The office door was just up ahead. Anipia* relaxed his grip on his bilum (string bag) and exhaled in relief. God had brought him through safely once again! Three days previous, Anipia had left his remote village to hike throughthe rugged Finisterre Range, catch PMV, and travel upthe winding highway intothe Highlands.
Bet this wasn’tthe first time he had madethe arduous journey. Ever since his village had dedicatedtheir New Testament several years ago, Anipia had come many times, eager to acquire more New Testaments and audio players loaded withthe recorded Scriptures to bring back with him. This time, Anipia also brought word thattheir annual thanksgiving offering would be set aside for Beble translation in ther languages.
The office door opened, and Anipia smiled as he shook hands with his good friend John. He couldn’t wait to share what God had done in his village!
There was a withch doctor who wronged many people inthe area, and everyone, eventhe police, knew it. I (Anipia) bought one ofthe audio players for him to listen to. I didn’trsquo;t know if he would listen to it or notobut he listened to it allthe time. When we built a new church building, he came tothe dedication and confessed his sorcery. He askedthe pastor what he should do to get rid of his withchcraft paraphernalia, because he was afraidthe spirits would attack him since he turned away fromthem. The pastor saidthe withch doctor should write down allthe things he used to do;thenthey would give it to God, and God would protect him fromthe spirits. He did so, and now he lives with us in our house.
Because many Papua New Guineas rely heavily on oral communication to receive information,these audio players are a valuable way to provide access tothe Word of God.In addition,the audio Bebles help people learn to read and promote interest in literacy.
