31/07/2024
PNG β Miracles in the Landslide!
By Adventist World Radio (AWR)
In Papua New Guinea, to date, the official baptismal count stands at 320,000, but reports are still coming in, and many believe the number is much higher. When it reaches 390,000, they will have doubled their membership on that island country!
But as often happens when God works a miracle and His presence is felt in a special way, the devil is at work, too. You probably heard of the tragedy that occurred in the village of Yambali, in a remote part of PNG. As everyone slept, and as a result of heavy rains, part of the mountainside came loose and descended on the sleeping village in a massive landslide. It was a terrible tragedy where hundreds lost their lives.
But now let me tell you the rest of the story, because Godβs presence was felt even amid the tragedy.
There is an Adventist church in Yambali. They also joined PNG for Christ 2024, enthusiastically planning their evangelistic meetings using our Revelation of Hope presentations.
The meetings were held outdoors next to the church, which was near a nightclub. Often during the meetings, drunkards from the nightclub would make fun of attendees, and throw rocks at the meeting site, more than once hitting the speaker. And while some of the villagers showed real interest, others were unhappy with the activity taking place, and occasionally brought a statue of the Virgin Mary to the site in protest.
Who Blew the Horn?
During the meetings, the church in Yambali had a special time of prayer each morning. An elder usually blew a horn calling the members to prayer before the activities of the day began. On the morning of the landslide, the horn was heard shortly after 2 a.m. The members were not happy to be awakened so early. Someone had made a mistake! Nevertheless, many of them dutifully got up and headed to the church. When they got there, no one seemed to know who had blown the horn so early, but they went ahead and proceeded with their time of prayer.
They were praying in the church at 3 a.m. when the landslide happened. The church and everyone inside was spared, but the nightclub that was still in full swing was buried under the rubbleβwith everyone in it. Many in the church would have been killed had they not heard the horn and responded to the call. Their houses were destroyed, but God preserved their lives.
Not all the church members had attended the meeting that morning, but they all had a miraculous deliverance. One of the older church members, an 80-year-old woman, was asleep when the landslide came thundering down the hill. It swept away her house, except for the bedroom where she slept.
Another church familyβa couple with their five small childrenβwas still asleep at home when it happened. Their house was untouched as the avalanche parted and took out everything on either side of their house.
One of the church members later said, βThis is a sobering time. We grieve for those who were lost, and feel the pain and sorrow of all who lost family and friends. Many members lost their properties, and a few their vegetable gardens, but God spared all our lives. It has been a testimony to the community around us, and this coming Sabbath we will hold our regular worship services and thank God for His protection.β
Yes, God is still in the business of miracles, but the greatest miracle of all in PNG was seeing lives saved for the kingdom of heaven.