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The church service was uniform and rigid in a cult-like manner. The program was clearly set, and the people dared not veer from it. Multiple times the speaker used Bible verses wildly out of context to justify theological stances that are extrabiblical. As Brian sat in the front with the rest of the survey team just behind him, he tried to navigate the strange service and his own emotions. Little did he know of the snake hanging just above his head in the thatched roof.

Brian and five Papua New Guinean teammates recently returned from surveying three language groups (Kanggape, Kadje, and Iski) assessing how Pioneer Bible can facilitate access to God’s word in their own languages. We will not be sending expat missionaries, but instead partnering with highly trained and experienced Papua New Guineans. The men on the survey team have a desire to reach out to those around them, and we could see them ministering through Bible translation in these villages soon!

Brian turned around in the strange service to glance at his teammates, trying to figure out the appropriate response to it all. They were staring directly above him, but he didn’t think anything of it at the time. Simply turned around and kept silently fact-checking the service leader. Later, during the debrief, the men told Brian a snake was hiding in the thatch roof just above him, dangling its head downwards in danger of falling right on him! When they returned to the base village where some of the men’s wives were waiting for their husbands, the men told the story of the snake. One wife recounted a dream she had the night before the service. The survey team were all there and a snake was slithering through the ceiling just above them. Her husband asked what she thought it meant, and she said the church isn’t trustworthy. The presence of the snake in her dream was a warning that the lain lotu (denomination) uses a forked tongue and works in lies. She woke up and prayed for the team in preparation for whatever was coming. The snake didn’t fall on him, but he was left deeply disturbed by the teachings.

It is imperative that the Bible come to these groups so the people can fight lies with truth. Brian was deeply sorrowful at how the leadership in this institution twisted Bible verses in order to control the people in their congregations. Pray with us for Bible translation to move forward among these people so that the truth can dispel the darkness.