PNG: People Needing God in Papua New Guinea
In Papua New Guinea, where evil spirits are feared, people need the Savior. Your students can help.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a country in transition. Prior to World War II, life in PNG was lived as it had been for centuries: food came from hunting and small gardens; houses were constructed of materials of the earth. The people worshiped their ancestors and the spirits of the earth, and in some areas, even practiced cannibalism.
Over the past 60 years, advancements have slowly come to PNG. Though many people still do not have electricity or running water, they have been blessed with faithful Lutheran missionaries who have brought the Good News of Jesus Christ to PNG’s 7.6 million people.
Today, up to 95 percent of PNG’s population claim to be Christian, but ancient traditional beliefs still pull at the people and continue to be practiced. Especially in the tribal societies, bad spirits are to blame for life’s tragedies, and people are encouraged to maintain relationships not only with the living, but also with the spirits of those who have died, with the spirits of the “place,” and with other remote spirits. In this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, the people need God.
Your students can shine the light of the Gospel in PNG!
There are many, many children in the PNG Gutnius Lutheran Church (a partner church of the LCMS) and in its dozens of Lutheran schools.
The problem is that there are very few printed materials in their own language that teachers and parents can use to introduce the children to Jesus. Most PNG families don’t have a single book in their homes, and teachers don’t have any Lutheran resources for teaching Sunday school.
It's so easy to help share God's Word - for just $5 a child!
Americans often take books for granted. But in the mission field, books about Jesus, written in the language of the people, remain one of the best ways to teach the faith. Best of all, the books last for years, reminding generation after generation that they are beloved children of God.
With your support, LHF is translating and publishing A Child’s Garden of Bible Stories and Luther’s Small Catechism in the Tok Pisin language, spoken throughout PNG. Your mission offerings will also provide for an extensive Sunday school curriculum based on the Bible storybook.
Your mission gifts go a long, long way in PNG, where it costs only $5 to print this beautiful, full-color Bible storybook! With your help, PNG teachers and families – those who are Lutheran and others who have never heard of Jesus – will receive their very own copies, at no cost to them.