While Easter used to be an occasion filled with darkness and dread, the Tobo people of Papua New Guinea experienced something different this year – freedom.
“For the first time, rather than being a solemn time of fear, restrictions and taboos, like staying around one’s village area during several days of the holiday to keep out of trouble with the spirits,” wrote missionary Chad Mankins, “many are appreciating the wonderful meaning of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus has for them personally as sinners saved by grace!”
Now free from the penalty and power of sin, the newborn believers gathered in the great outdoors to celebrate a new kind of Easter.
“The worship was tremendous as we thanked Jesus for His sacrificial death for us, singing to the tune of guitars and the beat of wooden hand drums,” wrote Chad. “Several people expressed their praise to Kiwu (God) for what Yesu (Jesus) has done for them. We concluded our time by drinking tea and sitting around enjoying each other’s fellowship.”
Lanisa, a tribal believer and good friend of Chad’s wife Janeene, recently encouraged the Mankins with her thoughts on the subject.
“This has been a good time for us now to see what Christ has really done for us. He died and his blood spilled out for our sins and then He rose and stomped on Satan’s head and crushed it. Now I am not afraid any more and my insides are no longer heavy. I am so happy.
“Before I understood that Jesus died for me, my sin – it was like I was carrying a huge string bag not full of sweet potatoes, but full of stones. I was hunched over under all the weight, staggering around walking on all fours like a pig because of the heaviness I was carrying. But Jesus just took the bag off of my back side, and now I can stand up straight and walk with ease like a woman and not a pig.”
Praise the Lord with us that the Tobo people of Papua New Guinea have been released from bondage to the spirit world and now have a whole new life in Christ. And pray for those who haven’t yet believed to desire that liberty for themselves.
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