JUST ONE MESSAGE

Posted on December 30, 2025 by John Allen

TRAVELS
Since our last update, we traveled to the USA for Lena’s medical appointments via the Philippines to visit our dear Selly. She is learning the ropes as a freshman at L.D. Woosley/Bethany Baptist College in Manila, and is involved in many ministries in addition to her studies. It was good to see her!

In the following weeks we were in missions conferences and churches in Florida and Texas. We were especially encouraged (and spoiled!) at Capitol City Baptist in Austin, TX. Another blessing was being back at Victory Baptist in Milton, FL, which has been behind us in our translation project from the time it was just a dream. It was good to spend time with Pastor Fellure and the print shop men to talk through the next steps toward printing our Kamea John/Romans and the entire New Testament!

In December we enjoyed the wonderful wedding of our granddaughter Beth in Montana. Praise the Lord for the time with family in such a beautiful setting!

MEDICAL UPDATE
We are thankful for the medical appointments and tests that Lena has been able to get. She has three more long-awaited MRIs scheduled right after the New Year, and then (hopefully) a final appointment with her primary care doctor. Some treatments have been rough, but those of late have been helpful. She came to the USA on a cane, but now is able to move around well without it. We are grateful to those who have offered all sorts of help and advice along the way. Most of all, we are grateful for all who have kept this a matter of prayer. Please keep it up! If things continue to go well, we plan to return to PNG in January in time to begin our next Bible college semester.

TRANSLATION REVIEW
Between meetings and medical appointments, I have been able to complete final reviews of John and Romans. All that remains is to type in the corrections and to lay out the text. Please pray we can see this in print and delivered to PNG for distribution soon!

JUST ONE MESSAGE
On a weekend visit with our friend (and former co-worker) Missionary Sarah Glover, we dropped in to visit a supporting church. The pastor introduced me to Brother Joe Marshall, and I mentioned that I remembered a Joe Marshall who was a missionary to Australia back in the day. Joe confirmed that he indeed was that missionary.

Why did this mean so much to me? When Brother Joe visited our church in 1983, I was still in Bible college and had just come full-time on staff at our church. I don’t remember what his topic was, but that night changed my devotional life from that time until now. He quoted so many Scripture verses in context and gave us such a challenge that I went home and promised the Lord, by His grace and His strength, I would be consistent in my morning devotions at a specific time every day, spending real time in the Word seeking to know my Lord Jesus better. Brother Joe had no idea about it, until our providential meeting on a Sunday in November 2025, almost 43 years later.

How many times in how many contexts have I shared that story over the years! One preacher, on one Wednesday evening, with one message affected one young preacher for the rest of his life. We never know the impact the Lord will make through us, nor do we know the ripple effect of one life lived for the glory of God. For those of you who serve the Lord, take heart! It is God who works through you. Stay faithful in the Word and prayer. Keep seeking the Lord, to know Him and to enjoy His presence. Keep witnessing, keep sharing stories of His goodness. Who knows whom you might affect?

Praising God for His Grace and Goodness,

John & Lena Allen
Psalm 71:18

THE WEEKEND BOYS

Posted on October 30, 2025 by John Allen

THE “WEEKEND BOYS”
We have a group of young men in the church who call themselves the “Weekend Boys.” These young men (ranging in age from 18 through 30) come for youth ministry on Friday night, stay overnight for Saturday morning outreach at Hanuabada Village, and a few of them meet with me for Bible college classes on Saturday afternoon. Then all of them join Lena and me for dinner and translation checks on Saturday evening, and on Sunday morning, they all serve in various ministries in the church. Most of them stay on through Sunday afternoon for our Goilala Camp outreach…and they do this every weekend! It is a good place for them to mature spiritually, and it helps them learn to focus on serving the Lord in various ministries with their varied abilities.

This has been going on now (and growing) for almost three years. The last few weeks have seen fruit in the lives of two of them who express a desire to be involved in full-time ministry, and two others beginning to take turns preaching in public ministry. Praise the Lord for His working in these young men’s lives!

GOILALA CAMP OUTREACH
It’s been nearly a year since our campus was attacked by 21 armed men—and since we began a weekly outreach to their village. A few months after we began holding weekly gospel meetings with them, the police came in and moved them out to a displaced persons’ camp on the edge of the city. Their village at the city dump, called “Swimming Pool,” was then completely destroyed by excavators and bulldozers.

In spite of this, the village leaders asked us to continue preaching every week. Over the last eight months at the camp, we have continued preaching and teaching the Word, taking them from Creation to Christ. Our ministry team has had the privilege of leading several to Christ, and when I was able to give a public invitation at the end of September, several more raised their hands that they had already put their faith in Christ. The village leader told me that the old men of the group want us to continue, because as they said, “these people preach the Word of God clearly, and we can understand it.” The Word of God preached in the power of the Spirit of God will always do the work of God!

TRANSLATION
My current project is preparing a John & Romans in Kamea and Tok Pisin, with the goal of distributing them next year among our people. One of our young men (who is Kamea) was back in the Kamea villages recently, and he took a printed copy of John’s Gospel with him to read and to share. He tells me he got a great response from those who heard it. I can only imagine—hearing the Word of God in your own heart language for the first time ever!

TEACHING
Last Monday I finished teaching my Bible school course on Practical Ministry. Other local pastors and church members attended some of the classes to learn about accountability and integrity in church ministry and leadership. At the end of the course, we had a testimony time for our graduates and present students. It was so good to hear of what the Lord has been doing through them—so much more is happening than we knew. I wish you could have heard their stories of the Lord’s working in places from the coast to the highlands. I never dreamed we could have such a great partnership with the local churches in Port Moresby. Thank you for the part you have in investing in the training of these preachers and teachers!

MEDICAL FURLOUGH
After counseling with our home church pastoral staff, our co-workers, and our family, we decided to return to the USA for Lena to get much-needed medical testing and treatment. We tried pressing on when we returned to the field in August, but things did not get better. The plan is for us to be here through January, when I will need to return for our next Bible college term. Please pray we can get answers and help that will enable us to stay on the field where God put us nearly 18 years ago. God knows!

Praising God for His Grace and Goodness,

John & Lena Allen
Psalm 71:18

GRADUATION x 2

Posted on July 30, 2025 by John Allen

EVER HAVE A BUSY SUMMER?

We ended the month of May with our 3^rd graduation exercises for Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby. Acacia, Selly, Enoch, and Alex finished three years of study with both BBIPOM and Faith Bible Institute.

It was also a great blessing for us to have Pastor Buddy Smith from Malanda, Australia as our commencement speaker. He and his wife Susan have been dear friends of ours for years, and they were such an encouragement to the churches and students here.

SUMMER SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES

The Lord has opened many doors of service for all our graduates. Following their recent graduation, Enoch and Alex went to Kerema to serve at Charity Baptist Church, while Missionaries John and Melissa Gray were away in the US for a short furlough. Acacia continues her work as a Christian school teacher, as well as do several of our other graduates. Two graduates are pastors, some are on staff in local ministries, and other men help their local church pastors. Recently one was working with a PNG missionary pastor in Australia, while another was serving in his home town across the country. Another is serving with Missionaries Josh and Rebecca Florence in their ministries as the financial administrator, plus teaching Sunday school and high school religious instruction.

EMPTY NEST

Selly (Pastor Ben’s daughter, who has lived with us for the last three years) graduated from both Bible school and high school in May. She traveled with us to the US for meetings, and is now settled in at Bethany Baptist College in Makati (Manila), Philippines, to study for her BS in Education. Lena and I are now “empty nesters” for the second time!

Most of Selly’s life has been around ministry, and her desire to serve the Lord has really blossomed. In the last few months, she has felt a great desire to serve the Lord in missions, and she publicly surrendered at Capital City Baptist Church in Port Moresby to do just that. We’re glad that Bethany Baptist College will fuel her desire even more, as they have a tremendous emphasis not just on talking about missions, but in doing it!

PREACHING, TEACHING, MARRYING

We had 17 opportunities to share about missions and ministry in the last 10 weeks. Our hearts were encouraged and refreshed by so many friends and prayer partners along the way!

This weekend will be the wedding of our oldest grandson, Ben, and it will be my honor to officiate for him and his bride Elise. And it will be the first time in years that our whole family has been together at one time!

By the time many of you get this, Lena and I will be back in PNG, ready to start our second term at Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby.

ONE MORE THING, PLEASE

Could I ask you again to pray with us for my wife’s health? Between our meetings, she had several tests and doctor’s appointments. She is in need of serious lower back surgery sometime in the near future. Would you pray with us that God would make a way for her to avoid having to have the surgery? The pain is constant, but she is working on ways to live with it without being heavily dependent on pain medicines.

Praising God for His Grace and Goodness,
John & Lena Allen
Psalm 71:18

THE MILESTONE

Featured

Posted on April 29, 2025 by John Allen

Nkoto’ona’ma na’anqa häva fangoti, inä gloringa Jisas Kräisi’ointäna’ma
qunaminqina qunaminqinäna wenanqati. Amen. (Rom 16:27, Kamea)

To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
(Romans 16:27)

THE MILESTONE

In December 2005, Lena and I visited Matt and Becky Allen (and our dear granddaughters, Ariel and Hannah) to see the mission work they were doing among the Kamea people in the remote mountains of Papua New Guinea. It was both a pastoral and personal trip, as I was both pastor and dad; but we had no idea God intended it to be a survey trip.

Matt said they needed two things desperately among the Kamea people, besides the evangelism and church planting that had just begun: medical care, and the Scriptures in their heart language. The Lord touched our hearts with these needs, and we went back to the US, assured that we were to serve the Lord in PNG.

In March 2008, we returned to Kotidanga to begin ministry there. Soon, Lena started what would become Kunai Health Centre, which served over 130,000 patients in the next 13 years.

On the translation project side, our team of missionaries and Kamea speakers began putting the unwritten Kamea language into writing. With help from long-time missionaries and workers among the Hamtai people (our neighbor language), we began producing literacy material in Kamea in 2009.

In January 2014, Ben Samauyo and I began translating portions of Scripture for “The Jesus Film.” By the end of that year, we had translated and checked hundreds of verses in Luke and Mark, and had recorded the first ever video in the Kamea language, crafted almost entirely from Scripture. We made copies of the audio and the video, and to this day those copies continue to circulate among the Kamea.

With that project done, we realized that we were well on our way to translating the New Testament, so we went back through the Gospel of Luke and translated the rest of the text. Yali Tapaqueo joined us as our back translator, reading the Kamea translation and translating it back into Tok Pisin so we could check the meanings.

From January 2014 until April 2025, we worked on translating and checking the New Testament in Kamea. We worked to create a translation that was: 1. Accurate; 2. Clear; 3. Readable (hearable), in that it must sound natural to a Kamea speaker; and 4. Rich in choosing the finest words to convey the meaning.

On April 18, 2025, Ben and I finished checking the last book of our labors. The first draft of the entire Kamea New Testament is now complete! For the first time in the history of the world, the Kamea people have the Scriptures in their heart language!

Going forward, we still have formatting and more checking to do. We hope to print some preliminary copies of Mark to give away to Kamea friends, to try to get feedback. We also plan to record the entire New Testament in audio form, and that alone will take a lot of time and a lot of work. My personal hope is that we can have the text ready for print in the next couple of years. Much work remains to be done—but let us praise the Lord together, as you celebrate this milestone with us!

Many of you have had a part in this ministry over the years in prayer and support. May this fruit abound to your account. Thank you for your faithful partnership!

We had intentionally left the Book of Romans for last, but we had not thought of how appropriately the final verse of our translation would express how we feel at the end of this glorious project.

To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
(Romans 16:27)

Praising God for His Grace and Goodness,
John & Lena Allen
Psalm 71:18

For your own copy of the Gospel of Mark in Kamea and Tok Pisin, click here.

Hanging Out at the Pool

Posted on January 30, 2025 by John Allen

February 2025

As fascinating, exciting, and exotic as missionary life can be here, few things stir our hearts more than the opportunity to take the Gospel to a new place.

The Papua coast was first reached with the Gospel in the late 1870s by the London Missionary Society. William Lawes and James Chalmers began their ministries in what would eventually become our city, Port Moresby. Since that time the tide of Gospel preaching has ebbed and flowed in Moresby. American Baptist missionaries began to arrive in the 1960s, but most of them went on to the Highlands or the islands of PNG. Some good missionaries ministered in Moresby over the years, starting some good churches which are still going strong today. Yet like any urban area in the world, our city has grown exponentially in recent decades with people continually coming to find work in a woefully depressed economy.

Because of the constant influx of new people, there is always the necessity of Gospel outreach. But I have to say it is rare, in a city like ours, to find an entire village without Gospel knowledge or influence.

That is, until we went to the Pool. More accurately, “Swimming Pool”—the name of the village literally at the city dump. I mentioned previously how our son Matt and some of our young men began an outreach in this village right after our campus was attacked back in November.

Since that first Sunday, we have met every week on the top of a knoll in Swimming Pool Village. The view on one side is the port of Motukea, with its constant flow of cargo ships coming to unload their burdens or to be drydocked for maintenance. The view down the opposite side of the ridge is acres and acres of our city’s rubbish.

But why the name, “Swimming Pool”? Well, right on the edge of the village is an old, 50-yard-long rough cement swimming pool half-filled with algae green water. The locals say it was built in World War 2 by Americans who camped on the site, using the area for resupply and recuperation. One thing is certain—that old cement pond is still standing strong after all these decades.

And so are the people of the village. Most are from the Goilala tribe in Central Province. A few dozen come each week and sit with us under the big shade tree as we sing songs, read Scripture, pray, and preach the Gospel. Some sit on cardboard, some on the roots of the tree, others on the edge of the pool. The children know a few bible songs, but few adults do. Yet they come, and they listen.

The people of Swimming Pool Village with our friends Steve & Selena

We are working our way from Creation to the Cross. We have taught about the origins of sin and the judgment of God, repeatedly showing it is God Himself who makes a way of salvation for the people in each lesson. We have also walked through John 3:16 and Romans 3:23 and Romans 5:8 and Romans 10:9-13. They sit quietly, listening to the Word. When we open up for questions, some have sincere questions that demonstrate they are grasping the Gospel. Thus far, one man has trusted Christ. Pray that there will soon be many more who join him.

I know I said in our last update that I’d talk about the translation project, but I’ll save that for later. I did finish Hebrews at the end of December, and right now I’m working through Romans. More on this later. I promise!

We’ve also been blessed to see some dear people profess faith in Christ lately in church meetings, and we are encouraged in the spiritual growth of those with whom we labor. Thank the Lord for the work He does in all of our hearts.

I love the public reading of Scripture! Shalom Baptist Church does it every service.

We continue to covet your prayers for Lena. At present she has serious issues with pain, and under her doctor’s care, she is making cautious re-use of NSAID medicines because of serious complications she had a few months back. In spite of her pain, her help in our study bible project has been amazing. Her care and feeding of our 15-person translation team is such a joy to her each week. She did a big Christmas meal for them in addition to the regular weekly spread she sets before us. I am so grateful to the Lord for my wonderful helper in the ministry!

Christmas dinner 2024 with our translation checking team

Thank you all for standing with us, and for your prayers for the Lord’s work here.

Praising God for His Grace and Goodness,
John & Lena Allen
Psalm 71:18

Enjoy some photos from the last few weeks!

Our weekly Faith Family meeting in Boroko

Boot Camp for Youth January 2025
with Pastor Tau Abary & Pastor Holmes Tako

Pray When You Know…Pray When You Don’t

Posted on December 1, 2024 by John Allen

Praying for Lena: Your prayers for Lena have made a difference! Since our update in September, many have messaged us that they are praying for Lena’s health. We are so pleased to say that we have seen a great improvement! At present she is stronger than a few weeks ago, and we thank the Lord for it. Please keep praying!

Praying for the Ministry: Your prayers for our ministry have borne fruit too. The Lord has given me the privilege to speak in four conferences across the island since August.

After a men’s camp in Lae, I was privileged to be part of the National Pastors’ Conference in Mendi, Southern Highlands. The conference was well-attended, the messages were helpful, and it was good to see the increasing unity among our Baptist churches. Pastor Rex Lahari and Mendi Independent Baptist Church were great hosts. They are a light in a rough place—a very beautiful place far out in the mountains, but in such need for gospel transformation. Some men and preachers from the church took us around the day before the conference to see all the churches around the district where the Gospel is going forth. Praise the Lord for their faithfulness!

A week after that, I spoke at a conference in Lampo, Eastern Highlands, on topics related to Jewish missions and connections between Israel and our Christian faith. We had many decisions, including some who professed faith in Christ. Pastor Ricky Mongo has been there at Exodus Baptist Church for decades, faithfully reaching his community and loving the people.

Last week I was in Lae for the “Iron Sharpeneth Iron” conference hosted by Pastor Michael Saka and Tent City Baptist Church. It was a good conference, and I was glad to have a part. And then, right after the Wednesday evening service, my phone began buzzing incessantly…

Praying in the Chaos: That Wednesday evening at 9:15 pm, our church and school campus in Port Moresby was attacked by at least 21 armed men. Lena and our daughter Selly were spared the assault because by God’s grace they were able to get away from a gunman and lock the door to our house. Our dear friends and co-laborers on campus suffered worse, but thankfully, no one was seriously injured physically. They are working through the trauma of the attack; please remember them all in prayer for healing in that manner. There is a good bit of property damage, but we all know that things can be repaired or replaced.

Praising God for the Outpouring of Love and Support: As I was on the phone with Lena during the event and for a good while afterward, she told me of how many vehicles—15-seat buses, pickups, and Land Cruisers, all filled with men—were pouring in to secure our campus. They just kept coming! Not many of them were police—most were our staff drivers and their friends, along with supporters of South Pacific International Academy, the school Matt and Becky started here many years ago. Vehicle headlights were everywhere, and flashlights shone back and forth, as men searched the campus and the area in the undeveloped land around the campus. It was a comforting sight and an encouragement to her heart.

Matt and some of our young men (who are also part of our Saturday translation group) bravely fought back against the attackers and drove them away. I’m thankful for a son and young men like these, who risked their lives to keep our people safe.

And Keep Praying: Your prayers will see more fruit in the days to come. On the Sunday before the attack, Matt baptized 26 new believers at Capital City Baptist Church. On the Sunday after the attack, Matt and some of our young men headed over to the shanty village where the criminals have been living. This time Matt didn’t go with the police—he went with the Gospel, and he and our guys were well received. Pray with us that the people of Baruni Dump Village (next to the city dump) will open their hearts to the good news of salvation found in the loving sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praising God for His Grace and Goodness,
John & Lena Allen
Psalm 71:18

PS—Watch for good news in our next update regarding progress in our
Bible translation projects!

Just Normal, Everyday Things for Us

Posted on September 11, 2024 by John Allen

A Python in the Translation Office: One day our maintenance guys were checking the air conditioner when they discovered a three-foot python living there. He had resided there a good while; and no, I had no idea. The snake has since found “other accommodations.”

A Broken Bridge: On a recent trip to Lae City, I crossed the Yalu River bridge just a couple of hours before it collapsed, leaving me (and many others) stuck on the opposite side of the river from my flight home. It was a big deal, as this bridge serves to connect all of the Highlands of PNG with the port of Lae. (Thank the Lord, I was able to get to my flight by crossing back over the river in a Land Cruiser driven by a good brother…)

With the Yalu bridge down, people and vehicles crossed through the Yalu River

Kamea New Testament: Even with a snake hiding in the office, July was a fantastic month for us translating the Kamea New Testament. Pastor Ben spent two weeks here while we read through corrections of our previous work in all four Gospels, plus we read through (word-by-word) the Kamea translation of 2 Corinthians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 Timothy! We will update you more later on our progress, but snake or no snake, the Kamea translation is getting close to being finished!

Men’s Meeting: I got to Lae before the bridge collapsed in time to speak several times at Calvary Baptist Church’s Men’s Camp. It was a great time in the Word of God, with 20 men making professions of faith, and many others making decisions. I relish the fellowship of these dear brothers on the other side of the island. Yalu Bridge may have collapsed, but God made a bridge for many during the meeting!

Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby: BBIPOM held its second graduation in August. Both of our 2024 graduates have already been active full-time in their local churches’ school ministries. Janelle teaches here at South Pacific International Academy, and Preacher David is in Western Province in PNG right now preaching a youth camp!

BBIPOM 2024 Graduates David Yuro and Janelle Kila

BBIPOM is already five weeks into our new semester, with many visitors attending our Tuesday evening classes on “Marriage and the Home.” We count it a privilege to have a part in gospel preaching, Bible translation, leadership training, and family building!

An Illness: Lena has had a difficult time these last several weeks with various health issues. After some internal bleeding, her hemoglobin dropped to 8.1, and she has had back-to-back infections. The blood issue seems to be healed, but as she recovers from that, the infections continue.

Not everything in life, even on the mission field, is victory and bliss. Sometimes our wise Lord chooses a more difficult path for us to walk, that He may get the glory and be our all in all. In God’s sovereign plan for us, these health issues are what they are, and they remind us that God is good, all the time.

With that said, Lena and I covet your earnest prayers for her health. We have no plans to leave the field. We are grateful for the Lord’s gift to us of a good doctor here in Port Moresby. What we need are those who will partner with us in prayer daily on our behalf. With all that we see the Lord doing, we can see why the level of spiritual opposition is high. The adversary doesn’t want God’s Word translated into another unwritten language; he doesn’t want more people saved and stirred; and he doesn’t want more ministers trained for the work. We believe the Lord has given us this work for this season, and we believe He has given you to us as partners.

We concur with a good brother of mine, who says, “We continue to have need of nothing except your prayers.” Will you pray for us specifically, daily, that we can keep running our race here, and running it well? For those friends who can and will partner with us in this prayer, we thank you!

Pressing on by His Grace and Goodness,
John & Lena Allen
Psalm 71:18

Here are some more photos from the last two months:

We had a wonderful meeting of Baptist Leaders in PNG at the end of August. Pray with us for this to develop into a furtherance of Gospel advance in PNG and beyond.

Men’s Camp at Calvary Baptist Church, Lae

BBIPOM Classes for the Fall Term 2024

At the beginning of September there was a huge fire near our church campus. Our water delivery truck teams from the ministry here delivered water to the fire trucks to keep them on site fighting the fire. Over 230 new vehicles in an import storage yard were destroyed in this “brush fire” gone wild. The quick work of the water truck teams kept the fire from spreading to the offices and warehouses.

REACHING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE

Posted on July 3, 2024 by John Allen

Reaching People Where They Are

This has been as varied a ministry season for us as I can remember. In April I finished teaching classes on church history at Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby and headed to Amman, Jordan to teach at the Biblical Theological Seminary.

The trip itself was eventful, at least all around us. As we flew to Dubai, Iran was launching armed drones west over Jordanian airspace. As we passed through Dubai, they experienced record flooding—and so did we. (Dubai is in a desert…lots of rain is not really their thing.)

It was my second trip to teach Ecclesiology (Doctrine of the Church) at BTS, but this time I got to teach for a week without my Bible or my notes, as our bags got lost in the craziness in Dubai. BTS had my notes from last time, but alas, the notes were already translated into Arabic and not much help to me. We made do until the Lord graciously gave us our suitcases with my Bible and notes.

Bill and Ghassan and their families are great hosts, and are doing a great work for the Lord in a difficult place. They just purchased their own building after 20-plus years, so now the church and seminary can have a permanent home.

The in-class students were from different countries in the Middle East. There were also two students following along online from another country in the region. It humbles me to have the opportunity to teach these dear brethren; and I, too, learned from them.

After finishing up in Amman, we crossed the Jordan and spent four days in Israel shooting video and photos to use in future videos in Tok Pisin for our people in PNG. We made similar videos back in 2013, and they have been widely distributed. It is such a help for our people to actually see what the lands of the Bible look like!

After arriving in the USA in May, we headed up to Dearborn, Michigan, to be with Pastor Chris Staub. Dearborn is home to the largest concentration of Arabic people in the US. How exciting it was to learn that Bro. David Gates is there working with Silvery Lane Baptist Church to reach the 80% majority of Arabic people right around the church! Other Baptist churches have moved out of that area, but Pastor Staub and his people are staying put and reaching those whom God has sent.

Being in Jordan and Israel reminded me how hard it is when you cannot share the Gospel because you don’t speak the language. It does, however, make me press in and use the languages I know to tell the old, old story!

Thinking back this year, there have been different places as well as different people…

…like walking through the Gospel with David as I drove him to the bus stop
…or giving out Bibles and a testimony to Tony and his workmates at the gas pump
…or sharing with Thaddeus about what Christ has done for him while waiting for the 4 AM bus to come
…or the many times Teresa has visited our home, and heard a Gospel presentation.

While I haven’t seen David, or Tony, or Thaddeus again, I did hear that Teresa trusted Christ just a couple weeks ago. Whether we are sowing or watering or reaping the harvest; whether we are in Port Moresby or Amman or Dearborn; we are laborers together with God in the great business of building His church!

Pressing on by His Grace and Goodness,
John & Lena Allen
Psalm 71:18

More photos below:

Flooding in the streets of Dubai as we passed through–deserts are not supposed to flood

We are in the process of producing short videos for YouTube of biblical sites in Israel and Jordan. They will be in Tok Pisin, the trade language of Papua New Guinea. We will let you know as they release.

Sunset over the Dead Sea, looking from Jordan over to Israel

Shooting a video in Tok Pisin at the site where Jesus was baptized at Bethany beyond Jordan

Tell Al Hammam, the biblical location of Sodom & Gomorrah in Jordan

WHEN LOVE LOOKS LIKE A PINEAPPLE

Posted on March 27, 2024 by John Allen

March 2024

For almost eleven years Lena and I lived at Kunai in the remote mountains of Gulf Province, PNG. In the Wenna Valley the ground was not very fertile, so our people did most of their gardening (their only food source) on the other side of the mountains that surrounded us.

But one thing grew quite well in our valley: Pineapples. When they were in season, you could get a juicy one for a few cents. We ate a lot of pineapple in those days, and loved it!

Living in the capital now is quite different. Pineapples brought in from great distances can cost upwards of $5.00 each—and they don’t taste nearly as good.

One of our young Kamea men from Kotidanga Baptist Church, Ryan, lives here on the church and school campus, while working as an apprentice electrician. His grandfather passed away last month, so Ryan caught a truck to Kerema (7 hours away) and then hiked two and a half days back through the mountains to Kunai.

Ryan grew up in Kotidanga, and we’ve known him ever since we arrived here over sixteen years ago. He continues to be a faithful Christian, serving the Lord in the church here, and helping us as one of our bible translation checkers. His dad and mom are still members of the church back in Kotidanga. His dad is a village leader. His mom worked with Lena at Kunai Health Centre, where Lena trained her to read microscope slides to look for malaria and tuberculosis.

For a lot of the young people here, we get to be Mama and Papa. Counseling, encouraging, witnessing to lost friends they bring over to our house. Some of the young people are our Bible college students.

After Ryan returned, he brought us word of how the believers are doing back in the village. We were able to share with him that another of the youth with whom Ryan grew up, Judas, is finishing up his Bible school training this year with Bro. Wil Muldoon, and plans to return to the area to minister among the Kamea people.

When Ryan hiked back from Kotidanga, he carried this pineapple and two large cucumbers for us. They added at least another 8 pounds to his load, which he gently carried for two and a half days as he hiked down out of the mountains. All because he knew that Mama Lena and Papa John love Kunai pineapples and cucumbers.

That’s how love looks like a pineapple.

FRUIT THAT REMAINS

Pineapples aren’t the only fruit that grew at Kunai. Over the years many people were saved, and trained, and nurtured. Some of the youth, like Ryan, Braxstone, Caleb, and Selestine have gone on to become blessings in the church here in Port Moresby.

Our son Matt’s ministry at Capital City Baptist has had many people saved in the last several weeks. Resurrection Sunday will see many of these following the Lord in believer’s baptism. Lena had the joy of leading a lady to Christ at CCBC this last weekend.

I had the privilege to teach and preach a Biblical Preaching Conference for Pastor Michael Saka in Lae in February. Then in March we had the joy of being with Pastor Camillus Kumbi and Missionary Kenny Seremak for a three-day meeting to kick off their new Bible school year. Thank the Lord for the ministries around our nation who invest in training men and ladies for ministry. And thank you for partnering with us in the work the Lord has given us!

Pressing on by His Grace and Goodness,
John & Lena Allen
Psalm 71:18

Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby: bbipom.com

Our old Boroko Faith Family meeting place on Wednesday nights.

Below: The Biblical Preaching Conference in Lae (at Tent Siti Baptist Church) had time during the day sessions for everyone to practice what they were learning in reading and comprehending the biblical texts assigned.

Below: Praise the Lord for our BBIPOM students and graduates. Some have developed into skillful preachers of the Word. And thank God for students who will endure those hot evenings when we have power blackouts–which are quite frequent. (PC for some photos: Kidu Morea)

Below: Special moments of recent note.

Selestine’s birthday with the translation checking squad!

MUCH TO HOLD FAST

Posted on November 5, 2023 by John Allen

November 2023 click here for printable copy

“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me,
in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13)

In September we held our first commencement exercises for Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby. There were 18 in our pioneer class. They persevered through a pandemic and personal loss. They sat for many exams in a classroom, and took many exams online. They learned, they laughed, they loved, and they lived out their profession of faith in Christ Jesus. They did outreaches, held public evangelism, taught day school, taught Sunday school, and preached in markets and homes and pulpits. Some went to the Highlands; some went to the islands. The reason we call our graduation exercises a “commencement”is because it is not supposed to be the end, but it is supposed to be the beginning. The beginning of learning, the beginning of reaching people for Christ, the beginning of discipleship, the beginning of a fruitful life in service of our King!

Our students’ stories are varied. Each one is dear to Lena and me. Our prayer is that God will use them all for His glory and the advancement of the Gospel in PNG and among the peoples of the world.

Soon after graduation, we had the privilege of having our son Nate coming to speak for youth camp here at Capital City Baptist Church, where our son Matt pastors. Nate brought our grandson Graham, and it was a wonderful, busy, and fruitful time of ministry and fellowship. God did great things at youth camp and in our local church. Our BBIPOM students even enjoyed a luncheon meeting with Pastor Nate while he was here too. God is so good!

HOLD FAST THE FORM OF SOUND WORDS

Our world is very different than it was just a few short years ago. Deception and division continue to rise, faster than any time in living memory. Strong beliefs in the Truth are necessary if we are to live and lead effectively. Wishy-washy idealism will not inspire confidence in others.

It is vital that we “hold fast the form of sound words,” those core beliefs of Christianity such as inerrancy of the Scriptures, existence of a personal God, the Deity of Jesus Christ, the necessity of the redemption of man through the sinless atoning sacrifice of the blood of Christ, etc. But too often we blindly repeat what others say, rather than stating truths which we ourselves have studied, meditated on, and been transformed by. In the early stages of our Christian life, it was good that we found others whom we could trust and lean upon for our foundation. But as we mature, we must “Prove all things; [and] hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thes. 5:21) In our present world with its constant challenges to historical, biblical Christian beliefs, we must have sound, biblical answers for ourselves and for those who ask a reason of the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15).

We must have a Bible-based theology to lead God’s people in an effective manner in these tumultuous days. We must be students of the Word of God. We must love it and search it and believe it and wrestle with texts that are difficult. The Word is our bedrock as shifting winds of culture blow against our beliefs and our faith in God. It must be the Word of God that points our people to Him as they navigate these same storms.

I am unapologetically dispensational in my theological outlook for the future. The Word of God and two eyes open to the world around us scream that this is unlike any time in world history. One could argue that such-and-such has happened repeatedly in human history, that there is “nothing new under the sun.” What one cannot ignore is that these things have never come to pass so concurrently on a global scale. Just think of the governmental instabilities, the military alliances, the rampant rise in anti-Jewish sentiment around the world, and the promotions of wickedness as normal; plus inconceivable advances in AI technology…we have never seen such a surging toward the end as we see it now. Even a cursory reading of eschatology (Ezekiel 38-39, Matthew 24, Revelation 6-18) gives one pause as to where we are headed.

We must know what we believe. To know what we believe, we must study the Word and learn from those who went before us, those whose testimony is biblical, faithful, and sure.

Hold fast what you know is true. Be ready to go or to stay. And be sure to keep telling others about Jesus.

Pressing on by His Grace and Goodness,
John & Lena Allen
Hebrews 12:1-2

BBIPOM: bbipom.com