Papua New Guinea for Christ: A Journey of Unexpected Blessings

Papua New Guinea for Christ: A Journey of Unexpected Blessings
In 2024, KhaiKhai had the profound honor of participating in the historic "PNG for Christ" campaign in Papua New Guinea. This mega-evangelistic effort sparked a massive spiritual awakening across the nation, resulting in a staggering milestone of over 300,000 baptisms.

Being part of this monumental movement of the Holy Spirit brought scripture to life in an unforgettable way, proving that God’s plan for Papua New Guinea was far beyond anything imaginable.

"My People": A Lasting Bond with the Wontok

Beyond the unprecedented scale of the event, the campaign became deeply personal for KhaiKhai. He formed an enduring, heartfelt bond with the local people. Today, he affectionately refers to them as his wontok—meaning "my people." This was not just an evangelistic mission; it was the beginning of a lifelong connection with a community beautifully transformed by faith.

Detours and Divine Appointments

KhaiKhai traveled with the Andrews University Seminary team following the main wave of the nationwide public evangelism campaign. Almost immediately, the journey tested their resolve:

Missed Connections: A mechanical issue in Chicago caused a delay, leading the team to miss their international flight to Sydney.

Fuel Shortages: An airplane fuel shortage in PNG caused several trip interruptions and cancellations, preventing the team from reaching their originally planned evangelistic sites.

A Shift in Plans: They pivoted to the Eastern Highlands Simbu Mission. KhaiKhai and many teammates were assigned to locations that had just hosted the campaign two weeks prior.

Safety Concerns: Assigned to a location a two-hour drive from their hotel, friends worried for his safety—especially navigating the roads at night in a region that had experienced ethnic conflicts just weeks before.

While understandably concerned, KhaiKhai prayed for a change of heart, simply asking for God's will to be done. He wondered why the Lord had placed him in this specific, challenging location.

A Harvest Beyond Imagination

Soon, he began to see glimpses of God's purpose. On his first night of preaching, KhaiKhai was shocked and amazed to see hundreds—perhaps one to two thousand—young and old people gathering in the open field, sitting on the grass to listen to the message. It was his first time ever preaching to a crowd of over a thousand people.

Witnessing the community faithfully arrive every night to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ gave him the energy and motivation to make the arduous four-hour round-trip drive to the Aiyura plain each day.

On the second Sabbath, his final day with the people at Aiyura, attendees gathered from all over the Omaura district. That Sabbath became a profound high point in his ministry: he preached to over 3,000 people—the largest crowd of his life. Alongside three other pastors, KhaiKhai shared in the incredible joy of baptizing 257 individuals who chose to accept Jesus as their personal savior and best friend.

Mission Impact at a Glance

The harvest was truly remarkable. Here is a look at the impact from the seminary team's efforts:
Metric – Milestone Reached
Total Seminary Team Baptisms – 1,807
Aiyura District Baptisms – 257 (14% of the team's total)
Site Ranking – Highest number of baptisms among all team sites
Peak Attendance – Over 3,000 people on the final Sabbath

Higher Thoughts, Higher Ways

This unforgettable experience stands as a sure testament that God's will and desire for His children are higher and better than what we can ever imagine. Looking back at the incredible harvest, KhaiKhai thanked God, understanding the journey—delays, fears, and all—as a pure demonstration of His divine favor.

It was a firsthand testament to the truth found in the Book of Isaiah:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  Isaiah 55:8–9