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.

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.

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!

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!