Papua New Guinea | Simon & Annika Flanagan

Archive for the ‘Papua New Guinea’ Category

Merenge a wandering child of God.

Posted by Simon and Annika Flanagan on Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

This is baby Cletus, Merenges first born child. Just a new believer and Merenge stood against his family for God. He chose to trust in God and not the local shaman. CLICK HERE to listen to his story.

Unfortunately baby Cletus died in the weeks to come. Since the death of his first born son Merenge has drifted from fellowship and has increasingly become distant from us; ended relationships and is now very negative towards the church and ourselves. Please pray that God would work in Merenges life and bring him back into fellowship with himself. Pray that we would know how to relate to Merenge and how to help him. Pray that the love that we would show him would show him His Saviors heart for him. Let’s pray and see what God will do in the months ahead.

Thanks for your prayers,

Simon, Annika, Nya and Noah

Posted in Mengen, Ministry | Comments Off

Reconciliation

Posted by Simon and Annika Flanagan on Monday, April 23rd, 2012

CLICK HERE to hear how the gospel is bringing about peace in our village. The Mengen way is a life for a life; God is making a difference.

Thanks for praying,

Simon, Annika, Nya and Noah

Posted in Mengen, Ministry | Comments Off

Book of Acts in believers hands

Posted by Simon and Annika Flanagan on Friday, April 20th, 2012

Great news! This week I was able to put printed copies of the book of Acts into our believers hands.

We gave out 60 copies and guess what? People didn’t put it in their bags to read at home; they sat down just where they were at and started to read, some sitting for an hour or more before moving on.

(more…)

Posted in Mengen, Ministry, Papua New Guinea | Comments Off

Police, a dead pig and a growing family

Posted by Simon and Annika Flanagan on Monday, April 16th, 2012

Eph 2:19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family.

In general PNG culture and particularly the Mengen culture family ties are very important. If you are in a good family, you will gain a good name, you will always receive help in times of trouble; if your gardens fail, if your children need a babysitter, if you get in a fight, if you are making a garden or building a house, if you need to borrow tools, if your are short on money for school fees, your family will help you out, they’ve got your back. Now if you behave badly or step out of line, your family will threaten to remove all of that help and will turn their back on you in order to force you back into line.

These family pressures have been wearing hard on some of our believing families; we believe the story of the, “police, a dead and a growing family” have helped the family of God in our Mengen village to come together like never before. (more…)

Posted in Mengen, Ministry, Prayer requests | 1 Comment »

Maliaba Spirit

Posted by Simon and Annika Flanagan on Monday, February 13th, 2012

The Maliaba is the name of the Shaman that controls the Mengen people.

He has always had power over the people because he is possessed by a spirit that gives him power.

Click this link to see how he is losing control over the Mengen believers!

Pray that God continues to deliver precious souls from a life of fear.

Tags: New Tribes Mission, NTM
Posted in Mengen, Ministry | Comments Off

Mengen magic – the cup

Posted by Simon and Annika Flanagan on Monday, February 6th, 2012

The cup

Magic and manipulation of the Spirit world is part and parcel of life amongst the Mengen people.

Click this link to find out about the first ceremony performed on a newborn baby.

Pray the Lord will free more Mengen people from the grip of the evil one.

Tags: New Tribes Mission, NTM
Posted in Mengen, Ministry | Comments Off

Translation workshop and more…

Posted by Simon and Annika Flanagan on Thursday, January 26th, 2012

A year and a half living amongst the Mengen people, about 520 days of language and culture study, ten days of a translation workshop at our support center and I have been able to translate the first chapter of the book of Ruth. These are exciting and encouraging day and I thank God for allowing me to be able to go and complete the translation workshop. We take eight steps to ensure that our translations communicate the original meaning of the source text whilst striving to stay true to the word of God.

Some work I have on my plate as we return to the bush is to translate some literacy materials into Mengen and then the rest of the book of Ruth. (more…)

Tags: New Tribes Mission, NTM
Posted in Family, Mengen, Ministry, Prayer requests | Comments Off

Christmas celebrations

Posted by Simon and Annika Flanagan on Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Well Christmas was all brand new for the Mengen church. This year the church got together to honor their Savior and mark the time of his birth. The church got together and donated money to buy a large box of lamb flaps from town, from their own gardens they donated sweet potato, yams, tapioca, various types of edible leaves, they cooked all this with coconut milk on top of hot rocks in the ground called a mumu. Festivities started in the evening with a worship service that lasted most of the night; they started to cook the food in the early morning, had a brief sleep and then cooked again. (more…)

Tags: New Tribes Mission, NTM
Posted in Mengen, Ministry | Comments Off

Controlled by the Spirits of the Dead

Posted by Simon and Annika Flanagan on Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

The Mengen people believe that the Spirits of the dead roam in the night and in the fog. The believe they can eat us. Click on this link to hear more of their fear of the dead.