Stories from PNG

NANA – Portrait of a Foursquare Pastors Wife

Her name is NANA. She is a mother of 5, a daughter, a wife of Luke, and a Foursquare Pastors wife.

She doesn’t drive fancy car or even a car for that matter. She doesn’t get her hair highlighted, she’s never had a pedicure and she doesn’t shop at Target. She had never had any brand new clothes up until this last year when I gave her a meri blouse I had made for her (she is wearing in picture).

Nana loves the word of God but cannot read or write. She memorizes scriptures that her husband teachers her, and daily shares them with her children. She is a simple woman, but a woman who has taught me so much this past year.

Nana doesn’t know how old she is, she isn’t sure when her children were born of even how long her and husband have been married. She left two of her children with cousins for past year so she could come to Bible College and learn more about serving Jesus.

She was the first face to great me on the morning after we arrived in Papua New Guinea. Her big, beautiful smile the first thing I noticed. The joy of the Lord was all over her as she introduced herself while nursing her 1 year old baby and cutting vegetables for breakfast. She was to be my neighbor. She had never met a “white” skin before, she told me laughing.

Nana and her husband Luke are evangelists that have started 3 Foursquare churches in bush villages in the Markum Valley in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG). These churches are under great persecution from the witchdoctors surrounding the villages.  But in the midst of the danger, God is using them to ignite a great move a God in those 3 villages.

They are both so proud to be Foursquare, wearing tattered Foursquare shirts, made of torn 2^nd hand clothing, sewn into a meri blouse in the shape of the Foursquare flag.

Nana is many things, but also has now become a nurse to many of the other Bible school woman. One young student 21 suddenly went into labor in the middle of the night, she was too ashamed to ask any of the pastors to take her to the hospital (we were at a convention) so she went into the bathroom to have her baby. When Nana heard this young student in labor she scolded the other woman for being afraid to help her. She went into the bathroom and helped her deliver her first son. She cleaned up, everything mother and baby included and then prayed over them both. After all that she came back to her dorm room and nursed her daughter.

She rises early in the morning to wash her baby Naomi. Bath for her means a water bottle and bar of soap that doubles as laundry detergent. At night she sits up when her family is sleeping and will sit and “story” or talk with other mothers while making a biloom (bag) that she hopes to sell at market when she returns home. The money will go to one of the Foursquare churches they pastor.

In the morning while others are showering and eating, her and Luke are raking leaves from the mango tree and collected the rubbish left by the other students around the bible school. They do this every morning, with out being asked. Nana has now taught her daughter Rhoda and son PeiPie to help them with their work.

Nana and I love to “story” with each other. The first time we did my Tok-Pisin was non-existent so my husband was the translator. She told us of their dream to come and become true workmen for Jesus but her fear that they would be kicked out because the man that was to pay their school fees has forgotten his promise to pay the 600 dollars for school fee. (God provided paid their school fees a few weeks later).

Later I watch her with her baby girl Naomi as she struggled for her life after coming down with both malaria and lung infection. Nana and Luke’s faith and perseverance while watching their daughter struggle for life truly impacted me. They would take turns holding the helpless baby and praying over her while the other worked in the garden (source of food) or attended class. God again miraculously healed their girl.  (Picture of Naomi below)

In pidgin we call Nana a “fit wok meri belong Bikpela” which means great servant of God. I pray for her now as she is again with child (number 6) and returns to a village with witchcraft, poverty, disease, and danger. She is not afraid, she told me, because God has called them to work there.

Nana doesn’t have a phone, or email or even a mail box. So saying goodbye to her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. We hugged and wept. While holding me she told me she would never forget me, the “white skin” who became her sister. I told her one day we would be able to laugh and story with Jesus in heaven together.

Nana has no great possessions in the world’s eyes, but God has made her rich in love. She loves as Jesus loved and she will impact many for Jesus with her faith, joy and love.

She is a Foursquare Pastor’s Wife.