Nakui Christians Testifying to God's Healing Power

Because illness and death are such common occurances in the Nakui world, treatment and prevention is a major part of everyday life. Nakui worldview (which mirrors PNG culture as whole) holds that unfriendly spirits and human advesaries using spiritual powers are almost always the cause. In response, it is incumbant upon the victim to identify the offender (diagnosis) and respond by performing the appropriate incantation or ritual act (treatment) to remedy the situation. The following story told by Kibo demonstrates the collision that currently is taking place between traditional Nakui beliefs and a worldview that is centered around God's soverignty and authority.

“A man from Sari village brought a very sick child to our village. The child had short-wind (asthma) and he couldn’t swallow. For days he couldn’t eat and had a very painful throat. When they brought him he was unconscious and we couldn’t awaken him. We all thought for sure he would die. His uncle brought him to Auwio and I to get medicine for him. When he brought him I told him, "Now, we’re not going to do ceremonies where we use banana leaves over the fire. You can’t do that that here. We are going to give him into God’s hands. God will help him, some of us Nakuis told him like that." The child’s parents and relatives wanted to bring him to Afuwitamu’s place (a jungle spirit they fear) and do a ceremony. But Tuti and I said to them, “No, this is God’s time, we need to give the child to God.” They didn’t carry the child to Afuwitamu, they gave him to us and we gave him medicine and prayed for him. Tuti and I prayed for him in the house, and then after going back to my house I couldn’t sleep so I prayed for him until 3:00 am. I prayed that God would help him and that the Sari people would see God’s strength. In the morning he was better, he was awake and eating food. God’s strength helped him. God's power is very big, we gave the child to him and he helped us. This is the second child the Saris have brought to us recently, both times we told them no ceremonies and we gave the child into God’s hands. Both children didn’t die. We want to bring God’s talk to Sari, and now they want to hear about this God who helps save their children.”