people to teach about beliefs,
00:22:13.15\00:22:17.20
but did nothing to provide a
model of how to appropriately
00:22:17.23\00:22:21.31
apply these beliefs to meet
the needs of the jungle-dwelling
00:22:21.35\00:22:25.75
Dowa people, whether emotional,
spriritual, physical or social.
00:22:25.78\00:22:30.14
But I was only demonstrating
how a Western Christian could
00:22:30.18\00:22:33.98
take Biblical principles and
apply them to meet Dowa needs.
00:22:34.01\00:22:37.58
I wasn't demonstrating how
a Dowa jungle-dwelling person
00:22:37.61\00:22:40.96
could take Biblical teaching
and and apply them to meet
00:22:41.00\00:22:44.32
their own needs.
00:22:44.35\00:22:45.32
I could show slides,
exciting movies and PowerPoint
00:22:45.33\00:22:47.94
presentations. The Dowa
couldn't do any of that.
00:22:47.97\00:22:51.39
My wife could go get the
food and clothes and bring
00:22:51.42\00:22:54.80
them back and give
them to the orphans.
00:22:54.83\00:22:56.54
I could go to the United States,
or I could send a message
00:22:56.57\00:23:00.13
back and try to raise
funds so that we could use
00:23:00.16\00:23:03.68
those funds to build bridges
and a school and a clinic.
00:23:03.72\00:23:06.82
The Dowa people couldn't
do that. I could get medical
00:23:06.85\00:23:09.67
supplies and come back
and start a medical ministry.
00:23:09.71\00:23:12.93
The Dowa people couldn't
do that. What the Dowa people
00:23:12.97\00:23:16.16
needed was someone to
demonstrate to them or show
00:23:16.19\00:23:19.26
them how to take
Biblical principles
00:23:19.30\00:23:21.53
and how they could
00:23:21.57\00:23:22.75
apply those to meet the
needs of the Dowa people.
00:23:22.79\00:23:26.77
In Matthew 7:21-25,
Christ said the truths he taught
00:23:26.80\00:23:30.72
laid a foundation that we could
safely build our lives upon.
00:23:30.75\00:23:33.83
You might say the foundation
supporting a house is like
00:23:33.86\00:23:36.51
the plate supporting
healthy, delicious food.
00:23:36.55\00:23:39.62
Offering spiritual truth
with no practical application
00:23:39.65\00:23:43.03
is like a plate
with no food on it.
00:23:43.06\00:23:45.56
Having the plate
would make people hungry,
00:23:45.60\00:23:48.47
but this hunger, if it wasn't
satisfied, would leave people
00:23:48.50\00:23:51.99
worse off than
they were to start with.
00:23:52.02\00:23:54.35
Our lay pastors
found it difficult
00:23:54.39\00:23:56.62
to focus on this practical side
00:23:56.65\00:23:58.81
of ministry until one day Paul,
a new believer, had a dream.
00:23:58.85\00:24:03.52
In the dream, I
saw that Dale was
00:24:03.55\00:24:05.57
in the house, and the pastor and
00:24:05.61\00:24:07.55
I had gone to my place.
In his hands, the pastor had
00:24:07.59\00:24:10.63
two plates, one
containing nothing
00:24:10.67\00:24:12.33
but pieces of
bread, but the other
00:24:12.37\00:24:14.28
was filled with
rice and vegetables
00:24:14.32\00:24:16.15
and a variety of delicious food.
00:24:16.18\00:24:17.95
The pastor
offered me the plate with
00:24:17.98\00:24:20.18
bread and told me to eat one.
00:24:20.22\00:24:22.39
I said to the pastor,
00:24:22.43\00:24:23.40
"Please, I
prefer the other plate
00:24:23.41\00:24:25.33
that contains a
variety of foods. "
00:24:25.37\00:24:27.36
"No," said the pastor.
00:24:27.40\00:24:29.06
"We will eat from that
plate later. Not now. "
00:24:29.09\00:24:31.83
But instead Dale said
00:24:31.86\00:24:33.88
that we should eat from that
00:24:33.92\00:24:35.09
plate now and should share
some with the some others in the
00:24:35.13\00:24:37.67
community. They
would be hungry, too.
00:24:37.71\00:24:39.81
I love eating rice and
00:24:39.85\00:24:41.03
the other foods I
saw on that plate.
00:24:41.06\00:24:43.23
But the pastor insisted that we
00:24:43.26\00:24:45.13
wouldn't eat
from that plate now.
00:24:45.16\00:24:46.99
That was the dream.
00:24:47.03\00:24:48.36
When I woke up, the dream
had seemed so real that I felt
00:24:48.39\00:24:51.30
surely the plate of food had
00:24:51.34\00:24:53.06
to be somewhere in the house.
00:24:53.10\00:24:54.40
I kept looking around
for it, but it wasn't there.
00:24:54.43\00:24:57.68
It was only a dream.
00:24:57.71\00:24:59.22
After that dream, Paul was
convinced that Christianity
00:24:59.25\00:25:02.88
was more than Bible studies.
It needed the flavor, colors
00:25:02.91\00:25:06.50
and delicious
smells of community life.
00:25:06.54\00:25:08.74
It really was to
be found in the house.
00:25:08.78\00:25:10.92
As he and his wife began
applying what they learned,
00:25:10.95\00:25:13.59
every aspect of their
marriage and community existence
00:25:13.63\00:25:16.20
began to change. As they learned
to pray, they taught others to
00:25:16.23\00:25:19.50
pray, too. As
they learned to clean
00:25:19.53\00:25:21.30
their homes and
care for their children,
00:25:21.34\00:25:23.56
they helped others do
the same. Before long,
00:25:23.60\00:25:25.79
their influence
had transformed the
00:25:25.82\00:25:27.53
entire community.
00:25:27.57\00:25:28.84
They had learned the
value of presenting the Gospel
00:25:28.88\00:25:31.98
on a full plate, and now
others were enjoying it, too.
00:25:32.01\00:25:35.07
This was a special
torch-lighting ceremony
00:25:36.79\00:25:39.12
held at the new Dowa school.
00:25:39.16\00:25:40.76
I had the privilege of
giving a new Bible to each of
00:25:40.79\00:25:43.93
these young men and
lighting their torches.
00:25:43.96\00:25:46.32
They are being commissioned
to continue applying God's
00:25:49.13\00:25:51.62
Word to daily life
and serving full plates
00:25:51.65\00:25:54.44
to their native
communities and beyond.
00:25:54.48\00:25:57.24
*singing* Jesus you come...
00:26:02.34\00:26:06.24
I really hope you've enjoyed
this video on the Dowa Project.
00:26:49.80\00:26:52.74
My wife and I found
living in the jungle
00:26:52.77\00:26:54.69
and working with the
Dowa people challenging at
00:26:54.73\00:26:56.97
times, but it was also the
most rewarding eleven and a half
00:26:57.01\00:27:00.04
years we've ever lived.
It would also be fair to
00:27:00.07\00:27:03.03
say that the Dowa people
probably taught us as much
00:27:03.06\00:27:06.07
about God and the meaning
of Christianity as we ever
00:27:06.10\00:27:08.72
taught them. And I'll
be forever indebted to them
00:27:08.75\00:27:11.33
for that.
00:27:11.37\00:27:12.34
I'll pray that God
will continue to guide them,
00:27:12.35\00:27:14.81
and lead in their lives,
and that He will guide you, too,
00:27:14.85\00:27:17.07
as you seek His
will in your life.
00:27:17.10\00:27:19.35
If you have felt God impressing
you to support Adventist
00:27:33.13\00:27:35.82
Frontier Missions, then
please send your donations to:
00:27:35.86\00:27:38.51