Kein S.A.L.T.

Kein SALT team leaves for the village

This report was written and submitted by Pastor Fred Igami, team leader for the Kein SALT team.  The Kein SALT team was the first all national team sent out to minister cross culturally to their fellow Papua New Guineans. 

On behalf of the SALT team I would like to give praise and honour to our Lord Jesus Christ and also thank you for those of you who are praying for us while we were out in the village.

We arrived in the village by 11:30 on the 7th of September 2007, and the Yall community gave us a warm welcome with a few traditional dancers.   On Monday 10th of September about 30 participants came to register so we started the class.   Tuesday and Wednesday another 14 people came and joined the class. The total participants that graduated were 46.   All of them were Lutheran except one Anglican. During the first week we really found it a little difficult with the participants because these topic were new and their hearts and minds were closed. 

After the classes we sat down and discussed this and asked the Lord to bring healing to their hearts.   Praise the Lord that the second week the Holy Spirit really touched their hearts. Starting Monday, Sept. 17 up to Sunday, Sept. 23, two or three families would meet after class and invite us to review what we had taught them. We encouraged them with the Word of God and we prayed with them. It’s true that they really were hungry and thirsty for the Word of God. We saw it was real hunger. 

The SALT course was a blessing to the whole community.  Nine outreach teams went to nine different places Friday night and Saturday morning.  Some teams also went on Sunday morning too.  There were 500 adults and over 400 children at the outreaches. The team leaders came and gave their reports on Monday morning.  

The Christians were so excited and asked the participants if they could still continue to teach them what they had learned for the two weeks. The church leaders and pastors and course participants agreed to do so.  The co-translator, Mot, challenged the course participants and the whole community to cooperate and sell all the Kein New Testaments.  He also urged them to start up a literacy school.   It’s time to organize and help people to understand the Word of God in their own language.  He asks us to keep in touch with him with prayer.