Mibu church teaches the Gospel to Mina language speakers

3/9/08

Two years ago in March 2006, the word from Mibu in PNG was that virtually every member of the town of Mibu had consciously chosen to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. A new church was born in Mibu. On March 21, 2006, Joey Tartaglia sent this email: "A baby church has just been born in Mibu. Though we're not up nights, we feel the excitement and concerns of a new parent. Though we have been praying for this, anticipating this, hardly daring to hope for such a thorough reception of the Gospel, it is really happening."

Now two years later, not only is the Mibu church going on and growing in the Lord, but they are actively sending out teams to share the story of the Good News to other villages. Their first such experience was to go to Tariknan, where their own Ma language is also spoken. God blessed the co-venture of the missionaries and Mibu teachers, and many in Tariknan accepted the message of Jesus.

This year, the Mibu church has crossed the language barrier to teach God's story in Yongem. The people of Yongem speak the Mina language, which is somewhat similar to the Ma language. The Mibu teachers are on their own this time, as the missionaries stepped to the background, helping with translation needs and with coaching, but no teaching.

After a few months of teaching, the news from Geoff Husa is that the people of Yongem have heard the message, understood it, and that many are putting their faith in Jesus Christ. Geoff writes:

"Just heard back from the guys who were doing the evangelism teaching in Yongem! They finished on Wednesday and have a total, as of now, of 78 new believers! They suspect there will be more over the next few weeks as some are still thinking through the teaching. As is usually the case, some more will trickle in as they reflect on the teaching and 'see the light'. One guy died of an illness just days after he was heard giving a clear testimony; the first Yongem believer to be with God in glory!"