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.