Auwim, East Sepik Province (Papua New Guinea) - June 14, 2024 - Auwim, a remote village close to the border of East Sepik and Enga Provinces in Papua New Guinea, was visited by Adventist Education Services Director Mr. Lancedown Wirise and Senior Inspector of General Education Services Mr.Johnson Hapma on Wednesday, June 12th, 2024.

The purpose of the visit was to initiate the process of registering Auwim SDA Primary School, a beacon of hope for a community neglected due to its geographical location.

Community leaders expressed their deep desire for education in emotional speeches. One leader stated, "Many mocked us, calling us the back page of the province. Yet, we believe your visit today marks a new chapter, bringing us to the forefront."

Mr. Hapma, the Senior Inspector, pledged his support to expedite the registration process. He urged the community to work together with the Seventh-day Adventist Church to make their dream a reality.

Mr. Wirise assured the community that the necessary paperwork for registration is already in order and will be submitted shortly.

Following the program, officials toured the school for an inspection and a reception was held to honor the guests and community leaders.

Special thanks were given to Sr. Christine Gawi, Mrs. Linda Lalo, Masandanai Seventh-day Adventist Church, and volunteer teachers Mr. Venes Singafi and Mrs. Singafi for their two-year initiative to establish the school. Their dedication is bringing vital education services to Auwim.

Wewak Island West Coast District is gearing up for the PNG For Christ Campaign with a crucial planning meeting held at Sepik Mission in Wewak Hill. Led by Minister Francis Nima, the gathering brought together church leaders, community leaders, and government officials to strategize for the upcoming Awareness Walk.

Scheduled for March 6th, 2024, the Awareness Walk plays a key role in raising awareness about the campaign's core message and encouraging participation from residents across the Sepik region. Participants at the meeting meticulously deliberated on logistics, route planning, and community engagement strategies to ensure a successful walk.

The PNG For Christ Campaign transcends religious boundaries, aiming to promote spiritual values, foster moral well-being, and strengthen community bonds. It envisions a positive societal impact and serves as a continuous endeavor, not a one-time event, as Minister Nima emphasized.

The campaign's reach extends beyond Wewak, encompassing various communities throughout the Sepik region. It aspires to touch hearts, inspire positive change, and unite people on their faith journey. Through collaboration with local leaders, the campaign seeks to address societal challenges, including law and order issues, through a holistic approach.

Deputy Administrator Alphonse Kami echoed his support for the campaign, highlighting the significance of community rehabilitation and moral upliftment. The collaboration between the Seventh-day Adventist Church, local leaders, and government agencies promises a brighter future for the region.

Reaffirming the mission's unwavering commitment to working alongside the government, Pastor Henry Monape, president of the mission, stated, "Together, we aim to create a godly society, where compassion, unity, and spiritual growth prevail."

This collaborative effort signifies the collective commitment of various stakeholders in Sepik to create a more positive and unified region through the values and message of the PNG For Christ Campaign.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is on the rise in Papua New Guinea and it is accounted for 47% of the total deaths, including 20% of deaths attributed to emerging NCDs and 27% of deaths due to endemic non-communicable diseases. Leading causes of deaths (CODs) from emerging non-communicable diseases identified include cardiovascular diseases, stroke, and diabetes.

This is due to Papua New Guineans' attitude towards food choices and the lifestyle the people live.

To help combat NCDs in the country, the church has initiated the program, "10,000 Toes as a packet to fight NCD, in particular the diabetes epidemic."

Seventh-day Adventist Church's contribution to decreasing lifestyle diseases, has initiated the program 10,000 Toes Campaign to combatting, arresting and reversing diabetes and the other lifestyle diseases.

Vanimo 10,000 Ambassadors training just had their training from February 12 to 23, 2024. In the training, the local churches sent three participants representing the churches of Aimbai, Sombol, Amanab, Bewani, and Ituly SDA Local Churches. These churches are from the rural outskirts of Vanimo, while in the urban area, we have participants from Tawa, Waraston, and Vanimo Village SDA Churches. Twenty-four (24) participants were chosen by the local churches, while another five participants were enrolled because they were interested in being part of the 10,000 Toes Campaign, and a total of 29 ambassadors graduated.

Interestingly, the Church Regional Supervisor and Bewani Green District Director attended the training and were graduated among the church members who graduated that day.

The ambassadors were trained on 10,000 Toes Bio metric-weight, height, BMI, blood pressure, blood sugar level, knowing the normal and identifying the abnormal. They were also trained on the Live More Abundantly (LMA) as a Lifestyle Medicine package to treat lifestyle diseases.

Now, Sepik Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has 49 10,000 Toes Ambassadors and is looking to increase this number when 10,000 Toes go rural in East Sepik Province.

10,000 Toes Campaign against Diabetes & Save 10,000 Toes from amputations.

Despite heavy rain and wind, 23 people were baptized in Forok Village, Turubu LLG, Wewak, on February 24. The baptism was a result of a two-week evangelism series conducted by Joe Philip, sponsored by Maur Seventh-day Adventist Church and assisted by Wei and Koil Island Adventist Choir groups of the East Coast Schouten Island district of Sepik Mission.

The baptism ceremony itself took place during the rain, with the nearby creek swollen and overflowing its banks. The rain and the flood did not stop people from neighboring communities and new interests to witness the baptism. The baptism was conducted by the mission president of Sepik Mission, Pastor Henry Monape, assisted by the outgoing district director Pastor Tony Peter and the newly appointed district director Pastor Rayden.

Pastor Monape commended the church for their commitment and perseverance to stand in the rain to worship on the sabbath and to conduct the baptismal ceremony. He said, “𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙅𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.”

The program was a pre-evangelistic event preceding the upcoming PNG for Christ campaign that would be held nationwide here in Papua New Guinea on April 26th to May 11th. There is great interest in the area after this event prompting Maur church to further focus its efforts in other such programs in Forok and the surrounding communities.

The Ambunti Adventist Primary and Elementary School in East Sepik province hosted a combined graduation ceremony this year on Tuesday, 28th November, 2023. The event was attended by more than 200 students, parents, teachers and community members, as well as two special guests from the Sepik Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The graduation program began with a prayer and a sermon by Minister Kimon Kaple, the church pastor of Ambunti Seventh-day Adventist Church. He urged the students to obey God and their parents, as obedience is the key to success in life. He also congratulated the graduates for their achievements and encouraged them to continue with God wherever their pathway may lead.

The headmaster of Ambunti Adventist Primary School, Mr. Hames, welcomed the guests and thanked them for their time and presence. He said that the school was blessed to have the Sepik Mission delegates, who were Mr. Joe Philip, the communication director, and Mr. Lancedown Wirise, the education director of the mission. He also acknowledged his hardworking and dedicated teachers, the parents of the students, and the students for making it this far in their education.

The highlight of the program was the presentation of awards and gifts to the students who excelled in their academic and extracurricular activities. The top students in each grade received certificates, gifts and other prizes from their teachers. In appreciation of their teachers, the students presented gifts.

The program ended with farewell speeches from a grade eight student representative and a grade seven student, respectively. They expressed gratitude to everyone who made their schooling and, ultimately, this graduation possible.