End Of Year Ministry 1995

There were four meetings conducted in 1995. Here is a summary and highlight.

Dreikikier, East Sepik
The first meeting was conducted mid-year when Rungi Pingi was doing Grade 12 at Passam National High School. The meeting was organised through Passam SDA church elder and his wife, Beverly who were close to Rungi Pingi at the time. Together with the Passam National High School Adventist students, they set off for this very remote out-station in Drekikier remote town in Maprik/Ambunti District. It was a 7 hours trip on the main Sepik Highway to Dreikikier and further 6 hours inland on a very bad dirt road to a remote station were the meeting was on. This was the first meeting Rungi Pingi was asked to conduct on his own by the students. Around 5 ETS members joined the students at this remote site by a miracle. At a time when there were no Internet and mobile phones, led by Max Tessa (another ETS pioneer), the team found the main team in this very remote site. They came from Mt Hagen. This team witnessed things at this very remote site of the presence of supernatural forces at work. There were a combination of demonic powers and the presence of God as well. When the team left after conducting the meeting, a fire lit up the village, which the team could not explain seeing it from a distance as the truck slowly moved away into the jungles. It started small and light up so big, and it was burning as the car drove out of sight into the jungles on the return 13 hours trip. Later, the villagers did not say another about a fire and the team worked out that it must have been a sign left by God that the team have left a fire and it was going to burn until the entire place was covered by the fire of God. A couple of years later, Rungi was working at Pacific Adventist University and theology student met Rungi and asked if he knew him. Rungi could not recall who the student that looked like a sepik student. When Rungi remained confused, the student said I am one of the converts of that ministry the team took to his remote village more than 8 years earlier. He said he was hiding outside in the dark and listening to the gospel messages that brought light to is area. Now he was a gospel worker.

Dalba SDA Church, Banz, WHP
This was conducted as the first official ETS meeting run by the group. The meet was a highlight when the youths there felt a challenge to join the work. The Pastor looking after the church by the ministry of the group and made a remark and praised the ministry and team for the kind of messages preached. Some years later, one of the Pastor’s daughter married one of our core team member at that time, Tako Tessa (brother of ETS pioneer, Max Tessa).

Kaupena SDA Church, border WHP/SHP
After the meeting at Dalba, ETS went up to a new area in the border between Western Highlands and Southern Highlands Provinces. This was Max Tessa’s home village. We were met with a lot of resistance as the place was already dominated by fellow PNG Bible church. ETS conducted the meeting outside in the open area in a big tent. When Rungi preached, the translator translated the message in a different direction. The people who could hear both languages said two different messages came out. The argued with the translator but could not do much. They had no other translator to replace him so endured the pain of hearing two different messages each night. However, at the end, a small peace of land was given, a new SDA church was built in this heavily PNG Bible church area. Max Tessa’s parents were not even SDAs but allowed the land to be used for the church. Something that happened during the meeting was the presence of a very bright light in the house ETS stayed in. It light from inside and broke out through the blind and grassed roof. ETS could not see it themselves but those outside the house saw it in the night when all were asleep, when the lamps were out.

Yalum, Mulitaka, Enga, 1995 End of year.
The ministry holds some of the great memories and highlights in the ministry of ETS. Yalum, was a very remote area and village in Enga province where missionaries and pastors never made visitations. This is the village of ETS pioneer and lead composer and singer Steven Kual. To get there, the Swallows had to overcome a gruelling 15-16 hours walk from Maip Mandak (Mulitaka Station).

The ETS revived the few church members, converted a lot of young people including Steven Kual, motivated evangelism in that area, formed a church youth choir and impacted the surrounding area with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The ministry and presence of ETS there spread across the neighbouring villages there, even as far as the borders of Enga and Sepik. Out of the ministry, Steven’s Dad’s brother (Uncle) repented and joined the church, sending is second wife away. He was a village leader. The ministry impacted the singing in that area, branch churches were formed after the visitation and a great interest in the Adventist message and church came about. After the visit of ETS, the church sent a formal layman to that area and visitations by pastors started happening. ETS later visited that area 3 more times.