I love being apart of God’s family. Here in Papua New Guinea nothing makes me feel more “at home” than going to our home church of Living Light Foursquare and the honor of visiting other 4square churches in the surrounding settlements.
Paul’s been invited to preach at many 4square churches in and around Mosbi (tok pisin for Port Moresby). This month we all attended a 4square church in the settlement area of ATS, outside our city.
We always say that in PNG everyday is an adventure. This day was no exception. We took with us 2 brothers, Matthew and Samuel, that live at the church office/housing that have become friends of ours. They “knew” how to get there, but as we began to do some serious off roading into settlement areas one of the guys who “knew” where the church was admitted that he’d only been to the church once at night and didn’t know the way. Service started at 9:30am and at 10am we were still driving around, luckily we stumbled into a quiet settlement nearby and found someone who knew where the foursquare church was and were happy to direct us to the right road. I use the term road loosely because it’s a dirt strip with gigantic pot holes and gardens on both sides. In PNG , its extremely rude to drive over someone’s garden of food, but luckily Paul is a great driver and we made it to the church safely.
We were greeted by the youth pastor who was walking in his towel, cause he just had a bath. Paul asked him what time church started and he said, “oh, we’ve started. I’ll go get dressed and meet you in there.”
The church was nothing more than wooden beams, tin roof and dirt floor. As we began to worship I could hear God saying “these are my precious people”. Worship in most PNG services is about an hour and a half, and as we worshiped I was so taken in and lost by God’s sweet presence in this settlement. By “welcome time” the church was full with about 85 people that were all smiling and so excited to have some “white skin” as they call us, in church with them. Here church starts and when the people in the settlements hear the music, they come in to church. I love it when we get introduced because people are shocked that we are able to speak their language. The look on their faces was so priceless as they sat in disbelief at these 2 young “white” pastors speaking to them in pidgin.
Paul began to preach an amazing word on being obedient to God, and as the alter filled up we started to pray for people. I love ministering with Paul and praying over such faithful servants of the Lord. I didn’t want the service to end; the peace and presence of God was so thick and sweet.
After the service, Mason and Ezra ran with some of the pastors kids to see the ducks that the church keeps just behind the building. As I began to ask some of the older children if they eat the ducks they looked at me funny, and said, “no, we only eat the eggs, and we sell the ducks and eggs to people to make money for the church.” I’ve never had a duck egg, but according to these kids, they are great.

Mason standing at the pulpit of ATS- hand woven pulpit cover. Mason, Ezra and kids showing us the ducks.
The church leaders fed a amazing meal of banana’s cooked in coconut milk, chicken in coconut milk, and bok choy in coconut milk, and trust me– it was so good. The thing I love most about visiting churches is how quickly I make kindred spirits. The youth pastors wife (who admitted to missing the service to get food ready for us– which means she goes to the garden for veggies, climbs a trees to get coconuts, and kills a chicken ). Her and I became quick friend and laughed for a long time together. She is from the highlands of PNG and laughed at the fact that I have a “highlands accent” like my husband.

Palmaoe (youth pastors wife) and myself, a new life long friend.
As we left the church the pastors came out with bags of kumu (green veggies) from their gardens(another form of helping support the church), and then the big gift came– a chicken– alive. It was our honorarium. The church’s way of blessing us. Driving through the mud out of this settlement, I thanked God for my new church family.
ATS Foursquare church really impacted me. It was a small church of very poor settlement people, sitting on wooden benches in a dirt floor, but the church was full of love. Love for people, love for God and love for the settlement. I can’t wait to go back.
What happened to the chicken you ask? Well, we gave it to a Matthew, on of the young brothers who came with us to the church, he was so grateful. He said that the day before he asked God for fresh chicken, but he couldn’t afford it. When Mason and Ezra ask where the chicken went, we tell them, “its in Matthew’s tummy”.

Paul and his honorarium and Ezra with the chicken.