cross the road from our home is a large white building called the Guest House. It’s the residence of nearly 50 transient workers employed in the various construction projects in our area. The Guest House is a large dorm-like building built atop several rusting shipping containers liberally landscaped with rubbish, red betelnut spit and empty beer cans. The place is alive with noise and activity nearly every hour of every day. Stories of debauchery and dissipation are frequent, like when a man and his wife went there one night to sell their teenage daughter to the highest bidder. Tony, a lead man for one of the construction companies, has thee times asked for someone to minister to these men, but no one wants to set foot in the place.

A few weeks ago, Tony and I started a small Sunday-evening study group there with 11 men. Most of the men in our study group are highlanders from Mt. Hagen, a people group infamous for aggression. One Sunday night, late into the meeting, a highlander man sat down at the back of the group. He didn’t have a Bible and looked very agitated. I wondered if he knew why I was there. I immediately said a silent prayer and did my best to ignore his stare. Everything went well until I asked for someone to read a passage aloud, and his hand jerked up. With more than a little apprehension, I nodded to him and braced for the worst. In a deep, gravelly growl, he said something I didn’t understand. I politely asked him to repeat himself. As I finally caught his words, I couldn’t believe my ears. He was reciting the passage from memory! Our friend’s name is Peter, a self-professed backslider who has been on time for every study since.

Our study group needs Bibles. If you would like to help, please call AFM at 1-800-937-4236. Thank you for your prayers and support.