Sometimes I feel we are getting somewhere, sometimes not. They can do excellent work if they want to do it, but sometimes their behaviour is very bad. Margaret Higman, letter to parents It started with complaints. Someone was stealing from the rooms of some of the mission workers at Tende. Sometimes it was money andContinue reading “32. Trouble in Mendi Mission School 1962”
Tag Archives: Lai Valley
31. Education in Mendi, 1962
I have had the feeling for a long time that we are spending too much time and energy on schoolwork and not enough on spiritual work and pastoral work. John Rees April 1961 The annual report of the Methodist Highlands District told one story about education. Perhaps it was true for education in Tari. InContinue reading “31. Education in Mendi, 1962”
29. Moving to Tende and other changes, 1962
Here at Mendi each person is trying to cope with more work than one can possibly do… This work which God has sent us to do has outgrown us. John Rees, July 1962 The year has seen a remarkable increase in the number of our people coming forward to acknowledge Jesus Christ as their LordContinue reading “29. Moving to Tende and other changes, 1962”
27. First baptisms, 1961
‘This was the day. It was the climax of months of preparation by many people and the fulfillment of years of work by others.’ Joyce Rosser, writing of the first baptisms at the Methodist Church in Tari, 1961. ‘The preaching has led to no hasty decisions of belief in God, but rather to a gradualContinue reading “27. First baptisms, 1961”
24. Practical ministries of education and health, 1960
We did not understand the meaning of school, so many of the boys left and went back to the village, only a few of us continued. That doesn’t mean we knew the meaning of it either, but we wanted to stay with the mission because it was better than living in the village. Dabuma, 1970Continue reading “24. Practical ministries of education and health, 1960”
23 Hope, disappointment and new hope, 1960
Our missionaries are doing a great job but, if their numbers were doubled, they would only be touching the fringe of this field. Rev Harry Bartlett, visitor to Highlands on behalf of MOM 1960 The cutting edge of the church’s advance is the witness and work of the island missionaries. Missionary Review March 1958 TheContinue reading “23 Hope, disappointment and new hope, 1960”
21. New contacts in the Lai Valley, 1957
1957 Two visitors came to the mission at Unjamap in 1954. They were curious about these strange white people. They saw many signs of change and new things on the mission site. New gardens, large foreign buildings built in ways that were different from the traditional Mendi style. There were strange animals, voices speaking inContinue reading “21. New contacts in the Lai Valley, 1957”
16. Visitors from a wider world, 1955
Workers from New Zealand, Germany and Tonga join the mission team In 1955, the mission team spoke at least six different languages in their homes and tried to learn the languages of the local people as well. They were all a very long way from their homes. For many centuries, perhaps for thousands of years,Continue reading “16. Visitors from a wider world, 1955”
Synod and other meetings
Every year representatives from the churches in the Highlands would gather to find out what was happening and to make important decisions together. The annual meeting was called the ‘Synod’. This photo collection from 1959 to 2006 shows Synod meetings and other important meetings of church leaders. Click on the arrows to move forward orContinue reading “Synod and other meetings”
Margaret Reeson 