Picture Rolls for Peace
In the early 1950s, most parts of the country of Papua New Guinea still had not heard the name of Jesus and the story of salvation. In such places, through administration and church pressure, open cannibalism was significantly in the decline. But many other heathen practices still prevailed.
In one such place, an unnamed village in the Western province, government officials had attempted to introduce western civilisation but soon realised the futility of their attempt. The village they had entered was at war with a neighbouring village, so they were told to leave for the sake of their lives.
Armed with a picture roll, a young Seventh-day Adventist pastor entered the village. On his arrival, some of the villagers advised him to leave as there was fighting going on. Unlike the government officials, the missionary insisted on sharing just one story about Jesus before departing. With no knowledge about who Jesus was, the villagers could not be persuaded. They were more interested in fighting and protecting their village.
Seeing he was losing his opportunity, the missionary quickly took out the picture roll and opened it. As he held it up, a man came and had a closer look at the picture. The missionary turned the page to another picture, and another. One by one the menfolk gathered around the missionary, captivated by the pictures. Soon they began to ask questions about who the people in the pictures were. Before long, the village elders invited the missionary to show the pictures and share the Bible stories. Who would have thought that a simple picture roll could have the power to stop villagers from going to war and draw their attention to hear the name of Jesus for the first time ever. The pastor in the story was married to my mother’s elder sister. By the time I was old enough to know my family history, he had passed on. I never met him but his faithful legacy is an example to all of us.
Verse of the day:
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NKJV).
Daniel Ricky is deputy principal of Sonoma Adventist College, PNG, and loves snorkeling and fishing in the sea.
