…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’ TrainingLunch 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 InstitutePreaching at Baptist TempleBro. 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. HagenBro. Kenny, Papa John, Pastor CamillusShelly (Ps Camillus’ wife), Mama Lena, and Sheila & Joanna SeremakPastor Matt Allen & Braxstone Yansom, who is both a Bible college student at BBIPOM and a pastoral intern at Capital City Baptist in Port MoresbyBBIPOM, no blackoutBBIPOM, blackout–class must go onBible translation checks in Proverbs
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 bannerTypical class night at BBIPOMPs Cranston speaking to our studentsOur 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!
These have been a busy few weeks, including a fast trip to the US and back (more about that later). But before I touch on our own matters, please indulge an older brother in the Lord for a moment. I don’t usually write long letters, so I’d appreciate it if you would take time to read this when you can.
I speak as a fool in saying this, but with over four decades of ministry behind me, I have some thoughts from my perspective regarding the state of the Lord’s church today. If working through them helps me, maybe it will help you too.
SPIRITUAL WARFARE
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)
As a whole, I don’t think we take seriously the spiritual warfare we are engaged in. The Scripture states clearly that the four categories of spiritual enemies are very real and very present. (This does not even include our daily battle with our own hearts’ desires for wrong things, nor our daily battle with a world that is not merely anti-Christian—it is increasingly “anti-Christ.”) In the spiritual world around us forces are at work that are utterly evil, relentlessly pursuing the silencing and destruction of the Word and works of God. The demon gods of the Old and New Testament are not false gods nor made-up idols; these demonic principalities and powers and rulers of spiritual wickedness in high places are still at work (John 14:30; 16:11; Eph. 2:2; Dan. 10:12-13; etc.) defiling the opinions of this world and forging a vile worldview against God. These fallen sons of God and their blasphemous breed have distracted, discouraged, and destroyed God’s people from Eden on, and they have not stayed nor slackened their venomous and sadistic attempts to annihilate the Word, the work, and the people of the Lamb even to this present hour. And this we must keep in mind daily.
Our beloved nation of PNG is held in the grip of Satanic opposition. God’s works are in constant conflict from forces without and within. The spiritual worldview of many here causes them to fear the spirits; and what you fear, you work to appease. Entire people groups still remain in the grip of demon oppression and control. Multitudes are taken captive in the snare of the devil at his will—so we must comprehend our enemy, and “in meekness [instruct] those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to theacknowledging of the truth.” (2 Tim. 2:25)
This is not only true where we live; it is true where you live, whether you sense it or not. Grasp that. We all are in a great spiritual warfare. We all must put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11,13). We all must stand and fight.
I offer here some simple, biblical suggestions to fight this good fight, but they are by no means comprehensive.
PRAYER Prayingalways with all prayer and supplicationin the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplicationfor all saints; (Ephesians 6:18)
Pray for the Lord’s churches,His people, andHis servants. First, pray earnestly for your pastor and ministry leaders.
Then, read your missionaries’ prayer letters—and pray for them. [I always enjoy hearing from those who read our letters, though I fear there are many who don’t read them. I’d appreciate your input as to what we can do better. Email me your thoughts at johnallensr@gmail.com.]
If you don’t read a specific prayer request in a letter, remember there is always a battle going on for the souls of the missionaries themselves and for the people to whom God has called them—so pray!
Perhaps if Christians spent less time being distracted by Netflix, the news media, and social media, they could engage in this real spiritual warfare as soldiers, not as spectators.
PERSONAL CHURCH ATTENDANCE And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:42)
Get back in church, in person. Ten years ago God’s people would have disdained the idea of staying out of church to watch the service online week after week. Now we have droves who stay home in their PJs on the couch. They have no fear of catching an illness; they simply have lost the godly habit of fellowship with the saints. And dare I say that most are not really paying attention to the online sermons they are hearing? Hear me, brethren—the Lord’s army doesn’t wear PJs under the armor of God. O Church, arise!
PROPHETIC VOICE And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31)
Preach with biblical authority. There is a lot of good, biblical preaching in the church today. A lot of it. But what seems to be lacking in much of it is a “prophetic voice.” Not the fake prophets who claim visions and words from God—we have God’s Word already, and His Word is inspired, complete, preserved, profitable, and sufficient for us today.
What we need is the voice of a prophet; the preaching that not only says, “thus saith the Lord,” but actually looks at the hearers and reminds them, “you need to obey this Word from the Lord.” Not a preacher’s thoughts, mind you, but God’s words. At times we are afraid to say, “you,” so we say, “we”; as in “we need to do this,” and “we need to obey the Lord.” We include the speaker, so as not to offend the hearers. But the prophets and apostles of old did not fear to say, “you”! Preacher, do not fear being labeled legalistic if what you are preaching is biblical truth. There is a prophetic aspect to preaching—the “forth-telling,” that authoritative word which is based on the words of the living God, not the preacher—and I believe many times that voice is lacking. Let us humble ourselves before our God and our people, and then let us preach the Word with boldness!
PERSONALLY SPEAKING
Wedding & Family
Lena and I were able to travel back to the US for the wedding of our oldest granddaughter, Ariel, to Luke Lunsford. It was beautiful! And best of all, we were able to be together with all the kids and grandkids in one place for the first time since 2011. (Would you pray for Luke’s family? A couple weeks after the wedding, his father passed away suddenly. Thank you.)
We were also able to be in a few churches, and how rich the fellowship! Preaching, teaching, singing, glorifying the Lord, —and how edifying it was to see old friends and to make new ones!
Back in Class at BBIPOM
We have started our new term at Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby. A good number of our students are in their third and final year, plus we’ve picked up 10 new first-year students. Praise the Lord! Pray for them and for me as I teach and mentor these servants of God.
New term in August 2022Third & final year for several of our students!
Beginning the Front Translation of 2 Corinthians
The Kamea Bible Project continues to progress. I’ve begun working on 2 Corinthians. Pray for me to have minimal distractions from the project, maximum clarity in translating, and the power of the Spirit as I have the privilege of doing this holy work. Remember Pastor Ben Samauyo in the same way as he labors to translate the Word directly into his heart language.
Thank you for your continued prayers for the Lord’s ministry here and for Lena’s health, and thank you for helping us be your representatives here on the field in Port Moresby, PNG!
Because He Is,
John & Lena Allen 2 Thessalonians 3:1
Enjoy some photos from the last few weeks:
Ariel, Luke, & our son Nate, who performed their wedding–all having fun at the rehearsalLuke & ArielWith our Kunai nurses: Lauren, Chelsea, Danya, and Kyle–what a great reunion!With our dear friend Judy ChestnuttPs Tau Abary, and Bro Erick Bala…these two men planted the seed idea in our hearts to begin BBIPOM [PC Ps Tau Abary]Two of our newest students, Enoch & Alex [PC Ps Tau Abary]Brother pastors in Port Moresby: Ps Rodney Tom, Ps Tau Abary, & Ps Holmes Tako [PC Ps Tau Abary]Having a devotional time with our whole family–when you only gather for a day every decade, these times are precious beyond words
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 DomaraPastor Tau & Sogona SebeaBraxstone & 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 LadiesSome of the BBIPOM MenJoe, 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 GodAnd the firmament sheweth His handiwork
We have some beautiful mornings and evenings here in Port Moresby. God’s glory is everywhere evident!
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. (Eccl. 9:10)
This season of life finds Lena and me living and ministering in the capital of our large island nation. While the previous 11 years had us laboring in a remote place with no external infrastructure (roads, power, water, communication), now we are based just outside a city that has all the things we “lacked” before.
During those years in the village, life itself took time. You walked (or hiked) everywhere. Very few manufactured goods are available out there, so all your projects revolved around the bush flights to town 4-5 times a year. If something broke, you fixed it or patched it or did without. To minister at another church meant a 3-hour hike or more, one way. Getting rained on was normal, sandals were the footwear of choice, and you got used to the ever-present moldy smell because your clothes didn’t always dry in the solar dryer (aka clothesline). Crossing through creeks was often necessary—and to be honest, sometimes it was welcomed by your sore feet.
The trail always seemed to need maintenance to get the Kawasaki Mule to the airstrip located five miles away over the mountain, just to transport patients or bring back medicine and supplies. The Mule always seemed to need maintenance from the beating it took on the trail, even though you babied it. There always seemed to be a piece of a wooden step or a bridge or something that had rotted because of the weather, and it needed repairing or replacing.
Pastor Don Mangus used to tell us, “God always works in the routines of life.”
Yet these were the routines around which ministry was framed. It was hiking single file down those trails where we did much of our discipling. It was in those more distant villages that the Gospel was preached, and the Word of God was taught. Those cold creeks cradled many believers as they followed the Lord publicly in baptism. The lack of the “necessary things” taught you a contentment that cannot be learned when everything is at your fingertips. The hiking helped keep your weight down and your heart strong. And it was in the quiet of the night in that remote place that great fellowship was had with co-workers and local friends.
There is still a team of wonderful missionaries and nationals serving at Kunai. We miss the place, but it is another season of life for us now.
Our last two months have been uniquely “city ministry”:
For the last several weeks, Lena has been counseling and sharing the Gospel with young people from a nearby village who were injured in a tragic bus crash.
Lena and I are currently holding a biblical marriage seminar for a large organization in the city.
BBIPOM (our Bible college) just began a new semester, with one of the courses being, “The Home, Marriage, and Relationships.” Thanks to the promoting done by Pastor Tau Abary and Shalom Baptist Church for this particular course (and our mutual desire to use it to reach our communities with the Gospel), the first night we had over 80 in attendance for the course —22 of whom are our students.
PERSONAL NEWS
We mentioned in our last update about Lena’s health issues associated with SLE (Lupus). She has continued having problems, and yesterday her doctor told her that she is in another Lupus flare. As you think of her, please pray for her strength and healing.
We are aware that your prayers and giving allow us to teach and train and translate and tell others about the Good News of the Lord Jesus. Thank you for your part in helping us stay at it here in PNG!
Because He Is, John & Lena Allen 2 Thessalonians 3:1
Enjoy this month’s photos!
Back to class, 16 August 2021! (PC Pastor Tau Abary)
Signing in for class (PC Pastor Tau Abary)
The class on Home, Marriage, and Relationships is open to the public. We had a great turnout on the first night! (PC Pastor Tau Abary)The Home, Marriage, and Relationships class on 17 August 2021 (PC Pastor Tau Abary)
Our friends at Kunai, the Sam Snyder family roasted this coffee themselves. I love what it says on the package! (PC Mary Beth Snyder)Yes, this stuff is for us Bible translators! Gotta keep us on our toes! PC Mary Beth Snyder
And here’s some family news–our oldest grandson, Ben, soloed this summer in a glider. He’s been working at this a long time due to Covid restrictions, but he finally made it!
Ben is ready to fly.The tradition of “cutting the tail off the new pilot’s shirt” after his first solo signifies that no longer will the training pilot in the back seat be tugging on his shirt tail to get his attention!
“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
We wrapped up another term of our Bible college here in the city this week. Our final exam last night was over Church History, where we covered 1,800 years in 18 weeks. Our other classes this term included the doctrines of the Holy Spirit, Satan, and Man, plus studying through the Pastoral Epistles and the Old Testament books from the era of the Decline and Fall of Israel and Judah. All 20 students did well in their course work, and I love seeing the Lord work in their hearts to stir them to ministry. Our students include two pastors, two deacons, several preachers-in-training, and several men and ladies already in some sort of teaching ministry. Among them are several husbands with their wives, which blesses me to no end!
We recently had one of our dear PNG pastor friends go home to his eternal reward. Pastor Philip was a champion and a close friend. His passing, plus thinking about my own students, has served to remind me of my own spiritual mentors. I’m sure if I tried to make a comprehensive list, I’d leave someone out…but those who poured the most into me in my early years were my pastor, the late Dr. Don Mangus; my main Bible college teacher and friend, Pastor Dennis Hardin; and my missionary friend, Dr. James Griggers. These men invested time and teaching into my life with grace, patience, and a kick in the pants as needed! I doubt any of us thought this lanky soldier boy would ever be doing what I get to do today—but by the power of God’s Holy Spirit and through the influence of these men (and many more!), Lena and I get to serve Him here. I can say that I have a “goodly heritage”!
PERSEVERING SERVANTS Nurse Stacie McCary finished up her time with us recently and has arrived safely back home. Thank the Lord for Hannah-Rose and the rest of the team who hold the fort at Kunai Health Centre. Please pray that the Lord will continue to use them to meet the physical and spiritual needs that they see daily.
PASSOVER IN PNG A highlight of the past couple of months was a three-day Passover Conference at Shalom Baptist Church where I was privileged to speak. It was a packed house as we taught (and preached!) through the connections between the Passover and the Lord’s Supper.
The second night we did a Passover Seder, showing the types of Christ throughout the meal and how much of the meal itself is displayed in the Gospel recollections of the Last Supper. There were many public responses to the Word and at least one precious soul trusted Christ.
PERSONAL NEWS Some of you know that Lena has health issues associated with SLE (Lupus). She has had a serious flare of the disease for the last three months, and is on IV antibiotics for a related infection even as I write this. On top of it all, she got Dengue fever, but that seems to be about over. She is not a quitter, that’s for sure! As you think of her, please pray for her strength and healing.
Because of your grace, prayers, and giving, we are able to teach and train and translate and tell others about the Good News of the Lord Jesus. Thank you for your part in helping us to keep at it in PNG!
Because He Is, John & Lena Allen 2 Thessalonians 3:1
Kunai Health Centre: KunaiHealthCentre.com Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby: bbipom.com
Christina & Glynn enjoy the lecture with Ps Justin and Sogona
Ps Justin, Ps Tau, Deacon Lawrence
Mama Lena with Ikoi, Flora, and Lucy
Time for kaikai!
BBIPOM/FBI class
End of semester fellowship!
Powerful words from a great servant of our Lord (PC Bethany BC, Makati)
Missing this dear pastor friend–one of God’s choicest. Pastor Philip Sorulen, Calvary Baptist Church, Lae PNG
Ps Tau & Ps Justin
Loita & Ikoi
Ps Tau and the new BBIPOM shirt
Smart looking crew!
Our new BBIPOM shirts!
Some of the staff of South Pacific International Academy at the Passover table
Lena & I with Pastor Tau and a lagatoi (Motu boat) they gave us
Saying blessings during the Passover
The Maraga family at the Passover table
The Abary family at the Passover table
Full house for the conference
Passover Conference 2021
Construction begins on the building expansion!
Groundbreaking day at Capital City Baptist Church
CCBC Port Moresby begins new construction to double the size of its facilities!
Black out–keep teaching!
Black out–keep listening!
Lockdowns let Raja the cat be a part of the FBI class.
We have delayed posting this blog so we could update you on the progress of the Kamea New Testament translation.
When we sent Sarah Glover and Hannah-Rose Winter up to Kunai with a load of supplies in February, Pastor Ben Samauyo and Bro. Yali Tapakoeo caught the plane back to Port Moresby. Together we did a two-week intensive read-through of the entire Gospel of John in Kamea. Lena cooked and washed and kept the distractions away while the three of us locked ourselves in the office and poured over the translation.
How does a read-through work? The first step in the process was the preparation of the document from which the work was to be translated. I did the front translation in Pidgin with notes, accompanied by the text in English. I emailed those up to our coworkers at Kunai, who passed them along to Pastor Ben. He then typed up his translation in the Kamea language. Once he translated and checked it, he passed it on to Yali, who then took the newly translated Kamea text and translated it back into Pidgin to see if the meaning was still the same.
When we all sat down together, Pastor Ben read the text out loud for Yali and I to hear and comment on. We made corrections in comprehension, wording, and spelling. When it agreed with the text, was clearly understandable, and sounded good, then we printed our draft.
Read John 3:16 in English, Tok Pisin, and Kamea!
A couple of notes for those who follow this sort of thing:
1. Teaching literacy in the Kamea language is a slow process. At present there is little interest in learning to read in Kamea, but a lot of interest in hearing the Scriptures read. They love hearing God’s words in their mother tongue.
2. We began our project in 2014. At present we have translated over 5,300 verses (about 2/3) of the New Testament, with mostly smaller books left to do. (Not bad considering all the other ministry things happening here!) Presently, we are working our way through our last large book, Revelation. All of our work will need further review by our people, but by God’s grace it keeps moving forward!
The God Who Loves to Answer Prayer
Since our last update, the Lord heard your prayers and opened the door for our first Australian nurse to join the team. Hannah-Rose Winter arrived just a couple of weeks before our first Canadian nurse, Becca Wyatt, headed home this week. We are so grateful for the team at Kunai Health Centre (Sam, MaryBeth, Stacie, Manandi, Jon Mark, Judas, Linda, Ellie, Piyaro, and Nancy) and their service for the King!
Becca Wyatt holding twins who are now on our baby milk program
Thank you all for helping us in prayer. It is our privilege to serve God with you!
Because He Is, John & Lena Allen 2 Thessalonians 3:1
Kunai Health Centre: KunaiHealthCentre.com Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby: bbipom.com
Lena and I sporting our new Bible college shirts.
Enjoy some recent photos from the ministry here:
New logo for BBIPOM!Baptist Bible Institute students busy during class.Watching our video class on Monday nights…Even after the power blackouts–just keep watching the teacher’s computer!Checking the read-through of John’s Gospel in Kamea.Making the edits and adding words to the dictionary.Finished draft of John’s Gospel in Kamea, printed and ready to go.Beautiful sunset after a big rain and long time with no sun.
All of us continue to adapt to a world that has changed much from what it was even six months ago. I realize that many of you are still under restrictions, yet in PNG we have only had 11 confirmed cases to date, none of them serious (on a side note…everyone is sure that it is here, it’s just that testing is very limited…and any severe cases may have been missed due to the various other sicknesses and diseases that take the lives of our people). As a church, we are able to meet pretty much normally, respecting those who wish to keep a distance.
Members of Capital City Baptist meet outside after services to praise God for His goodness!
New Classes
After a month-long lockdown, we were able to resume classes at Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby. We completed our latest 8-week course last week and plan to return to classes (Lord willing!) the first week of August.
Students in class for the “Life of Christ” course at BBIPOM.
New Opportunities
Because of the religious liberty in PNG, doors open up in places you could only dream about in other countries. Among other things we’ve done lately, we were able to go with Pastor Tau and Shalom Baptist to distribute Bibles at the University of PNG Medical School and speak to future doctors, dentists, nurses, and pharmacists. This is something we’ve looked forward to for over a year.
Some of the students at UPNG Medical School who received Bibles and heard a challenge from God’s Word to know the Lord and to serve our people!
New Construction
Lord willing, we hope to begin refurbishing our new home on the campus of Capital City Baptist Church soon. Through a series of “God-moment” connections here in Port Moresby, the Lord provided a used modular house for us, including the excavation work to prepare the site—at no cost to us! It will take a lot of renovation, but we thank the Lord for it, and look forward to the opportunity to use it for His glory!
This is where our refurbished bunkhouse will be located.
Same Great Bible
We have recently finished our draft of John’s Gospel and are working our way through the Book of Revelation. Keep this project in prayer! We are past the half-way point now, and long to see it completed!
Same Glorious Gospel
With all the problems we all see around the world, we must keep in mind that there is only one long-term (might I say, eternal) solution: The saving Gospel of Jesus Christ. From the global pandemic to the gender-based- and sorcery-accusation-related-violence here in PNG to the unbelievable unrest in countries around the globe, the one and only steady hope we have is Jesus Christ.
Same Great Need
Laborers are needed!
1. Pray with us for borders to open so we can get our new nurses for Kunai Health Centre. They are willing and waiting! 2. Pray for our students at BBIPOM that God will raise up laborers among them for His harvest. He is able!
Because He Is, John & Lena Allen 2 Thessalonians 3:1
Here are some more photos to enjoy. Some of these were taken by Pastor Tau Abary and the people of Shalom Baptist Church (used by permission).
First, some of our BBIPOM students!
Materua, Tamarua, Braxstone, Tau, Peter, Emmanuel, Ricky, and Lawrence. Good men!
Flynn and Loita–more good men!
Ray is our eldest student, and really sharp.
Lucy is one of our lady students, and she too is biblically gifted.
Preacher Justin looks after Salvation Baptist Fellowship. Praise the Lord for him and all our students!
It is a blessing to teach those who are hungry for the Word and eager to serve the Lord!
UPNG Medical students were eager to receive their free Bibles.
Pastor Tau, with Dr. Paul (dean of UPNG Medical School), Kurere (president of UPNG Campus Christian Fellowship), and Papa John.
Missionary ladies are a special bunch! Lena, Rebecca Florence, Chelsea Moorman, Danya Counts, and Trina Muldoon. All happened to be in town at the same time!After months in the remote mountains, the expression on Danya’s face as she looks at all that ice cream is priceless. Yes, we got her some ice cream 🙂A recent sunrise at Kunai–few places are more beautiful than this! (PC: Sarah Glover)
ONLY GOD When I wrote our last update in February, none of us had any idea what would soon transpire globally. Never have any of us been forced to say “if the Lord will” as much as we are saying it now, but regardless, our God is doing great things!
ANSWER TO PRAYER We have two new nurses who are scheduled to come once the borders re-open here in PNG. We can still use more nurses, but we praise the Lord for these two ladies who stepped up to the challenge.
FAITHFUL IN THE FIELD The team at Kunai are continuing the ministry there. As of this writing we have no active cases of the virus in PNG, but our staff are prepared as much as possible for what may come. There are no ventilators or machines available out there, and no way to fly out critical patients. Therefore, we ask that you pray for the team on the ground, not only for their protection but for their witness.
It may not look like much, but it brought lots of medical and school supplies!
CONTAINER ARRIVED Our container—filled with supplies that many of you donated—has arrived and cleared customs. At present it is difficult to find flights to transport the materials to our team at Kunai. Pray we can get these medical supplies and school materials up there soon!
BBI POM 1st class
BAPTIST BIBLE INSTITUTE OF PORT MORESBY We reported in our last letter that our first week of classes went very well. Praise the Lord, the rest of the six-week term went even better! We had 20 registered students and anywhere from 15-25 visitors in attendance for every class. We finished on schedule just before the mandatory shutdown. When we reopen, we have even more students who have registered, and we are looking forward to getting back to classes!
Start of BBI POM classes–with social distancing before it was cool!
Because we wanted to continue teaching our students, we have begun a video series on the BBI POM Facebook page called, “Daily Words.” It is a brief lesson about how to study the Bible for yourself, using the text of Scripture as a reference. It is designed with our students in mind, but since it is in English, we hope others around the world will join us. Lena has also posted videos of most of the live sessions from our first class at either our BBI POM Facebook page or on our BBI POM YouTube channel.
In the uncertainty of these days, may we examine our hearts to see what the Lord may be trying to say to us as a church? Daniel prayed during the Judean exile, repenting for his people’s sins against their holy God (Daniel 9). Have we done the same? The present pandemic, the Australian bush fires, the locust swarms in Africa, the devastating tornadoes in the US—all of these in the last several weeks—can we not at least seek God and ask for His forgiveness, His mercy, and His favor? We who long for the return of the Lord Jesus—can we not admit that these present distresses are at the very least pictures of the birth pangs of judgment to come? And in confessing these things, can we not beg God for an unprecedented outpouring of His Spirit in reaching the world for Jesus Christ?
Thank you all for your
faithfulness—and at such a time as this. The resourcefulness of God’s people to
BE the church when they cannot assemble as the church has been
amazing. May the Lord open doors of witness for us all, and may He do things
beyond what we can even ask or think. He is able!
Because He Is, John & Lena Allen 2 Thessalonians 3:1
Visit our Kunai Health Centre website for information about the clinic at Kotidanga
Some recent photos:
Baptist Bible Institute of Port Moresby
Lena giving a health talk update.
Getting to teach in culturally appropriate attire is a benefit of serving in PNG
Class learning about “How We Got Our Bible”
The class enjoyed the “show and tell” part of the class
We not only have several couples in the class; we have a mother and son (Lucy and Flynn)
The online services have allowed us to enjoy the preaching of men in Australia, PNG, and the US.
