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Dear Family and Friends:
For the first newsletter in the year 2008, we want to start out with some of the wonderful more recent things God has done.
He has protected us from:
· falling trees,
· falling metal sheets from roofs,
· angry mobs,
· raging river crossings,
· rascals (robbers),
· ocean crossings in small banana boats,
· airplanes with missing parts,
· innumerable earthquakes,
· malaria and,
· machine gun armed guerillas at jungle blockade checkpoints.
In addition, we have seen with our own eyes people healed of horrible eye infections, abscessed ulcers, and broken hearts after praying with them. We are witnesses to God’s Holy Spirit drawing people to Himself actively at work in lives. These are just a few of the supernatural things that God is doing here, just as He is supernaturally doing things in your lives. Isn’t He great?
We, Victor, Alex and I, and Keith and Cindy Bickley and Pastor Emmanuel here from East New Britain, went to the island of Bougainville for a medical outreach in the central area of the island called Nagovis (see picture). This remote area has been closed in the past due to civil war (the Bougainville Crisis) and the area we went to was the hardest hit with casualties. We flew to Buka, and after a one day delay, we crossed the channel in a banana boat and got on a truck and bumped along for about 100 miles into the jungle crossing 56 rivers (some had bridges – most didn’t). Because we went before some heavy rains appeared, the trip only took 5 hours. We were stooped, however, by some machine gun-armed thugs at the Panguna Mine “No-Go Zone” checkpoint who insisted we pay kina to them since we were not from Bougainville. We arrived just before dark and got situated in our bush house before darkness fell.
The PNG Foursquare Bougainville Provincial Supervisor , Pastor Dennis Lokonai and his wife Clara, had organized the building of a bush medical clinic in hopes of reaching out to their area. They lacked both medicines and medical officers. We brought two large suitcases stuffed with medicines and dressing supplies and a large garbage container filled with supplies and give-away items which we left for them to use after we were gone. Because of the transportation and weather delays, we were only able to have 1 and ½ days of clinic. There were two health officers, Margaret and Jocelyn (see pictures) who traveled quite a distance to help us staff the outreach. Most of the people didn’t speak Tok Pisin but rather their Tok Ples (village language) so we had to have pastors and elders interpret for us. Many younger ones had never seen white women before and they would stare, follow and run or sometimes cry if we got to close. One sick child I saw would not let me near her and finally I handed the mother the liquid medication and had her take the child outside and give the medicine herself. A remarkable older woman came dressed in her best. She wore a beaded necklace, her earlobes hanging low with large tribal piercings, and she donned a skin type close fitting cap complete with a tail that hung down her back (see picture). She had a chronic condition (emphysema) which we could not treat, so I gave her some vitamins – calcium, B6 and a few pain pills (Ibuprofen) for her joint pain. She became upset with me that I had given her too much. Even after I explained to her via interpreter that I was trying to be generous by giving her a few months supply knowing that she would not be able to get more medicine, she sat stiff and fierce. So, I removed the calcium from her hands and asked if she would be ok with the other medications. She sat and looked at the interpreter and he looked at me and made that universal face of “this is beyond me”. I prayed over her and she shook my hand and slowly left the clinic. I thought “ that didn’t go very well.” But the next day as we were piling in the truck to return home, she came quickly out of the jungle trail by her house and reached into the truck with a huge smile to tell me goodbye. I found out later that she was the mother-in-law of pastor Dennis.
There was a regional Pastor’s bung (meeting) going on at the same time and so Keith preached twice and Victor preached once. I was also given the opportunity to speak with Cindy about broken hearts and how our sin and the sin others do to us can really mess up our lives. Many people came forward for prayer afterwards. We were told that a lot of backsliders had been at that service and many had turned to God.
During our stay in Nagovis Bougainville, we bathed in a local river until it was too muddy due to the rain. So, when it was muddy, we did the next best thing and washed outside of our house in the dark for privacy sake just before going to bed. Yep, you lay out the water, soap, and then turn off your flashlight and start washing the best you can in the dark so no one sees you.
The last night there was a special thank you service. The Pastors thanked us by washing our feet. It was so humbling. We were thinking that we should be the ones washing their feet! Also, I think our feet were the dirtiest they have ever been due to the recent rain and mud. Seriously, the thick mud in the village kept ripping my sandals right off my feet and splattering mud everywhere. I had given up and was just walking around barefoot.
The return trip took 12 hours instead of five due to the heavy recent rain and subsequent swollen river crossings. We were seated in the back of a covered truck and were separated from the driver by a cargo cage. The windows were quite small and our baggage was strapped on the roof making the vehicle top-heavy. We could sense God with us, but it was disconcerting to have rushing water flow over the hood of the truck, rise up to the level of the windows. and seep into the back as we would move with the current. Some of the occupants of the truck looked a little green. Cindy and I moved from one side to the other to help counter-balance the truck as we encountered big river rocks. Of the 56 rivers, four were especially deep. Some trucks (not us – by the grace of God, we made it across on our own) paid up to 100 kina to be towed across these rivers (see picture). We gave God all the praise for getting us back to our base home in Buka just as it was getting dark. We were still able to climb into the banana boat and get to the other side of the passage to Buka before complete darkness. We had the additional bonus of sleeping very well that night.
Now we are preparing for a medical clinic outreach to Kabanga on Monday January 21. It is a remote area that will include 4 surrounding villages. It is a sort of follow-up after an evangelism outreach there 8 months ago. This area is so underserved that an elderly man recently died trying to get up to the road to catch a PMV (bus taxi) to get medical care. I believe he had a heart attack. So you see, it is a long way for them to travel to get any medical care. We will have up to three local registered nurses/health officers accompany us on this outreach. Two HIV/AIDS counselors from the local hospital (Vonopope) will also be present to do HIV/AIDS awareness teaching. A policeman from one of our congregations will also be present to do Domestic Violence teaching. We are finding that, more and more, local people are staffing these medical outreaches. God is amazing, isn’t He?
Thank you for praying for us and for the outreaches. Please pray for our upcoming trip to the PNG Highlands 2/17/08-3/1/08. The PNG Foursquare President Timothy Tipitap invited us to the area to visit Foursquare medical clinics and to share his vision with for PNG medical ministry. We will be with him in Enga the first week and then attend the national Pastor’s bung in Goroka the following week.
Blessings,
Victor, Lori, and Alexander Obregon
Attempt Great Things For God.
Expect Great Things From God.
William Carey
For the first newsletter in the year 2008, we want to start out with some of the wonderful more recent things God has done.
He has protected us from:
· falling trees,
· falling metal sheets from roofs,
· angry mobs,
· raging river crossings,
· rascals (robbers),
· ocean crossings in small banana boats,
· airplanes with missing parts,
· innumerable earthquakes,
· malaria and,
· machine gun armed guerillas at jungle blockade checkpoints.
In addition, we have seen with our own eyes people healed of horrible eye infections, abscessed ulcers, and broken hearts after praying with them. We are witnesses to God’s Holy Spirit drawing people to Himself actively at work in lives. These are just a few of the supernatural things that God is doing here, just as He is supernaturally doing things in your lives. Isn’t He great?
We, Victor, Alex and I, and Keith and Cindy Bickley and Pastor Emmanuel here from East New Britain, went to the island of Bougainville for a medical outreach in the central area of the island called Nagovis (see picture). This remote area has been closed in the past due to civil war (the Bougainville Crisis) and the area we went to was the hardest hit with casualties. We flew to Buka, and after a one day delay, we crossed the channel in a banana boat and got on a truck and bumped along for about 100 miles into the jungle crossing 56 rivers (some had bridges – most didn’t). Because we went before some heavy rains appeared, the trip only took 5 hours. We were stooped, however, by some machine gun-armed thugs at the Panguna Mine “No-Go Zone” checkpoint who insisted we pay kina to them since we were not from Bougainville. We arrived just before dark and got situated in our bush house before darkness fell.
The PNG Foursquare Bougainville Provincial Supervisor , Pastor Dennis Lokonai and his wife Clara, had organized the building of a bush medical clinic in hopes of reaching out to their area. They lacked both medicines and medical officers. We brought two large suitcases stuffed with medicines and dressing supplies and a large garbage container filled with supplies and give-away items which we left for them to use after we were gone. Because of the transportation and weather delays, we were only able to have 1 and ½ days of clinic. There were two health officers, Margaret and Jocelyn (see pictures) who traveled quite a distance to help us staff the outreach. Most of the people didn’t speak Tok Pisin but rather their Tok Ples (village language) so we had to have pastors and elders interpret for us. Many younger ones had never seen white women before and they would stare, follow and run or sometimes cry if we got to close. One sick child I saw would not let me near her and finally I handed the mother the liquid medication and had her take the child outside and give the medicine herself. A remarkable older woman came dressed in her best. She wore a beaded necklace, her earlobes hanging low with large tribal piercings, and she donned a skin type close fitting cap complete with a tail that hung down her back (see picture). She had a chronic condition (emphysema) which we could not treat, so I gave her some vitamins – calcium, B6 and a few pain pills (Ibuprofen) for her joint pain. She became upset with me that I had given her too much. Even after I explained to her via interpreter that I was trying to be generous by giving her a few months supply knowing that she would not be able to get more medicine, she sat stiff and fierce. So, I removed the calcium from her hands and asked if she would be ok with the other medications. She sat and looked at the interpreter and he looked at me and made that universal face of “this is beyond me”. I prayed over her and she shook my hand and slowly left the clinic. I thought “ that didn’t go very well.” But the next day as we were piling in the truck to return home, she came quickly out of the jungle trail by her house and reached into the truck with a huge smile to tell me goodbye. I found out later that she was the mother-in-law of pastor Dennis.
There was a regional Pastor’s bung (meeting) going on at the same time and so Keith preached twice and Victor preached once. I was also given the opportunity to speak with Cindy about broken hearts and how our sin and the sin others do to us can really mess up our lives. Many people came forward for prayer afterwards. We were told that a lot of backsliders had been at that service and many had turned to God.
During our stay in Nagovis Bougainville, we bathed in a local river until it was too muddy due to the rain. So, when it was muddy, we did the next best thing and washed outside of our house in the dark for privacy sake just before going to bed. Yep, you lay out the water, soap, and then turn off your flashlight and start washing the best you can in the dark so no one sees you.
The last night there was a special thank you service. The Pastors thanked us by washing our feet. It was so humbling. We were thinking that we should be the ones washing their feet! Also, I think our feet were the dirtiest they have ever been due to the recent rain and mud. Seriously, the thick mud in the village kept ripping my sandals right off my feet and splattering mud everywhere. I had given up and was just walking around barefoot.
The return trip took 12 hours instead of five due to the heavy recent rain and subsequent swollen river crossings. We were seated in the back of a covered truck and were separated from the driver by a cargo cage. The windows were quite small and our baggage was strapped on the roof making the vehicle top-heavy. We could sense God with us, but it was disconcerting to have rushing water flow over the hood of the truck, rise up to the level of the windows. and seep into the back as we would move with the current. Some of the occupants of the truck looked a little green. Cindy and I moved from one side to the other to help counter-balance the truck as we encountered big river rocks. Of the 56 rivers, four were especially deep. Some trucks (not us – by the grace of God, we made it across on our own) paid up to 100 kina to be towed across these rivers (see picture). We gave God all the praise for getting us back to our base home in Buka just as it was getting dark. We were still able to climb into the banana boat and get to the other side of the passage to Buka before complete darkness. We had the additional bonus of sleeping very well that night.
Now we are preparing for a medical clinic outreach to Kabanga on Monday January 21. It is a remote area that will include 4 surrounding villages. It is a sort of follow-up after an evangelism outreach there 8 months ago. This area is so underserved that an elderly man recently died trying to get up to the road to catch a PMV (bus taxi) to get medical care. I believe he had a heart attack. So you see, it is a long way for them to travel to get any medical care. We will have up to three local registered nurses/health officers accompany us on this outreach. Two HIV/AIDS counselors from the local hospital (Vonopope) will also be present to do HIV/AIDS awareness teaching. A policeman from one of our congregations will also be present to do Domestic Violence teaching. We are finding that, more and more, local people are staffing these medical outreaches. God is amazing, isn’t He?
Thank you for praying for us and for the outreaches. Please pray for our upcoming trip to the PNG Highlands 2/17/08-3/1/08. The PNG Foursquare President Timothy Tipitap invited us to the area to visit Foursquare medical clinics and to share his vision with for PNG medical ministry. We will be with him in Enga the first week and then attend the national Pastor’s bung in Goroka the following week.
Blessings,
Victor, Lori, and Alexander Obregon
Attempt Great Things For God.
Expect Great Things From God.
William Carey
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