A 2-week Training of Trainers Program took place as the first event for 2023 for the Western Highlands Mission where 274 Pastoral Workers plus a selected Schools Head Teachers and Health Officers in Charge attended at Kimininga, WHM Headquarters.

The training included presentations by WHM Administration, Departmental Directors and presentation of highlights that were taking place in the provinces by the Provincial Area Supervisors and District Directors.  The program also included a reconciliation program, foot washing and Lord's Supper program concluding with the Mission Launching of the PNGforChrist 2024 Program! Guest presenters were Pr Malachi Yani, PNG Union Mission President and Pr Miller Kuso, PNGUM Sabbath School & Personal Ministries / Evangelism Director.
There were also visits to one of the Adventist Possible Ministries site and the actual site for where the PNGforChrist2024 Program will take place in Minj, Jiwaka Province.

The PNGforChrist2024 Program was deferred due to COVID where General Conference President Ted Wilson will be the guest speaker - There will also be 2,000 sites set up in various local missions where other international speakers will be attending.  The Adventist Community around the country are all preparing for this event and especially WHM as hosting mission.
Each province in WHM  will also have their provincial launching with a major cleanathon in the main towns prior to the launching.  30,000 is set as target for baptisms during this program!
We ask everyone to uphold in prayer and where you can assist in anyway, time, skills, funds, possessions - do give as the Lord guides and leads you to!

Highlights of the 2-weeks and Launching Livestream and Photos can be viewed via the Facebook WHM Mission Page.

30 participants took part in a 5-day Sewing skills training program facilitated by Ni-Van Tailoring School with facilitator, Mrs Heather Pole-Vanua.  Heather, an accountant by profession, had the desire to learn sewing and through self-teaching and inspiration has now over 26years of sewing and tailoring experience.  Through her Ni-Van Tailoring School she travels around Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu imparting sewing skills to interested participants.
From a training last year in Goroka attended by Pr Leighton Kasimo, Western Highlands Mission Stewardship Director, he organised and scheduled Heather through the Stewardship Department programs to come to Mount Hagen to conduct the training.  The training included taking body measurements, pattern drafting, cutting material and sewing together to what is termed: Pacific Wear - an outfit comprising of top and skirt, and also including a dress outfit.  The 30 participants included Pr Kasimo himself plus 29 female participants. 4 of which had never used a sewing machine in their lives.  3 participants traveled in from Enga, Goroka, Port Moresby and 10 of the participants non-adventists, having heard about the sewing program through their friends and attending.
One participant shared how she had been looking at 'Pacific Wear' being advertised and had wished that one day she would learn how to sew and it so happened that Pr Kasimo had walked into her stationery shop to buy butcher's papers for the training and was explaining to her staff - that they told Pr that, their 'boss-meri' (manager) has been looking to join such training.
All completed their outfits by Friday end of program and wore their outfits as part of presentation upon receiving their certificates of participation.
Attending the presentation Pr Solomon Paul, WHM Mission Secretary, giving a description of the dead sea - where the water rushes in and everything stops at the dead sea.  Using this illustration, he encouraged the participants to not hold on to this knowledge and skill but utilise it, continue sewing, teach someone else that skill and not let the skill received lay idle or go to waste.
Mrs Pole-Vanua also through her training encourages financial management skills and budgeting as part of upskilling and imparting knowledge to her participants to utilise the skills to earn an income for them and their families.
"I have given you the resource to buy a car, a house, put your children in school, send you on trips, and to do even more business. It now depends on you and how you will utilise these skills and always remember, when you share your blessings and your talents and skills with others, you make room for more to come into your lives."

Pr Kasimo hopes to have Ni-Van Tailoring come back to Western Highlands Mission for another sewing skills training next year onwards.

Sixteen women from Tikiawe Adventist Church, Hayapuga LLG enrolled and resourced for Adult Literacy Training which will take place in the next three months. After the three months these ladies will be able to read and write and am looking forward to seeing and sharing their enjoyment.
-post by Dora Dugube

The WHM ACS Congress took place in Habare, Tari, Hela Province from the 06th – 16th April, 2022. The congress was a deferred congress from previous quinquennium, due to COVID , it did not take place then.

The Congress preparation took place well, but near to the date of the congress, there was trouble in Tari between the tribal leaders and the police where some killing and burning of police houses took place. We were not sure if the congress would go ahead or not – but through much prayer and with also those on the ground, assuring that things would be ok – the congress went on ahead.

The tribal leaders and those who were involved in fight, also advised the church leaders at Tari, that program should continue and that they need the program to continue.

Over 10,000 people had registered to attend the congress from the 5 Highlands provinces (Hela, WHP, SHP, Enga and Jiwaka). Unfortunately the two fly in districts were not able to travel. The Guest speakers included the PNGUM Discipleship Team Pr Miller Kuso, SSPM Director and Pr Misikaram Guguna, Adventist Youth Ministries. There were also daily sessions on Discipleship making took place during the morning and Evening worship by Pr Miller Kuso.

Highlight of the event included visits to the tribal leaders who are know as the ‘warlords’ of Tari and were involved in the recent clash with the police. Over 500 church membership mostly from the Enga group walked 2hours up into the far inlands of Tari to visit the warlords and give food items as part of their ‘hauskrai’. The area were they live, there are no govt services, proper roads and hardly anyone ventures in that area, as it is a ‘no-go’ zone for people but they were welcoming to the Adventist community.

An incomplete church building was identified in the area and contributions from participants at the congress were collected to go towards completing the church building. K7,000 was collected plus an additional K7,000 contributed through kind donations.

Community service work around Tari town and visitations to hospital wards took place including a huge parade in town which brought the little town of Tari to a standstill. Visits also from Pr Danny Philip, SPD PNG Discipleship Team Leader and Prime Minister and Governor for SHP attending the opening ceremony of the program.

The next ACS congress venue was also decided at the end of the congress – to be held at Jiwaka.

What was to be the Official Opening of the Hela Provincial Camp on Monday 6th September 2021, became the opening and beginning of the peace process that took place between two tribal leaders that over many years had been involved in tribal fights in the area.

The Piwa-Tebi LLG area had been declared a tribal fighting zone and had been a no-go zone for many years.  Previously was home to local communities and a local church - all had been removed since the tribal fighting took place in the area back in 2015.

When a venue was to be decided upon to stage the Hela Provincial Camp for the Western Highlands Mission, Piwa-Tebi ended up being the chosen site location.   The tribe leader who had left the province and area since the tribal fights, had moved to Port Moresby heard of the church Provincial Camp taking place at his area, and decided to travel back to be part of the event, not knowing that his presence there together with the opposing tribe leader, who is also counsillor of the area, was also present and ended up in an embrace to show the first steps of reconciliation.

During the 1 week camp, gifts of 7 cows came as part of appreciation of the peace process that was taking place and appreciation for the Seventh-day Adventist Church deciding to host the camp at the area.

Councillor Steven, urged the church to continue to pray for the area, for his people and for him to one day join the church.  He offered his land to the church for the establishment of church facilities and called for the local church that was removed to be re-established.

Towards the end of the provincial camp, the Hela provincial church members cleared the land in preparation for the re-building of the church.

Please continue to pray for Piwa-Tebi LLG and the people of Hela Province.

89 baptised as the Jiwaka Provincial Camp came to a close.  Among them were young boys and girls and an elderly woman. The baptism took place at Wara Minj, about 40minutes walk from the provincial camp site.

Jiwaka Vision 2020 and beyond includes the baptism of 100,000 as part of their 5-year Provincial Plan.  The Area Supervisor, Pr John Kundapen continued to encourage the Jiwaka Team 20 to work together so that they could achieve their targets.

The Jiwaka Provincial Camp took place on the 9th to the 14th August with Guest Speaker Pr Luke Nathan, President of the Western Highlands Mission.  Jiwaka Vision 2020 and Beyond 5 Year Plan was launched which includes: 100,000 souls being baptised, 1,000 organised churches and 10 Health Centres.  Pr Luke Nathan commended the Jiwaka Vision 2020 Leaders with their area supervisor on an outstanding vision board and expressed that the WHM Office will work closely with them in monitoring and evaluating their process through out the 5 years.

"This is the vision of the Jiwaka team - some may happen, some may not, but that is what they want to achieve", Pr Luke Nathan stated during the unveiling of the Jiwaka Vision Board.  The Jiwaka Vision Team consists of 20 teams, each to participate accordingly to achieve the vision targets set.

The first of the Western Highlands Mission Provincial Camps took place for Western Highlands Province. The Provincial Camp Meeting took place at Kerebuk just outside of Mt. Hagen City.  The Guest Speaker was Pr Malachi Yani, Papua New Guinea Union Mission President who shared insights to the 5-year plan of the PNGUM and encouraged church leaders and members to be a part of the "I WILL GO" Theme.

The highlight of the Provincial Camp included the Official Opening of the Western Highlands Provincial Headquarter Office and 34 baptismal candidates on the closing sabbath.  

Over 500 church members in their respective ministries marched from Mt. Hagen City to Kerebuk as part of the Official Opening Program of the Western Highlands Provincial Office.