BUILDING NEW CHURCHES
Our first baptism service near the Simnawe Village church. There were 69 people who wanted to be baptized that day!
Building a church in the Simnawe Village
It all began with a generator.....Joe & Linda sent Henry the money to purchase a generator in the Fall of 2021. The Heliseks assumed the generator would be used at the Missions House or at our Vocational Center, but God had other plans. While praying, Pastor Henry felt inspired to pack up the generator, their sound system, his keyboard and mikes in their mini van and take his worship team into a very remote area. They began to worship 'in the bush'. The indigenous people had never heard those new sounds---different instruments, and worship songs. Quickly, people began coming, out of curiosity at first. Soon, JOY filled their hearts and they began dancing and clapping. They loved the worship and asked Pastor Henry if his team could come back the next day!
Within a few weeks the small gathering grew into the hundreds. Quickly people desired to be baptized. Thus....a new church was birthed and continues to grow and meet faithfully. They met under a shade tree, sitting upon a big blue tarp at first. The people were so thrilled to hear that Americans wanted to help build them a building so they could continue to meet during their rainy season! Windows and doors will be installed very soon. Then the team will not have to carry the generator any longer----it will stay at the new church and we will purchase two more generators for our Vocational Center and our Missions House.
The church building will not just be used on Sundays. Upon completion of the building, we plan to hold elementary education classes in it. This will be the FIRST school in the Simnawe Village, so our investment in this area will be transforming lives in numerous ways.
In order to use our keyboard, microphones & speakers at our new Simnawe church, it is necessary to power them with a generator.
This young woman is one of many volunteers who transports our generator on her head down this path and across the river and up the hill to the church site.
Listen how they sing with JOY as they trek barefoot in this rural area, looking forward to worshipping each Sunday!
As soon as the windows and doors are installed on the church, we will store the generator there and no one will have to carry it any longer.
