Inside Story~ 

Try Jesus-Part 1

It was time for my children to arrive home from school, and I went to wait for them on the veranda of our house in Sydney. I smiled when I saw Lauren, my seven-year-old daughter, standing on her tiptoes to lift the mail out of the mailbox as she did every day before coming up the driveway.

A few seconds later she was charging toward me, waving a small piece of paper above her head.

"Mummy, mummy, this card says I can have a free Bible. May I fill it in, please, please?"

I met the children at the door, and we walked into the house as Lauren excitedly read out loud what the card said. "See, Mummy," she said, proudly reciting the words. "It says 'Try Jesus' on the front, and on the back there is a place to fill in our name and address."

I was skeptical. Our family had never belonged to a church, and I was not sure if I wanted to give our address to some strangers. But when I saw how eager Lauren was to have the free Bible, I decided to let her send in the card.

We had only lived in Sydney for a few weeks and we hardly knew anyone in Australia. Our family had lived in South Africa until just a few months earlier. But when we saw the crime spiraling out of control, we agreed that we needed to start a new life somewhere else.

We tried England, but it did not work out, so we turned our hopes to Australia. My husband, Neal, applied for work at several places. Finally we located a job in Sydney, so we packed all of our things, exchanged heart-wrenching goodbyes with our families and friends in South Africa, and started out on a new journey, a new life, on a new continent.

Although we were not Christians, I remember that when both our house and business in South Africa sold quickly in an otherwise poor market, that Someone or some power was directing our lives. We found a house in Sydney and enrolled the children in school. Everything seemed to be falling into place. But after the excitement of moving began to wear off and the pressures of everyday life in a new place surfaced, we felt homesick, sad, and a little depressed.

That was when Lauren found the "Try Jesus" card in the mailbox. She was so excited and eager to fill in our address on the card. How could I deny her wish?

I wrote our address on a piece of paper, and she carefully copied it onto the spaces on the card.

To be continued.

Inside Story~ 

The Bridge That God Built-Part 1

Frank Kalom was a pastor in the Maramuni River area of Papua New Guinea. In this isolated and untamable region, he ministered to 21 village churches scattered among the steep mountains and valleys of his territory. One Friday he set out to visit a village on the other side of the river.

This was no easy journey, as there are no roads. Pastor Frank had only a narrow foot track to follow. First he climbed up the hill behind his house and crossed the airstrip where the mission planes land to deliver supplies and visitors, and occasionally evacuate medical emergency patients to the hospital, which was only an hour away by plane, but several days by foot. After crossing the airstrip, he began the steep descent down to the Maramuni River. This river, like so many rivers in Papua New Guinea, is swift-flowing, especially during the rainy season. Over the years the river has cut great gorges through the soft soil and rock, and now the river flowed deep and wide.

Pastor Frank followed the narrow winding trail that led to a bridge that crossed the torrent. The bridge was a simple structure woven from bush vines. It didn't look safe, but the pastor was used to such bridges, and he crossed the river without any trouble.

Word reached the village that the pastor was coming, and happy church members ran out to greet him. They didn't often have their pastor come to minister to them. Nobody complained about the rain that fell almost nonstop.

Pastor Frank ministered to the people, baptizing new believers, marrying excited couples, and dedicating new babies born since his last visit. When it came time for him to return, villagers walked partway with him to express their love, and some gave him gifts of food for his journey home. One of the believers decided to go with Pastor Frank back to the mission station. As they walked along the trail that led to the river, they met some people who announced, "You might as well turn back. The river has washed away the bridge. It's impossible to cross." But Pastor Frank told his companion, "I really need to get back home. We're doing God's work, and He will provide a way for us to cross the river."

The two men came to the river and saw for themselves that the bridge had been washed away. The river flowed so fast, deep, and wide that there was no way to get across. The men stopped and prayed that God would provide a way for them to cross the river.

To be continued.

The Bridge That God Built-Part 2

The story thus far: Pastor Frank Kalom ministered to 21 village churches scattered among the steep mountains and valleys around Maramuni River area of Papua New Guinea. After visiting members on the other side of the river, the pastor and his traveling companion learned that the bridge crossing the river had been washed away.

The two men decided to follow the river upstream to search for a place to cross. But their way was blocked by boulders.

As they stood on the bank of the raging river, wondering what to do next, they saw a huge log come hurtling down the river, tossing about like a cork. As the log neared where the men were standing, it suddenly was thrown into the air and came to rest across the two banks, just like a bridge.

Quickly grasping the opportunity they were sure God had given them, the men climbed down the muddy bank and stepped gently onto the log. Deciding it was safe, the two carefully walked across the log and up the bank on the opposite side.

As soon as the two men jumped off the log, it crashed back into the madly swirling water and went hurtling downstream. The men watched in amazement and gratitude as the log sailed down the river. Still standing in the slippery mud, they offered heartfelt thankful prayers to God, then began the arduous task of clambering up the slippery path toward the pastor's home village.

Along the trail they met some people who knew the regular bridge had been washed out.

"Where have you come from?" the strangers asked in surprise.

"We came from the village on the other side of the Maramuni River," Pastor Frank answered with a smile.

"But that's impossible! The bridge was washed out yesterday," the strangers answered. Then Pastor Frank told the people about the bridge that God had built.

They did not believe the pastor's story, so they followed the footprints back to the place where the pastor and his companion crossed the river. They saw two sets of heavy prints in the soft mud leading up the bank of the river, and a mark in the mud where a large log had been-but they saw no log. Then the people knew that God really had sent a bridge so that His servant could return home.

Many children in Papua New Guinea have no place to meet for Sabbath School except under trees. One of the Thirteenth Sabbath Mission projects this quarter is to provide "Lamb Shelters"-sturdy structures where the children's Sabbath Schools can be held from week to week. Thank you for giving generously.

By Maye Porter, who served as the associate children's ministries director in the Papua New Guinea Union Mission when she wrote this story.