Greetings from Goroka,
Thank you for your faithful support through prayers
and giving. God is at work here in Papua New Guinea by answering prayer
and saving souls.
I received word from the Madang Provincial
Government Lands Office that the paperwork for the land that was given to Bundi
is a viable document. The people that gave the land and signed the paper
have relinquished all rights of ownership of the property. The
man also said that if they cause trouble that they could go to jail. We do
not want them to go to jail. We want them to honor the government
laws and stop hindering the growth of Bundi Baptist
Church.
Last night, Saturday, I talked to Kasi Karapa
by radio. Kasi is a deacon at Bundi. He told me that on
Saturday afternoon, some of the people that are demanding payment for the
church ground, came and cut bamboo and closed the entrance of the Bundi Baptist
Church building. I told him that we would not be flying into Bundi on
Sunday and the church members should not break through the barricade, until the
people who are involved understand that what they are doing is against the
law.
The government lands official told me that he would
go to Bundi and tell the people that when the owners signed the paper giving the
land to the church, all of their legal claims to the land ended. They no
longer have any legal claims to the land. I shared with the man that the
trip to Bundi would be hard to make now that the Ramu River is high and the road
is closed. There is a government HF radio that can be used to transmit and
receive information. Sorry! There are no telephones in
Bundi.
The land owners drew up the paper and we went
together to the court house to have the paper signed and notarized. Now,
ten years later, the owners are claiming that we need to pay them for the
land.
Please continue to pray:
1. For this land issue to be completely
resolved and for Bundi Baptist Church to be able to vote in Timothy Barey as
their first Pastor
2. The land lease questions to be answered
about the proposed property site for the airplane hangar
Praise:
1. Chris was saved last Sunday. He
was a medical patient that we flew in to Goroka sick. Now he is healthy
physically and spiritually. Pray for him as he learns how to
live as a Christian.
2. Answered prayer by hearing a positive
report from the government about the land issue at Bundi
We are making good progress toward packing up for
furlough. We are scheduled to depart Goroka on 25 March at 10:45 AM.
We will arrive in Kansas City, MO on 27 March in the evening, from Chicago on
United Airlines.
Listening for the trump,
Steve and Sandy
Aholt