Sunday, September 17, 2006, marked the end of one era and the beginning of a new era for the Open Bible Churches of Papua New Guinea. On this day Open Bible in New Guinea was officially nationalized. Leadership passed from missionaries into the capable hands of national leadership.
            More than 300 people filled the Open Bible Church in Goroka to capacity for a glorious celebration. We called the service the “nationalization ceremony.” The people called it the “hand-over, take-over” service. It was a glorious celebration. Missionaries Mike and Cathy Brandt worked closely with President Samuel Manopi and the National Board in preparation for this historic day. During the service DVD and PowerPoint presentations were given, highlighting the history of Open Bible. Mike and Cathy Brandt and their children, Mikayla and Aaron, read special greetings from former missionaries sent by mail.
            The most moving part of the service was the symbolic passing of the baton from the missionaries to the national leadership.  The challenge was given: “It’s not how fast you can run, but how committed you are to ensure that you hand the baton to the next person and the next person and the next ... until we win.” President Samuel Manopi received the challenge of carrying the baton and the new responsibility of leadership. He thanked Open Bible for sending missionaries who carried the light of the gospel to Papua. The Mike Brandt family is the last Open Bible missionary family to serve in the country prior to nationalization and will return to the U.S. for furlough in June 2007.
            Wally and Phyllis Lee arrived in New Guinea in 1971. They began their work at the 5,000 foot level of the Eastern Highlands among the South Fore tribal people. They first went to New Guinea as independent missionaries, but, in 1974 joined Open Bible and were granted missionary appointment. Wally Lee’s dramatic call to New Guinea is described in the International Ministries history book, Heritage and Harvests, by R. Bryant and Lucille Mitchell.
     “In 1970, I received a vision of the Lord. He was standing with arms outstretched downward. As I looked where He was looking, I saw massive crowds of blacks with arms reaching upward. I said, ‘Lord, if you want me to help bridge that gap, then show me where it is.’ At that point the name Papua New Guinea came before my eyes. I knew I was called.” 
     The Lees began working with independent missionaries Hazel McGill and John James. Soon these missionaries returned to the U.S. but the Lees continued the work. They established churches and the new movement grew.
            The South Fore people had a history of being fierce warriors and tribal wars were a common occurrence in the area. In the remote areas of the Eastern Highlands such wars can easily break out. The people are superstitious and believe in the practice of poison men who can place spells on an enemy and cause disease or death. Recently, a man died of an apparent heart attack. People of another tribe believed he was poisoned and blamed two men. The two men were sought out and severely beaten. The threat of a tribal war loomed once again.
            Fifty years ago the people practiced cannibalism. Eating human flesh precipitated a fatal disease called kuru. Though cannibalism is outlawed today and is not believed to be widely practiced, cases of kuru disease are yet occasionally diagnosed.
            Through the years many fine Open Bible missionaries have served this great land. In the early 1980s a 99-year lease was secured from the government on 469 acres of ground in the Eastern Highlands in an area near Ivingoi. Missionary and staff houses were built and numerous self-help programs developed, including gardening, raising cattle, managing a store, running a repair workshop, and carpentry. All of these help sustain the national church ministries.
            In 1982 a MOVE construction team from the U.S. built a clinic in Ivingoi. Through the years several fine Open Bible nurses from the U.S. served in the clinic. Today national nurses and personnel provide the  much-needed medical care for a wide area, serving a population of 17,500 people. Each year approximately 12,000 people are treated at the clinic. The clinic ministry is not only a humanitarian service but a great evangelism outreach.
            Each time I visit New Guinea, the National Board shares with me their vision to reach other tribes in the Highlands and to begin new churches in the towns and cities. As a result of their vision, Open Bible now ministers among four tribes in three language groups.
            A new church, pastored by Simon and Melody Agateva, was established in Goroka, a town of 40,000 people. Its official opening took place on September 16, 2006, with hundreds of people in attendance. A special “mumu” was prepared for the guests. A mumu is the traditional way of cooking vegetables and meat underground on heated rocks. For the occasion hundreds of pounds of vegetables were cooked along with a cow, 8 pigs, and 90 chickens – a tremendous feast. Missionary Mike Brandt commented, “For the people here such an event is very important. Everyone worked very hard to make this possible.”
     A church has been established in Pt. Moresby, the capital city, in a growing area. Poi and Joyce Eka, pastors of the church, are grateful to Bethel Open Bible Church in Lodi, California, for providing funds to purchase property and build a church facility. Today we have 33 Open Bible churches in the country.   

More miraculous testimonies have been received from Papua New Guinea than from any other country where Open Bible ministers. The testimonies include outstanding healings, miracles, and people being raised from the dead. As we enter a new level of partnership with the capable national leadership, Open Bible’s future in this beautiful land looks bright. May God use our beloved brethren to continue to penetrate the spiritual darkness from the Eastern Highlands to the towns and cities of Papua New Guinea.

Paul Canfield is the Executive Director for International Ministries.