Saved by a Dream
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WARBURTON, VICTORIA, AUSTR ALASIAN OCTOBER 23, 1967. Volume 71 Number 43 Be Sure to Read: "Through Knives, Screams, and the Cruel Sea to the AND ADVENT WORLD SURVEY Kingdom of God" J. P. L. GRAY, Page 6. Saved by a Dream By NAOMI ROFAYAKE [This is a story of a girl from the Eastern Highlands, Naomi Rofayake. I have known Naomi from the days when she was a child in the Kainantu area, and can vouch for the character of the girl, and know of her great desire to become someone for God. The Eastern Highlands form a very interesting part of the Trust Territory of New Guinea. These highlands, as well as possessing the prosperous centre of administration and business, Goroka, also include some of the few ex-cannibal areas of the Territory—the Fore district, and the Karimui, where the people ate their dead instead of burying them. There are still people back in the mountains of the Eastern Highlands who live as stone-age savages, and I refer to the Kukukukus. So when you read the story of this girl from the mountains you may truly appreciate the great desire deep down in her heart to become a nurse in service to her people.—R. Tindall.] WHEN I WAS a little girl my You leave me behind? Please wait for mother passed away without knowing me." But He said, "You are not about the coming of Christ. I had no ready." one to stay with. About that time In the same week that I had that NAOMI ROFAYAKE my father went down to Port Moresby dream, I asked Rofayake if I could join live in a dormitory for the girls. That to work in the rubber plantations, the baptismal class, but he said, "No," dormitory is very small with only four leaving me to go from home to home for I was not yet ready for that. I did rooms, each one measuring about six- for my food and shelter. When my not tell him about the dream that I teen feet by sixteen feet. In 1965 dad returned after two and a half saw, but kept on asking him for three there were fifteen girls in each room; years, he came to take care of me. weeks after that until at last he allowed in 1966 we had eighteen girls, and In 1957, two friends from my vil- me to join, and eventually I was bap- now this year we have more than lage, Rofayake and Sarikaha, came tized. I am glad that I have found twenty. You can see we are far too home from Kainantu for their fur- the truth, and appreciate the way that crowded. Our beds are much too close lough. They were the only Seventh- the Lord has helped me with my together; so close that we do not have day Adventists in that village at the school work. 1 completed my primary enough room to sit down properly or time, and they took me as their daugh- schooling, arid now I am in high enough room to put our suitcases; so ter. At the end of 1957 we all went school in Form 2A. My aim is to be a crowded that we do not know what to to Kainantu, and it was there that I nurse and help others. do. We are in great need of a new started school in 1958. Just before I Today in my village there are about dormitory. was baptized, I had a dream one night eight men and six women including We have been told that this year the that Jesus came and led the good peo- myself who are Adventists: I am very Missions Extension Offering in No- ple up toward heaven. I was a mile happy, too, because my father is now vember is going to be used to build us away behind those people, so I called an Adventist. a new dormitory. This will be a won- out to Jesus, and said, "I wanted to When I came here to Kabiufa in derful blessing to us all. Thank you come with You to heaven, so why did 1965 to do seventh grade, I came to so much for helping us. YearifilYesitrivilrefreVra(MMIVednitris tbfkltatAirtlncllrit34(11V3 (Registered in Australia for transmission by post as a newspaper.) [2] 23/10/67 AUSTRALASIAN RECORD News From All Over MM. •••••••••••• •••-••••••••-•-•••••••••••• POONA, INDIA: Over in the Southern Asia Division IOWA, U.S.A.: They had quite a camp meeting in the literature evangelists are tremendously happy in that, Iowa recently when $26,000 was given and pledged to for the first time in the history of that division, a colpor- evangelism in the Iowa Conference for the coming year. teur—sorry, literature evangelist—has sold more than However, most of the campers will probably remember Rs. 25,000 worth of books for the year. And for good the camp for its turbulent weather. Almost every night measure, when one did it, someone else also broke the there were storm warnings, and a couple of times camp- barrier. For statistical purposes only, we record that one ers had to leave their tents and trailers and take shelter rupee equals thirteen cents Australian. in the basement of the main building. No damage or injury was reported during the encampment, although some tents were blown away (some finished up in the trees) before the camp actually started. WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A.: At present there are 2,500 Adventist young men in the U.S. armed forces. About 550 are in Vietnam, where eleven have been KANSAS, U.S.A.: A Seventh-day Adventist institution killed in action. Another 500 are in Europe and Korea. has been named "Employer of the Year" by the Kansas City Association for Retarded Children. The award is made to the employer who has done most in hiring and NEW YORK, U.S.A.: A "paperback" published with- training retarded children in his factory or establishment. out fanfare and without a suggestive cover is selling at The Shawnee Mission Hospital and Health Centre em- the rate of about 25,000 copies A DAY! The new hit ploys three such children in its food services department is the American Bible Society's "Good News for Modern as paid employees. The Shawnee Mission Hospital is Man," a translation of the New Testament. one of nearly 200 employers in Kansas City who are in- volved in the training and employing of retarded young people. PAKISTAN: Shoemaker Bhag lives in a small village in West Punjab, Pakistan. As a loyal Adventist he pays ILLINOIS, U.S.A.: Notice carefully the gentleman in his tithe regularly and takes care over even the smallest the accompanying picture. He is Alexander Ruffin, a amounts. With God's blessing his tithe has increased Negro who has been a full-time literature evangelist for month by month. Although shoe-making is not a very nineteen years. He sells between $75 and $100 (U.S.) lucrative business, the tithe now amounts to almost fifty worth of literature a week, and has regular customers on rupees a month. You could not persuade Brother Bhag whom he has called for eighteen years. Mr. Ruffin that you can out-give God. works in all kinds of weather, and nothing keeps him >4. from his regular rounds. All in all, this makes him look pretty much the same as any one of a hundred literature MICHIGAN, U.S.A.: Mr. Lelord Kordel is a dietitian evangelists you may have heard of before. But Mr. of some standing in the United States who advocates, for Ruffin has one distinguishing feature that surely makes health, strength, vitality, and youthful zest—meat, and him absolutely unique. He can't talk, for he is afflicted more meat, especially "organ meats" such as liver and with palsy. A colporteur who can't talk! And some kidney. Mr. Kordel denounced vegetarianism as a people don't even go on the Appeal for Missions if it "vicious fad," and listed all the ills and ailments which looks like rain! would come as a result of its practice. His writings in the local paper came to the attention of seventy-six-year old Mrs. Cora West, a practising vegetarian who is a member of the Burlington Adventist church. She is one of those upon whom the years have taken little toll, and she cares for her own home and that of her ninety-four- year-old brother, does heavy Dorcas work, holds four church offices, sews for herself, her children, grand- children and great-grandchildren and neighbours, works in her large garden and cans or freezes its produce, and is playground supervisor at the local public school. All without eating liver and such. Mrs. West and her daugh- ter saw a righteous shade of red when they read the pro- nouncements of the dietitian, and the upshot of her in- dignation was that the local newspaper ran twelve articles by Mrs. West and her daughter entitled "Facts About Vegetarianism," which were splendidly researched and thoroughly documented. It was generally conceded that she had made her point. Bravo, Sister West! Alexander Ruffin canvasses one of his customers. AND ADVENT WORLD SURVEY 23/10/67 [31 News From All Over .••••••••••••M•-•••••• INDONESIA: Although Moslems are the hardest peo- NORTH DAKOTA, U.S.A.: Brother A. G. Andrews is a ple to win to Christianity, the president of the West "character," and we use the term in the kindest sense. Indonesia Union, Pastor W. L. Wilcox, reports that in his Because he was the only Adventist living in his town of field in 1966 a total of 1,273 former Moslems were bap- Walhalla, someone referred to him as an "isolated mem- _ tized into the remnant church.