VOICES IN THE NIGHT
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| People gathered in the conference tent. |
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July 22, 2010
by David Bell
Imagine 300 people from various tribal groups sitting in the dirt, packed into a makeshift shelter with dogs and pigs wandering in at will and babies screaming.
It's not imaginary for those who experienced the latest church conference in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. But the people take it all in stride. They are not there for the comfort. They are there to consume God's Word -- and they are hungry.
So hungry for God's Word that sleepless nights are common as the people discuss the day's teaching.
Missionary Gordon Wohlgemut was enjoying a few hours of sleep one night when voices from the hut next door, just five feet away, woke him.
"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop on their conversation but I would literally have to plug my ears to avoid hearing what they were saying," Gordon wrote. "But what they said was thrilling to my heart … even at 3 a.m."
The people were not showing any signs of ending their conversation and Gordon eventually dozed off. He awoke again at 5 a.m. to find the people still talking about God and the teaching they were hearing.
The people showed no signs of their sleepless night when they appeared with smiles that morning. As Gordon emerged from his hut, a local man asked, "Gordon, we know that the conference is over and you were planning on leaving today, but we were wondering if you could stay for a while and teach us some more?"
Gordon thought about not having any material prepared and wanting to catch the early bus, but those excuses sounded lame to him. He agreed to the man's request and prayed for wisdom as to how he could feed such a hungry crowd.
"It was a wonderful time and the people had a never-ending list of questions," he wrote.
Gordon taught that morning and was still able to leave that afternoon.
Please pray that the people's hunger for God's Word will continue and spread throughout the various tribes represented.
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