Category Archives: Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby

Just Normal, Everyday Things for Us

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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.”

Jeffrey and the snake

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!

Calvary’s Men’s Camp August 2024

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

Calvary’s Men’s Camp August 2024

BBIPOM Classes for the Fall Term 2024

BBIPOM Fall 2024 Semester
Marriage & Home class is attended by many visitors

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.

WHEN LOVE LOOKS LIKE A PINEAPPLE

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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.
Our new covered Boroko Faith Family facility! Thank the Lord for a roof over our heads.

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)

Preacher Materua Tamarua
Preacher Sogona Sebea
Blackout…again.

Below: Special moments of recent note.

Selestine’s birthday with the translation checking squad!
Bro. Vali Kila receives his Strong’s Concordance marking his finishing his first year of Bible college.
Preaching at Shalom Baptist, January 2024. (PC Kidu Morea)
Preaching at Baptist Temple, Mt. Hagen, March 2024.
Raja the cat sometimes gets tired from all this study and prep work…
January 10, 2024–Port Moresby was subjected to violent looting and burning of stores. Many people died, including here at this store–which is right across the street from Shalom Baptist Church. (PC Ps. Tau Abary)

MUCH TO HOLD FAST

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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

Pastor Nate, Papa John, Bro Phil Parry, & Pastor Matt, Christian Life Seminar at CCBC Youth Camp 2023
Joe Obaha
Janice Obaha
Lawrence Jauai
Roselyn Jauai accepting her late mother’s diploma
Ikoi Maraga
Christina Iruru
Our valedictorian, Flynn Domara
Kidu Gore Morea
Materua Tamerua
Faith Bible Institute (FBI) comprises three years’ worth of lectures and thousands of pages of reading and study.
Bro. Erick Bala graduated from FBI in September.
Pastor Justin Wohuinangu and Pastor Tau Abary
Pastor Tau and his wife Suzanne
Matt and Becky Allen and Braxstone and Brianna Yansom
Sogona & Maureen Sebea
Materua & Patricia Tamerua
Lucy Saisagu & her son, Flynn Domara
Roselyn Jauai and her father, Lawrence
Janice & Joe Obaha
Happy ladies!

INVESTMENTS

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Now also when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, forsake me not;
until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation,
and thy power to every one that is to come.
(Psalm 71:18)

Every one of us is the product of those who invest in us over the years. I’m very thankful for those whom the Lord continues to bring into my life to mentor me, as well as those He has sent in decades gone by. I’m also quite aware that fewer and fewer of my mentors are still around (on this side) for the journey ahead. I’ve mentioned before the great impact my pastor, Dr. Don Mangus, had on our lives. I’d like to speak about two other men who helped me grow in the Lord in my early years.

As young people in an ACE Christian school in Daytona Beach in the mid-70s, Lena and I had the blessing of having Norm and Mary Pettus as our high school principal and class supervisor. They invested much in us in those early years of our Christian lives. It was in high school that I first came to faith in the Lord Jesus, and it was “Mr. P” (as I still refer to him) who taught me the basic principles of the Christian life that are still part of my walk with the Lord. I did not come from a Christian home, so it was Mr. P who modeled for me how to be a Christian husband and leader. He took time with me and other young men to mature us in life and in the faith. I doubt he had any idea how far his influence would spread, but right after I graduated from high school, the soldiers who came to Christ during my first years of Army service were fruit added to his account. The memory of his teaching us, loving us, and being a mentor to us still lingers in my mind. By God’s grace, we still stay in touch on social media. Mr. and Mrs. P have been encouragers to us all through our journey, and we praise the Lord for them.

Just a few short weeks ago, another of my early mentors paid us a visit here. Our son Matt invited Bro. James Griggers to PNG after he had been in Australia for some meetings. Bro. Griggers and I go back to 1980 when I was a soldier stationed in Germany. He was a missionary who came to help another missionary who was helping our fledgling military church. Bro. Griggers taught me how to soul-win properly and he explained to me the first principles of theology I ever learned. We GIs would get together with the missionaries and laugh, eat, pray, worship, and talk of the things of the Lord.

A few years after we moved back to the US, Bro.Griggers joined our church and became one of our missionaries. That kept me in even closer contact with him, and over the years I had the privilege of traveling with him in meetings. In 2001 I became pastor of Landmark, and Bro.Griggers immediately taught me the principle of humility—because my elder mentor was now under my pastoral care. His letter to me expressing his submission to the authority of his new pastor has stayed with me. Even today, when I teach on spiritual humility, I often use Bro. Griggers in that instance as my example.
Bro. Griggers & Capital City Baptist Church Pastoral Staff

His visit here last month allowed him to see firsthand both Matt’s ministry and ours. He got to meet many of our BBIPOM students at a luncheon given in his honor, where he gave his testimony and spoke about faithfulness in ministry. He sat with our translation checking team on a Saturday evening and listened to them as they discussed nuances of language. He preached for the church here and in Christian school chapel. And we fellowshipped together—now as older saints remembering the goodness and glory of God in years and places gone by, while rejoicing that God is doing even greater things today.

In a few days our first BBIPOM graduating class will receive their diplomas. Though Mr. P and Bro. Griggers will not be here in person, their investment continues to multiply in the lives of these graduates. May we be grateful to all those who have poured into us, and may we be faithful to pass along what we have received.  (2 Timothy 2:2)
Pressing on by His Grace and Goodness,
John & Lena Allen
Hebrews 12:1-2
Deacon Kidu with Lena, John, & Bro. Griggers (PC Kidu Morea)
Bro. Griggers with Kidu, John, and Pastor Justin
Enjoying a great meal and fellowship!
Bro. Griggers speaks to the students & pastors
Norm & Mary Pettus

In July I had the privilege of teaching again in India. Glory to God for the time with the students and with some choice pastors and servants of the Lord.

RUNNING THE RACE WELL

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July 2023

“…let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus..”
(Hebrews 12:1b-2a

Lately I have been reminded that our lives are so much like races to be run. Some races have stages to run, each with its own beginning and ending. In every race, how you finish is as important as how you start and how you run. As has been said, “Anyone can start, but who will finish?”

FINISHING WELL

Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby’s first group of 17 students completed their 3 ½ years of study in mid-May. They learned from God’s Word, gleaned practical principles, and applied themselves in many different ministries. They also developed perseverance, overcame obstacles (including the pandemic, blackouts, floods, and fighting in their streets), and still completed their course with joy. I am blessed to have a part in their lives, and I thank the Lord for each of them.

RUNNING WELL

In April we held our second BBIPOM Conference, this one focusing on biblical preaching. It was well attended by pastors from Port Moresby, Central Province, and Gulf Province. Pray that we will be able to host more of these conferences each year.

During our trip to the US, we were able to visit churches in several states. Thank the Lord for those of you who faithfully serve the Lord through trials of affliction and keep finding ways to reach people with the Gospel. Lena and I were challenged by the spirit we found in you dear pastors and your people.

A highlight of the trip was being able to minister at our home church, after which I had the privilege of baptizing two of our high school-aged grandchildren, Beth and Abe. What an honor for a granddad!

We were also able to visit our son Nate and the new church plant in Indiana. Nate’s family and Dave’s family live within an hour’s drive of each other, so we were able to be with all of them. God has blessed us with a wonderful family (in the US and PNG) who love the Lord and His people.

BEGINNING WELL

Do we not enjoy finding those who are starting out serving the Lord? Seeing new believers begin walking in the truth and acquiring a hunger for the Lord and His Word is always exciting! Some of these are students at BBIPOM, others are high school students or graduates with a heart for the Lord. Praise the Lord for each one!

Our grandson Ben graduated from high school at our home church, and it was my privilege to be asked to speak at the commencement. Praise the Lord, no greater joy!

LOOKING UNTO JESUS

There are many dear ones who finish the race well. One of our dear students at BBIPOM, Sister Flora, finished her course a few months ago, graduating ahead of her husband and her class. Grief is the portion of those left to keep running; but the “well done” of the Savior was the greeting as our sister crossed the line, safely home.

Benjamin Luke and his family in April 2022

Some of you will remember a dear brother from our ministry days up in the mountains. Benjamin Luke became a paraplegic from TB. He trusted Christ over a decade ago and was a testimony to everyone who visited him. He suffered greatly in his affliction, but thankfully Lena and the faithful Kunai Health Centre staff were able to minister to him and alleviate some of that pain. Even when we moved to the capital, Ben continued to call us every couple of weeks from his hut on the top of a mountain. Just a few weeks ago Ben finished his course. He could not run with his legs for many years, but wow, I imagine he is running now! We will always remember him praying for us on the phone, for Lena’s health and for the blessing of God on the ministry. You ran well, my brother. Enjoy your new legs, and run to Jesus!

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

Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby:  bbipom.com

Enjoy some pictures from the last couple of months!

BBIPOM Conference photos:

Here are some pictures of our Saturday night translation checking squad:

We had a great meal and fellowship when we ended the semester at BBIPOM in May:

Here is Lena with Margaret and her son Alex. Margaret and Lena worked together for years at Kunai Health Centre. Margaret and Alex both went on to study and graduate as community health workers (think LPN in the US). We are so proud of their hearts to serve the Lord and their people!

SEEING THE LORD’S HAND

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…IN MERCY: We’ve all had a phone call…you know, the one that sets your heart pounding, mind racing, and hopefully, prayers flying. We got one of those calls in January. Pastor Ben’s wife, Anjuda, had delivered her baby early in a remote area and was in bad shape. Thankfully, she was near the highway from Kerema to Port Moresby, having come down from their village in the mountains. Our son Matt took one of our Bible school students, Braxstone, and Pastor Ben’s oldest daughter Selestine, and they sped off on an overnight trip to find Anjuda and the baby, and to bring them back to Port Moresby. Almost 14 hours after they left, after bouncing on the potholed road, avoiding a couple of attempted road blocks/car jackings, and having the truck stoned, they returned to meet us at the hospital. Anjuda took two units of blood; and by God’s grace, she recovered! The little baby boy also recovered quickly as well. Praise the Lord for His care of Matt, Braxstone, and Sele as they made the trip to literally save Anjuda’s life. And better yet—after recovering with us here at our home for several more days, Pastor Ben’s family was able to head back to their village.

Braxstone, Pastor Ben, Anjuda & baby, & Selestine

Not everything here is that dramatic, praise the Lord. The day-in, day-out routines of life are where we all live. For us it is two evenings of Bible college, one evening of translation checking, Wednesday evening Bible study in Boroko, plus daytime work on the translation projects, weekly preparation for preaching and teaching, and discipleship.

…IN OUTREACH: Some of our Bible college students spent December and January in outreach ministries at a distance from here. One went with another preacher to Southern Highlands Province, filling in at churches without pastors. Another went to the island of Bougainville, where he began three separate ministries in a few weeks. The door is open in so many places here, and we are working to get more laborers trained as we help them catch the vision! It is good to see the growth in spiritual maturity among our students, as well as seeing some begin to get a good grasp on handling the Word of God well in their study and in preaching and teaching!

Preacher Flynn preaching at Shalom Baptist (PC Pastor Tau Abary)

…IN TRAINING: Recently I was privileged to hold a Biblical Preaching Workshop for pastors on the other side of the island in Lae, hosted by Pastor Michael Saka. Most of these laborers preach and teach in Tok Pisin, so we adapted the materials for them. They are really hungry to learn and preach the Word!

Practical work in studying a text at the Biblical Preaching Workshop

Then we had a Workers’ Training Seminar for Pastor Tau Abary here in the city. It was packed with experienced and prospective workers for their classes and ministries. Thank the Lord for those who desire to serve and dedicate themselves to it!

Shalom Workers’ Training
Lunch break!

Last week we were in Mt. Hagen with Pastor Camillus Kumbi and Missionary Kenny Seremak for the kick-off of their new Bible institute. It was encouraging to be with their prospective students and supporting pastors. We had great responses in each of the meetings. I look forward to hearing good things from this new partnership of churches in the Highlands.

Baptist Temple in Mt. Hagen–home of the new Highlands Baptist Bible Institute
Preaching at Baptist Temple
Bro. Kenny Seremak heads up HBBI

…IN BLESSING: One last thing—can I brag on my wife? While walking through life as a grandmother to 10, and living with an oftentimes frustrating and painful disease, she manages to be a huge blessing. She’s my assistant in our Bible college classes, she balances her food budget to feed the whole crew of our weekly translation checks, and then washes dishes so we can go directly into the Word. I don’t know how it goes at your place, but at ours, an RN with a PhD fixes dinner, waits on guests, and washes dishes.

Papa John, Mama Lena, & Pastor Ben’s daughter, Selestine. Sele is living with us while she finishes her high school training, and is also enrolled in our Bible Institute.

We have an even busier schedule in the weeks to come. Pray we can do it all, and do it well, for the glory of God!

Pressing on by His Grace & Goodness,
John & Lena Allen
Philippians 1:27

Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby:   bbipom.com

Enjoy the photos!

Mama and Papa with the Seremak family in Mt. Hagen
Bro. Kenny, Papa John, Pastor Camillus
Shelly (Ps Camillus’ wife), Mama Lena, and Sheila & Joanna Seremak
Pastor Matt Allen & Braxstone Yansom, who is both a Bible college student at BBIPOM and a pastoral intern at Capital City Baptist in Port Moresby
BBIPOM, no blackout
BBIPOM, blackout–class must go on
Bible translation checks in Proverbs

CONFERENCE SEASON

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For printable copy, click here.

The ending of pandemic restrictions gave us back the joy of meeting together with the brethren in three conferences in the last three months.

NATIONAL PASTORS’ CONFERENCE

The local Baptist churches in Port Moresby co-hosted the national conference under the leadership of Pastor Paul Lahari at Bible Baptist, and they did a good job of it. BBC provided the venue and lots of ever-present assistance, and many churches from the city joined hands to take turns cooking the meals, feeding the crowd, and leading the services. Thank the Lord for being able to hear the Word preached and to fellowship with some brothers we haven’t seen in years.

Evening Session of National Pastors’ Conference 2022

BBIPOM CONFERENCE
Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby hosted its first annual conference right on the heels of the National Conference. It was so good to see our students looking sharp as we enjoyed the teaching from Pastor Cranston Knowles from the Bahamas and Pastor Ed Thierbach from the USA.

A highlight of the conference was the round-table discussion by the more seasoned PNG pastors regarding balancing ministry and family. It was a blessing to our students and to the pastors in attendance. We trust the Lord will allow us to continue holding these special meetings.

Pastors’ Panel at BBIPOM Conference


IRON SHARPENETH IRON CONFERENCE

In early November I spent a few days in Lae City, PNG, where I was honored to be part of the “Iron Sharpeneth Iron” Conference hosted by Pastor Michael Saka of Tent Siti Baptist Church. There were several dozen pastors in attendance, plus many of their wives.

I was privileged to speak alongside Missionary Pastor Dala Momo (from PNG, who serves among the Aboriginal people of Australia). It was a biblically sound, theologically rich conference that God used to speak straight to our hearts. It was definitely a time of refreshing and challenge!

Pastor Dala teaching a day session

PRESSING IN & PRESSING ON

I want to thank all of you who have labored with us in prayer for Lena’s health. This has been a long, difficult season for us. Recently she has seen some relief, and has actually started to feel alive. We do not take this for granted, and we definitely praise the Lord for it.

Having just taught on prayer in Bible college here, and also teaching on it currently in our Wednesday evening fellowship meetings in Boroko, I am all the more aware that the answers we get from the Lord in answer to prayer are pure grace. He calls us to pray; but more than that, He calls us to trust. What rich lessons we have been learning by experience about trust—and what encouraging lessons we have been learning about God’s providence and wisdom. Difficult seasons test and prove our faithfulness to God, but more importantly, they build our faith in His faithfulness to us.

Please continue to pray for us. The harvest is great, and the open doors are many. In two weeks, Lena and I will celebrate 45 years of being married, with one-third of that time being in PNG. 40 years of our marriage has been invested in full-time ministry. There is much to do here for our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Keep praying for us!

Because He Is,
John & Lena Allen
Philippians 1:27

Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby:  bbipom.com

Enjoy some pictures from recent weeks here in PNG! [PC: some by Pastor Tau Abary, others by John & Lena Allen]

Pastor Dala teaching during the frequent evening power blackouts.
Pastor Ben Samauyo, our village pastor from Kotidanga (and lead translator on the Kamea New Testament) with Pastor Cranston Knowles from the Bahamas. Ps Cranston and his wife Susanna were a GREAT blessing to all of our people when they were here. He spoke at Capital City Baptist Church’s Youth Conference, the National Pastors’ Conference, the BBIPOM Conference, and at Capital City Baptist and Shalom Baptist. We are so grateful for his ministry among us here.
Our Kamea kids came in for the Youth Conference here at our son Matt’s church. So good to see them–and to host some of them while they were here!
Malcolm and his wife Metiyai have been friends of ours since we moved to PNG in March 2008. Malcolm worked with Missionary Tom Palmer on the translation of the Hamtai New Testament, and Malcolm has always been an encouragement in our Kamea project.
In 2009 Dr. Micah Yawing was deputy director for Morobe Province Health Department. He wrote one letter and made one phone call–and from that our Kunai Health Centre received whatever government medicines were available, for the next 13 years until we closed in late 2021. When our own province refused to help, Dr. Micah stepped in and opened great doors of supply for us. I saw him in Lae at the conference; we had not seen one another in nearly 15 years.
Pastor Tau and me with our new BBIPOM banner
Typical class night at BBIPOM
Ps Cranston speaking to our students
Our dear Sister Sarah Glover served the Kamea and PNG people from April 2010 through September 2022. It was a blessing to honor her service at the BBIPOM Conference. God is doing great things through Sarah!

Translating, Teaching, and Training

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June 2022 Click here for printable copy

Bible Translation Read-Through

Three weeks ago, Pastor Ben, Yali, and I spent several days reading the Kamea translation of the Book of Revelation aloud.

Yali, Pastor Ben, Papa John doing a read-through of Revelation in the Kamea language

Our Bible translation process involves multiple steps. First, I prepare a front translation in Tok Pisin with notes regarding meanings in the text. Then Pastor Ben translates it into Kamea. When he finishes a section, he gives it to Yali, who translates it back into Tok Pisin to see if anything was missed or could be misunderstood. The final step is reading the text out loud together to see how it sounds. We’ve done that with every book we’ve translated.

Last verse in the Kamea translation of Revelation

This was our final draft check of this book, and we catch a lot more when there are three of us listening to it being read. Sorry to say, we didn’t get any special insights into the interpretation of the book, but we did deliberate over terminology. A translator’s work is to translate with as little interpretation as is possible. A hard part in Revelation is describing the things John sees. Just as we English readers find it hard to imagine some of these beasts, it is just as hard to figure out how to describe it without putting an interpretation on it.

Bible College Students

A few weeks ago, we finished another term of Bible college. These students are such a blessing! As part of their Bible college training, their home church pastors mentor them as much as is possible. I am grateful for the opportunities the men get to preach and teach, both in the marketplace and in the pulpit.

BBIPOM End of 1st term 2022

To attend BBIPOM, our students must have their pastor’s recommendation, and he must agree to train them…plus, our new students have to pay up front. We already have 30 students paid and registered for our next term! Pray for this ministry, and for these great servants of God.

Bible Training Materials

A pet project of ours for a while now has been a Tok Pisin Study Bible. The idea was born out of our translation work in the village, as our men shared how they would like to learn the Book of Proverbs better. Many Baptist preachers in Papua New Guinea like to use a King James Bible, but like their American counterparts (that’s us, folks!) they have difficulty with some words, phrases, and idioms. It turned out that other pastors from our region and up in the Highlands had the same desire, so I began revising some Tok Pisin text and editing notes.

Draft copy of our Tok Pisin Study Bible: Proverbs

A couple months ago we printed Proverbs, our first book of the study bible project. It has been distributed selectively so far in order to get more feedback on the notes and the text. It has been good to have nationals and missionaries working with us on it. My wife and some friends have helped type up more notes for other Bible books, and some notes have already been translated. This is a long-term project, but we hope it will be a good tool for anyone interested in learning the Word.

The ministries here in Port Moresby have seen souls saved and more commitment among the saints of late. Pray for God to continue to do His mighty work among us!

Thank you for your continued prayers for us, and for helping us stay in the work.

Gratefully yours in Christ Jesus,
John & Lena Allen
2 Thessalonians 3:1

Enjoy some more photos from the last couple of months here in Port Moresby:

Pastor Tau & Flynn Domara
Pastor Tau & Sogona Sebea
Braxstone & Brianna

These are some of our students doing ministry–proud of them all! All three of these young men are preachers, and Brianna is one of the Christian School teachers in our son’s ministry in Port Moresby.

BBIPOM Ladies
Some of the BBIPOM Men
Joe, Loita, and Glynn. BBIPOM students and laborers in the ministry of South Pacific International Academy (PC Pastor Tau Abary)
Pastor Tau, Pastor Justin, and Papa John
(PC Pastor Tau Abary)
Our security dog, Teyla. OK, more pet than security dog. But she does bark really loudly!
Our songbook-holding cat, Raja.
The heavens declare the glory of God
And the firmament sheweth His handiwork

We have some beautiful mornings and evenings here in Port Moresby.
God’s glory is everywhere evident!

The Gospel IS the Power of God unto Salvation

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April 2022

Profitable Trip to Kunai

A few months ago there was a string of serious events that happened at Kunai involving the church, its leadership, and the community. It was serious enough that the missionaries felt it best to leave.

Early this month I was able to visit Kunai with my son Matt, who began that ministry back in 2004. Over a period of several days we met with the church and its leaders, as well as with the community.

Kotidanga Baptist Church properties look little changed from the last ten years. Beautiful place!

There were many things that needed to be repented of, and there was much to be settled in regards to the land on which the church and ministries are located.

It was more than evident that God had heard the prayers of His people, for He was well at work even before we arrived. We saw God move hearts that had often been obstinate against the ministries, and we saw God grant repentant hearts to many. We watched true spiritual reconciliation between church members and open reconciliation between community members. We had prayed that God would do “exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask or think”—and He did! It was evident that all the years of preaching and teaching God’s Word by national pastors and expat missionaries was not in vain, but rather it had found fertile ground that needed these trials to make it shine forth.

The invitation times during the preaching of the Word on Sunday brought many tearful souls to pray and confess their wrongs. And as if that was not enough, one dear friend, for whom we prayed and to whom many of us had witnessed for over a decade, put his total faith in Christ on that day! Truly, it was awesome to see God honor His Word among His people.

The church is now in a place where they are in the driver’s seat, as it were. Pray with us that there will be much fruit in the days ahead, and that perhaps we can see missionary partnership with that local church in the future, in reaching the Kotidanga region and in training our people!

Passover Conference in Port Moresby

I returned to Port Moresby just in time to preach a three-day Passover Conference at Shalom Baptist Church. This is our second year of the conference, a Bible conference that brings to light Old Testament truths which help us grasp New Testament doctrine surrounding the Lord’s Supper, His atoning sacrifice for our sins, and His glorious resurrection. Great highlights of the meeting included the one brother who came to Christ during the preaching, and the six young men who surrendered to ministry. Some of those are already attending classes at our Bible college! Praise the Lord!

Six young men surrendered for ministry!

Thank you for your continued friendship and fellowship in the Gospel ministry here in PNG. Please keep Lena’s health in your prayers as she is fighting with continual infections aggravated by her Lupus. She is pressing on through the problems, and is such a helper to me in the work here!

Because He Is,
John & Lena Allen
2 Thessalonians 3:1 

Click here for printable copy


Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby:  bbipom.com

Kotidanga Baptist Church
Kunai
Hiking to Mewari with Matt, Jon Amon, Judas Gideon, & Yali Tapuqueo.
Beautiful hiking day.
Don’t you love it when the photo doesn’t really show how hard the hike is? 🙂
I climbed with Yali up through the shadowed jungle on the left side of the ridge. Insane hike.
At Ben Luke’s house on top of the ridge, almost 5,000 feet elevation. And he is paraplegic! He grows all these onions himself. He’s an amazing brother in Christ.
Ben Luke and his wife Francesca (on his left) with their adopted baby, plus their children, grandbaby, and Ben’s mother, Elizabeth. They’ve been friends for many, many years.
John Mark sitting inside his new house. For being totally blind, he gets around in amazing fashion.
Yali & Patrisa, and their children Sina, Kalemi, & Willie
Here’s Kalemi when she’s not hiding behind the flowers.
This is Nancy. She worked for us at Kunai Health Centre. It was her husband who trusted Christ on the Sunday we were at Kunai. Their daughter Vila is also a miracle story from Kunai Health Centre.
This is Ilu, a new milk baby. She came with her parents Leonard & Leah.
Kunai from the air, looking northeast.
Send off by the elder landowners and three men from the church.

Beautiful Kerema town, capital of Gulf Province.
Nothing juicier than a Kamea pineapple!
Passover Conference with Pastor Tau Abary at Shalom Baptist Church.
Looking across the beautiful Tauri Valley to the multiple mountain ranges beyond.
Dawn at Kanabea Airstrip. May there be a new day dawning among our dear Kamea brethren!

October 2021

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This has been an interesting month for sure. Our nation has seen little of the ravages of COVID since the beginning of the pandemic, but that all changed a few weeks ago.

A new set of restrictions came down, but the only one that really affected us was maximum of 20 people in any meeting, including church and Bible school. Since the end of September, our students have been watching videos of the teaching on their own.

At the end of September, both Lena and I came down with the virus. At the time I am writing this, we are both back up and mostly normal (well, as normal as I can be, anyway). It was 19 days I’d rather not repeat again, ever.

Thank you all for praying for Lena’s Lupus, it did not seem to flare during her infection. She is still dealing with the effects of the Lupus, and as always, we appreciate your prayers for her.

Before everything went wonky for us, we were able to enjoy spending time with the Kunai team (Sam & Mary Beth, Sarah, Hannah-Rose) as they flew out here to the capital for their supply buy. Our new schoolteacher for Kotidanga Baptist Academy, Lizzie Adams, got out of her arrival quarantine at the same time, and we all were able to be together before they headed back to the village.

We were also able to attend a Missions Conference here in the city and a bride price ceremony for two of our students. Classes were really going well for BBIPOM, and we were averaging 70+ in attendance every week for our Marriage and Home class.

A group of people posing for a photo Description automatically generated
TJ, Sam, Bethany, Mary Beth, Leland, Hannah-Rose, Lizzie, Lena, & Sarah

We look forward to the abating of the virus and its deadly effects on our nation, plus lifting of the meeting restrictions soon. We are ready to get back to Bible college classes in person.

Thank you for standing with us and for helping to keep us here on the field. God bless you all!

Visit our Medical Clinic: www.KunaiHealthCentre.com

Visit our Bible College: www.BBIPOM.com