Papua New Guinea: Miraculous Signs and Massive Baptisms
22 May 2024 |
The “PNG for Christ” evangelistic series going on now in Papua New Guinea continues to astonish with reports of numbers baptized. Early estimates were that 98,000 people had been or were prepared to be baptized.
But a new report from General Conference president Ted Wilson extrapolates that number far beyond the original estimates. Wilson writes,
PRAISE BE TO GOD!!!! The latest information from the South Pacific Division and the Papua New Guinea Union Mission is that 278,369 people have been baptized so far in “PNG for Christ” with only about 52% of the over 2000 sites reporting……this is a miracle of God! Many more will be reported. They are being very careful in PNG to instruct people in Bible studies so they understand God’s Holy Word and the gospel message. This is Holy Spirit power being poured out on Papua New Guinea!!! May the Lord nurture this momentum all over the globe as we draw near to Christ’s second coming! Let us pray for the falling of the latter rain of the Holy Spirit all over this world! PRAISE BE TO GOD!!!!! Thank you for your prayers for PNG!
The campaign appears to be a joint effort between the South Pacific Division, the Papua New Guinea Union Mission (PNGUM), the General Conference, and Adventist World Radio. Pastors and evangelists from around the world have been teaching the local seminars. Wilson himself has been front and center in evangelism, preaching and baptizing. He was greeted by massive waving crowds and parades. A house was specially built only for the use of Elder and Mrs. Wilson, and a congregation in Port Moresby named for Elder Wilson.
The organizers have been careful to specify that this is a reaping campaign: PNGUM pastors had already prepared people for baptism, with visiting pastors and church dignitaries only finishing their work. The task of providing for so many baptisms has taxed members and volunteers, with special baptism pools built to accommodate as many as 1,000 baptisms.
Many miraculous events have been reported. From the South Pacific Division Record:
Stories of drug lords burning their marijuana crops and being baptised, prisoners responding to calls, whole villages declaring themselves Adventist, healings and people understanding the gospel presentations in their own languages are just some of things that have been reported.
Madang Manus Mission 2023 Adventist Youth posted on Facebook,
And God was indeed with us today. As the Adventist GC President Pr Ted Wilson and Team set foot in the plane to depart Madang for Mt Hagen, 3 white birds flew over the plane and this was witnessed by those who were at the Madang Airport to bid him farewell.
Elder Wilson himself wrote,
Here is a very interesting video of something that occurred a few days ago-showing a bird flying very low over a crowd of about 50,000 people at an evangelism rally and church gathering to welcome Nancy and me to the city of Goroka, PNG last Tuesday. This is the site where Alex Bryant (president of the North American Division) and his spouse, Des, are holding evangelistic meetings. During our morning program with this large crowd, just minutes before I was to speak, a white heron decided to fly low over the people a number of times. Normally, birds like this do not become so involved with human beings, but many people, I believe, took this as a sign that God was coming close to us….
Other reports say that entire congregations of other faiths are joining the church en masse.
Papua New Guinea Union Mission already had a membership of around 400,000. If Wilson’s estimates prove correct, that number could increase by another 550,000, making this small field one of the most densely Seventh-day Adventist regions in the world. Seventh-day Adventists are well-represented here in professional fields and government: Seventh-day Adventist James Marape was elected Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea in 2019.
