David and Shari Ogg Missionaries to the Simbari people of Papua New Guinea 
Unity of the Spirit
In church this Sunday Raymond shared how the Lord had protected him during a quick trip out to town a couple of weeks ago. After hiking for two days over rugged terrain, he arrived at the small town where he would use some public transportation to travel one more day in order to reach the big town. When the public transport vehicles began pulling in to pick up passengers, some in the group he was with wanted to get into a fancy new one, but God prompted Raymond’s heart to take an older-looking one instead. So against their objections he jumped into the old beat-up one and the others with him followed. The newer vehicle departed first and the older vehicle departed some time later. After traveling for a little while, they were stunned when they saw the newer vehicle over on the side of the road in the process of being carjacked by thieves! It was obvious to those in the group that God had directed Raymond and they immediately gave God the glory for protecting them.
Simbari believers 'networking' with believers from other tribes
During his time in town he experienced another event which was obviously orchestrated by the Lord. While he was in a store he encountered a brother in Christ from the Yagaria tribe. This brother was able to give him the cell phone number for the son of a pastor in the capital city so that he could pass it on to his relatives and fellow-believers who have been living there for several months. These Simbari believers have been hungry for teaching from God’s Word and fellowship with other like-minded believers but have not been able to find a church there to attend. This has been a burden on his heart for quite awhile so it was a joy and relief for him to be able to pass on the information to his fellow-believers knowing that they will now be able to attend a good church and continue growing in their faith. It’s encouraging to see believers from different tribes ‘networking’ so they can build one another up in the faith.
This Sunday’s Bible message was about one of the ways “The Gathered Ones of Jesus” (the church) become mature. We first looked in Romans 12 and discussed how each member of the body has been given gifts which are not all the same but we need to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”(Eph. 4:3) We are enabled to do that through the Spirit of God who lives in every believer. We finished by looking at the exhortation to “count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” found in Romans 6:9-13
For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
We are thankful the Simbari church is looking to God’s Word for strength and maturity. And it was great to hear half a dozen Simbari men taking turns reading the above portions of Scripture in the Simbari language. Reading isn’t easy in this language, take the following word for example from Eph. 4:1 “nyomjomwekovla’mwalpino’moneyokwe” which means “to live.” But spurred on by their desire to read God’s Word many from the church have worked hard and learned to read. There are more that need to learn or improve so please pray for them. And for the continued maturity of the church.
Peter and the River
The Pulviyav river
Last week a group of Simbari believers were hiking through the jungle on the way to their pandanus nut gardens. These gardens are high up in the mountainous rainforest and the only way to reach them is on difficult foot trails. These trails repeatedly cross mountains and rivers and at one such river crossing they ran into some trouble. The river was very high from the rain. Since there are no bridges on these remote river crossings they set out to build a makeshift one to get everyone across. This particular river called the Pulviyav is the largest river in the whole valley. It is a fast moving river with many stones and powerful currents. They found a place where the river narrowed a little between two large boulders and after cutting some poles from the jungle the men laid them across the gap between the stones. Because they were traveling as a group the men decided to add a handrail to assist the people as they crossed. As they were trying to get the handrail into place the water caught the pole and knocked one of the men, named Peter, into the water. Because of the two stones narrowing the river at that spot the water was gushing extra fast between the stones and plunging into the pool below. Peter was immediately swept down into the pool and the downward force of the water kept pulling him downwards so he couldn’t surface. It happened so quick that some didn’t even see it happen. But some saw and immediately cried out in fear. Here in Simbari the rivers are feared because too often people have died trying to cross them. Those who saw immediately prayed for help. One man wanted to jump in to try and save Peter but the others held him back lest an extra person die. Peter was swept down the river being smashed into boulders and plunging from one pool to the next each time being pinned to the bottom until the third time when he realized he didn’t have enough strength to fight the current and that he was about to die. He waved his arms saying goodbye to his family and friends as he thought to himself, “I’m going to die now but I’m ready.” But God had a different plan for him and right at that moment brought him close enough to the edge that one of the others could grab his hand and pull him out. The believers were moved to tears and then praised God for the miracle. They said, “Peter was as good as dead, but God gave him life.” And Peter himself marveled that the whole time he was in the river water never entered his nose or mouth, “It was like a blanket (of protection) was wrapped around me”. He said. That evening everyone was very sober and as they gathered in their little garden shelters in the middle of the jungle they glorifed God for saving Peter’s life. They sang worship songs into the night then some slept close to Peter thankful that God gave him life.
Peter teaching a Bible lesson
Several times since this happened they’ve brought up the story of Jonah and how Jonah was as good as dead but God used that difficult situation to teach him then gave him back his life. During the Sunday morning service the Bible teacher, Rison, talked about this again pointing out Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” And that God allows these hardships because he loves us and wants us to become mature in our faith. He reminded them that even in the middle of our difficulties God is there. And in the jungle or out in the towns He is there wanting to teach us through everything that comes into our life. It’s so good to see them standing strong on the word of God.
Good news to report that last week 2 Bible teachers who had been out in town returned to the tribe so we are praising God that they are back. It was good to hear that when they were out in town that they took some opportunities to encourage some of the other believers out there. David is currently working on the preliminary draft of Galatians. Thanks for praying.
Ephesians 6 Song in Simbari
Jethro and his two daughters, Jeporav and Weyopiyav, wrote this song recently about the spiritual armor described in Ephesians 6.
Title: We should put on the clothing that is Jesus
vs1: We are weak as we live on this earth wanting to avoid Satan’s attacks. So we should always put on the clothing that is Jesus.
vs2: One day Jesus will come down and we will see him. He will come down and take us, his children, and we will live in his good heaven.
Progress on translation
David recently finished the 2nd drafts on 1 Timothy, Titus and 1 & 2 Thessalonians translation and gave them to our coworker for checking.
Blog Archives
FYI: The links on our old blog posts going back to 2001 have been repaired now. Hope you all enjoy.
David & Shari
Ringing from the Mountain
It’s common at this time of year for Simbari people to get restless and travel out to the towns. The Simbari Bible teachers have such a burden for the those of the church who are scattered around in different locations, not able to hear these great truths in their own language. So recently after the lessons about the spiritual armor in Ephesians 6 David’s translation helper, Raymond, wanted to pass on the good teaching. So after work one day he hiked 3 hours up to the top of a mountain, which happens to be the nearest place to pick up a cell tower signal. He spent the night there getting rained on then the next morning called the capital city where some of the believers are right now . He then used his mobile phone to teach those Ephesians lessons as well as some from Romans to a group listening in the capital city. Pray for the Simbari believers who are out in the towns to continue walking with the Lord and be sharing the good news of Christ with others.
We are happy to have some neighbors for a few weeks living next door to us. Dave and Katie Walker who are friends from one of our supporting churches in California arrived in PNG last July and have been learning the trade language and culture at our regional center. As part of their orientation they are required to spend several weeks in a tribal location as they continue their national language study. It also gives them a good taste of what it will be like when the time comes for them to move into a tribal location to begin their own ministry. They’ve had some technical difficulties with the solar fridge and the water pump but they haven’t let those things discourage them. Rather they have kept themselves busy mingling with the Simbaris and practicing the language they have been learning. Pray for their family to stay healthy and encouraged during their time here.
Landslides!
This Sunday when we arrived at church we were astonished to see that the night before there had been two large landslides just behind the church building caused by the nightly deluges we have been getting. The Simbaris are thankful for the fact that the landslides were not too close to the new church building which was just finished earlier this year.
Tags: New Tribes Mission, ntm
Merry Christmas from the Oggs in Papua New Guinea
Thanks for your friendship and prayers! May you find great joy this year in the gift of God’s love freely given through His Son, Jesus.
Love, David, Shari and Family
Battlefield 6
teaching about spiritual warfare
A video game called ‘Battlefield’ has recently captured headlines in many parts of the world, yet out in the jungles of Papua New Guinea the Simbari church is hearing about another battlefield described in Ephesians chapter 6 (mekamiyo is the word for battlefield in Simbari). On this battlefield a spiritual battle is in progress. Eph. 6:12 says that in this spiritual battle God’s people are at war with the spiritual forces of darkness. The Simbari are familiar with fighting so it’s not just an empty metaphor for them. Fighting to protect your land is a common practice in Papua New Guinea.
Domestic fighting is also a common practice in this country. Ephesians has teaching for the family that is shedding new light on what the home life of Christ-followers should look like. Wives submitting to husbands as they do to Christ. Husbands loving their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for it. Fathers training children to follow the Lord and children obeying their parents. And all of these under Christ as the head. These truths have been shedding new light into the family lives of the Simbari church. One couple just came wanting to confess how they had been away in the jungle doing garden work when they had a fight with each other. The man was in tears as he recalled how frightened his children had become. These two knew that they had sinned against God himself even though nobody else outside their family even knew what had happened. The Spirit quickly convicted them and they talked through the issue finally sitting the kids down on the floor of their hut and holding hands as they prayed together as a family. Asking forgiveness from each other and from God and later from the rest of the church for something done privately is evidence that God’s Spirit is really using these truths from Ephesians in their hearts.
The battle is already under way but God has given His people everything needed to be prepared for the fight. We need to put on His armor so we can stand up strong no matter what the enemy brings against us. In the lesson we recalled the Israelites at the edge of the Red Sea having already been delivered from the king of Egypt who was then chasing them down because he wanted to put the Israelites back under his rule. That king of Egypt was symbolic of Satan who wants God’s people who have been delivered from his power to be back under his rule. And like Moses stood strong in faith we need to put on God’s armor and stand strong while on the battlefield.
One other man shared today how he and his wife have been wanting a pocket Tok Pisin Bible so they can study verses we haven’t yet translated for them. They have been praying and praying for a long time and saving as a couple and they finally were recently able to purchase one for each of them. It was humbling to consider that all this couple wished for was a little pocket Bible. Yet what about us, with all that we already have and even more under the Christmas tree, what are we wishing for? Today there is a tribe out there wishing for a missionary to come to them with the Good News of the Bible. Is there a better present that could be given? Thanks for praying for the Simbari but please remember to pray for the tribes who haven’t yet heard.
David & Shari Ogg
Simbari Thanksgiving
Simbari believers share what they are thankful to God for and what He is teaching them through the book of Ephesians.
To learn more about the Simbari people of Papua New Guinea see: http://usa.ntm.org/field-news/group/simbari
Click the photo for more Simbari pictures
Tags: New Tribes Mission, ntm, papua new guinea, Simbari
Translation Checked!
The long awaited final check on Romans 9-16 and Ephesians is complete. We are pleased at how it went. The hearers were tracking pretty well even when hearing fairly large sections. There were a few spots they struggled more to understand. We have some ideas as to how we can improve those sections to better match the Biblical source language text. Some of these abstract concepts are difficult in any language. We noticed the first afternoon they were getting pretty tired and it was affecting their performance. But aside from that the check went as we hoped. What’s exciting is to hear these Simbari men grasping these deep truths from God’s Word communicated in their own language. 
Thanks to all you who prayed. We also are thankful to the translation consultant, Greg Melendes, who took time from his own translation project to help us with this check. After making a few adjustments to the text we’ll be able to print it for the Simbaris to use. We’ve got several other books in later stages of the translation process that we want to have ready for checking as soon as possible. After completing the translation check David began a course in discourse and translation.
Technology tidbit: While we were out in town one of the Simbari men was able to use a mobile phone to be an encouragement to a brother who lives in the capital city. He put the phone on speaker and shared a message from the Word of God over the phone in the Simbari language. It’s nice to see the believers using whatever means available to use the Scriptures in their own language for equipping other members of the body of Christ.
Acting Out Ephesians
A man walks into church with his machete and walks up to the front and begins talking about this (imaginary) good garden plot and then lays down a ‘sodo’ (pronounced: sun-duh). The sodo is how shared garden plots are typically divided up among different clans. Another man then walks in also carrying his machete and walks up to the front and also begins talking about the good garden plot, then sees the divider blocking him from part of the garden. He lifts his machete and angrily starts yelling at the man on the other side of the divider. As the hostility shoots back and forth over the divider the wide-eyed congregation watches on. Then another man comes and removes the divider so that both can share the same garden, and encourages them to shake hands. That little drama was how the Simbari Bible teachers chose to begin the service on Sunday morning to illustrate the truths of Ephesians 2:12-18. Afterwards as the Bible teacher taught through that portion of Scripture the Simbaris had a better idea of the kind of hostility that existed between the Jews and Gentiles before becoming one in Christ. As Gentiles the Simbaris were also without hope and far away from God but now through the blood of Christ they have been brought near to God. These are the kinds of truths that the two Simbari churches have been hearing as they study through the book of Ephesians verse by verse on Sunday mornings.
Another drama followed the next Sunday to further illustrate how the Gentiles were far from God and not allowed inside the Temple of God. Now they themselves are temples of God as described in Ephesians 2:19-20. We looked back at how God used to dwell inside the Holy of Holies but when Christ died the veil was torn from top to bottom and His dwelling place is now in the hearts of His people. From a tabernacle model that a team from GBC had just brought over the teacher used the ark of the covenant with the mercy seat to show God’s way of dwelling among man before Christ. But now in Christ, “You are being built into a place where God lives through His Spirit” (Eph. 2:22)
A special thanks to the team from Grace Baptist Church who recently came to be an encouragement and help to the Simbari church (and to us). They faced difficult circumstances with their eyes fixed on Christ and were indeed a blessing. If you’d like to read more about their trip here is the link: http://www.gracebaptist.org/papuanewguinea2011
We just finished reading a book that we’d like to recommend: What’s Going On Downriver? by Rob Greenslade. It’s about the Gospel reaching the Bisorio tribe where David visited in 1986 when he was first challenged to become a missionary. Shari also became interested in Papua New Guinea when she heard the Bisorio story.