Papua New Guinea Mission
Papua New Guinea's 'Black and White Boys'
The two 20 year-old missionaries could barely contain their enthusiasm.
"40 people joined the Church here last week," one of them, Elder Faafili Suapaia, said.
"Really?" The writer of this article asked. "Did you say 40?"
"Yes. And there have been over 600 new members over the last six months."
I ask the missionaries why people are joining The Curch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Papua New Guinea. What are they seeing in the Church that motivates them to make such big changes in their lives? Ref. Source 3
Papua New Guinea Mission Description
Papua New Guinea lies just below the equator in the eastern South Pacific, It shares its main island with Indonesia. Its other nearest neighbours are the Solomon Islands, Australia and Vanuatu to the south, Micronesia to the east and Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines to the north. It comprises more than 600 islands, covers a total area of over 474,000 square kilometres and has a population of 4.3 million.
It's rain forests are subject to deforestation as a result of growing commercial demand for tropical timber; pollution from mining projects exists. Natural hazards include active volcanism; Papua New Guinea is situated along the Pacific "Rim of Fire" - - It is a parliamentary democracy - - Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but access to these resources has been hampered by the rugged terrain and the high cost of developing an infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for the bulk of the population.
From - Source 4
Papua New Guinea Mission People
The people can be divided into four ethnic groups: New Guineans (From the north of the main island), Papuans (From the south), Highlanders, and Islanders. There is, however, considerable cultural variation within each of these groups. The peoples of the south coast were notorious for headhunting and cannibalism before the arrival of the Europeans. Many people still live in small villages and follow traditional tribal customs. Although English is the official language in schools and government, almost 800 distinct languages are spoken in the islands.
From - Source 8
Anthem
O arise all you sons of this land,
Let us sing of our joy to be free,
Praising God and rejoicing to be Papua New Guinea.
Chorus: Shout our name from the mountains to seas Papua New Guinea;
Let us raise our voices and proclaim Papua New Guinea.
Now give thanks to the good Lord above For His kindness,
His wisdom and love For this land of our fathers so free, Papua New Guinea.
Chorus: Shout again for the whole world to hear Papua New Guinea;
We're independent and we're free, Papua New Guinea.
Mission History
From the Church Almanac 1999 - 2000
Name: Mark Simpson
Comments: I was a member of the Gerehu Branch for most of the 7 years I lived in PNG. My parents are Pat and Chris Bennett (Lived in PNG for 13 years). I'd love to hear from anyone who served else who served or lived/ lives in that blessed land.
Name: Athol William Pike
Comments: Hi I am the Athol Pike, original Branch President. The year for the opening of the branch is of course wrong, but I was very surprised to find this site and very pleased. During my stay in PNG I hoped that one day there would be a temple built there and this may yet come true. I would be pleased to hear from the original branch members .Actually it is a blessing at this time to see the great work being done in PNG