It is peaceful around the Mission area now. In the remote areas the way of these people is to settle all disputes by fighting. When the Government steps in, it helps with problems and gradually these are solved without bloodshed. Gordon Young 1956
“This work of true consolidation in the area has been a hard one and has meant that I have spent a lot of time away from home, but it has been an excellent means of getting to know the people, their language and customs, and I feel will prove of lasting benefit in reaching them for the Lord. Apart from fleas, flies and a few other discomforts, I have thoroughly enjoyed it. David Johnston 1956
We do not claim any definite converts yet; but we do know the Hand of God is at work and His Spirit is moving. Gordon Young 1956
Because of the work of the Australian patrol officers, there was not so much tribal fighting in Mendi by 1956. Now that the Mendi Valley was more peaceful, the patrol officers told the missionaries that they were free to go further away from Unjamap and Tende. For the first years they had been forbidden to go more than a couple of kilometres from their station. They had to wait for people to come to visit them. Now it was possible to start new pastor stations.
In 1956, the Methodists decided to apply for leases for three new pastor stations in the parts of Mendi that were now de-restricted. It was the job of the Australian government patrol officers to negotiate with the local people for leases of some of their land for the use of missions. David Johnston was working hard with his agricultural work but early in the year he spent several months helping to establish new mission places at Wombip, Kamberep and Yaken.
David Johnston told this story:
We have now completed houses and necessary out-houses for native teachers at two localities to the north of the main station. These are approximately two and a half to three hours’ walk from here and about one and a half hours apart. We have stationed Setepano at Wombib and Burley Mesepitu at Was. Due to these areas being very heavily populated, it was rather difficult getting enough area to build a small station. However, this has now been done and we thank the Lord for His giving strength to us all to carry out this strenuous work.
At the moment Daniel Amen is at Yaken, which is to the south of the Government Station, and the house there is nearing completion. The people in this area have been slow to cooperate with the building, mainly because they are keenly interested in the oil and shell trade and spend a lot of their time collecting these items of wealth. They have been most friendly and I feel that this site is an excellent one for us to move further afield from, at a later date.
This work of true consolidation in the area has been a hard one and has meant that I have spent a lot of time away from home, but it has been an excellent means of getting to know the people, their language and customs, and I feel will prove of lasting benefit in reaching them for the Lord. Apart from fleas, flies and a few other discomforts, I have thoroughly enjoyed it.
There was another change for the Methodist Mission in the Southern Highlands. By 1956 they were not the only Church in the region. In Mendi, the Catholic missionaries first arrived in 1954 and by 1956 five American priests from the Capuchin Order were setting up their own mission at Kumin just on the south of the town centre. In Tari, by 1956 the Methodists shared the work of mission with the Catholic Mission, the Seventh Day Adventists and the Unevangelised Fields Mission. As the pioneer in this area, Gordon Young found this very challenging. Across the whole of Papua and New Guinea many new missions were arriving. The Catholics, the Anglicans, the Lutherans and the Methodists had been in the country for many years and had often tried to make agreements about the areas where they would work. Now, new missions were coming to places where other missions were already working. Government officers were becoming concerned about this new competition between the mission groups. They decided to hold a big meeting of church leaders to try to work things out between the groups.
Gordon Young wrote:
We believe our Church was commissioned to go into the Highlands. We commenced in this area because there was no other Church there, first to go to both Mendi and Tari. Now in the Mendi
area is the Roman Catholic Church which came in 1954. They have five priests moving amongst the people at all times. We have a staff of three [ministers] and have been trying to lay firm foundations, and have established three teacher stations in the past few months within a radius of seven miles in three different directions. There are now over 50 preaching places and Mendi is developing into an extensive circuit. Tari is fifty-five air miles away. There we have a church and several preaching places. … It is all part of our way of life and freedom of speech and worship. We must face the situation and need the best possible staff.
Some Missions are not co-operative, but we have very happy fellowship with others.
Some things were not new, but changing and growing. The Methodist missionary team in Mendi and Tari by 1956 was of twenty-eight staff members and their wives and children. They were a very multinational community. Six Australians were from Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. There were three from New Zealand, two from Germany and one family from Tonga.
Five pastor-teachers came from Solomon Islands, five from Papuan Islands and six from New Guinea District.
Gordon Young was very impressed with the faithful men and their families from the coastal regions of New Guinea, Papua and the Solomon Islands. That year, he and Grace Young were on leave in Australia and on one occasion he spoke to a meeting of Methodist women in Melbourne. The women had many questions about the work in the Highlands because they were supporting it financially. They asked about the language – ‘very difficult, with 38 phonetic sounds but only 26 letters in our alphabet’ – about agriculture – ‘starting coffee plantations, distributing passionfruit plants, introducing new vegetables’ – about availability of food – ‘mostly tinned meat or fish with home grown vegetables’ – and other practical questions. Young told them:
When people ask you ‘Are missions worthwhile?’, tell them this. Fifty-four years ago, Rev. Goldie went to the Solomon Islands. Because he and others faithfully preached the gospel message, five pastor-teachers were sent to the Highlands as missionaries. Not only have these been sent, but the Solomon Islands District fully supports them there… The New Guinea District do the same — paying all expenses for their representatives. Papua have a special offering which almost covers all expenses of their men, too. So, to a very large extent these men are supported by their own Churches.
The most challenging question from the women in Melbourne was, ‘Is there a definite response yet from the people?’ Perhaps they thought that after six years of work there should be signs of people hearing the message of Christ and changing from their traditional beliefs to Christian faith.
Gordon Young told them:
We do not claim any definite converts yet; but we do know the Hand of God is at work and His Spirit is moving. The men come to adult Sunday School, the married women, too. Some men lead in prayer and we lay a strong foundation amongst these people. These people are shrewd, independent and almost the hardest in New Guinea.
We do need your prayers. We need you to pray intelligently. We need you to pray all the time. Then only can this work be carried on to the glory of God.
The Missionary Review—May, 1956—Page 9
The Missionary Review June 1956
The Missionary Review—October, 1956—Page 16
The Missionary Review—August, 1956—Page 8
The Missionary Review—August. 1956—Page 7
Margaret Reeson 