STEVEN & ELIZABETH THOMAS
Steven and Elizabeth Thomas cut a cake during the farewell and fundraiser for the ministry they are setting up as well as a house they need to
build.
By MAUREEN GERAWA
WHEN Steven Thomas was doing grade six at Mulitaka Primary School in Laiagam District, Enga Province, in 1973 there was a rule that no two children from one family or tribe would be allowed to
go to high school due to limited space.
So out of desperation he prayed to the
Lord, saying “If you let me go to high school, I will serve you for the rest of
my life.’’
It happened that he and his elder brother
were in the same class. When it came to selection of students for high school,
both he and his brother were selected to go to St Paul’s Lutheran High School
in Laiagam.
After four years, Steven did well and
continued to Aiyura National High School and eventually to the University of
Papua New Guinea where he completed a degree in economics in 1985.
In December of that same year, he went home and married Elizabeth. The following year in April, 1986 he got his first job with the Summer Institute of Linguistics in Ukarumpa, Eastern Highlands. This did not go down well with his people in Mulitak.
Being the first to graduate from
university from his home area, there was a lot of expectation from them. They
expected him to get a job with either a government department or a private firm
where the salary was expected to be higher than with missions and support his
people as was the cultural norm.
But Steven stuck to his decision. After a
year with SIL, he moved to the PNG Bible Translation
Association at the invitation of the then Director David Gela.
Elizabeth also moved to work with her
husband. She was a graduate with library studies at then Admin College. Prior
to marriage, she was working with the Pacific Adventist College, now Pacific
Adventist University.
Interestingly, Elizabeth had made a similar
prayer as Steven while in a separate primary school. Out of desperation to go
to high school, she told the Lord that “If
you make me go to high school I will serve you for the rest of my life’’. Over
the years she forgot about that prayer until years later when she and Steven had
got married and were working with PNGBTA.
“We said we’ll go for two years work
experience (with BTA) but we stayed on,’’ says Elizabeth. This year marks 35 years of their work with PNGBTA, serving in
various capacities including Director of PNGBTA.
It was not easy, especially with relatives
continuing to show contempt over their decision to serve with missions.
“Out of anger, when they visited they would
walk away from the house with anything. They thought I influenced Steven’s
decisions and considered me a ‘bad woman’’’, says Elizabeth.
They were always bitter towards Elizabeth,
but she always told Steven that “your
people are my people’’ .
In 2005, while the Thomas’ were on holiday
in the village Steven and Elizabeth were taken to court over the matter that he
could not meet this cultural obligations by helping raise children of his
siblings and relatives. This really affected the fourth of the Thomas’ biological
children.
Outspoken, then 10-year-old Karol Tandani,
told her parents and siblings that she would never return to her father’s
village.
Her name, Tandani, is in Enga which means
‘Jesus got pain for us’. For the past 26 years of her life she did not like the
name because her siblings teased her saying ‘she was living up to her name by
being a pain to them’.
Two weeks before her death in 2015 Karol
had a change of mind and was really excited about going to the village and
accepted her name. God did a miracle during her funeral program which became an
eye-opener to Steven’s people who have since then changed their attitude
towards the Thomas family.
Despite being advised by relatives against
taking Karol’s body home due to lack of finance, Karol’s siblings were adamant
to take her body home. The decision drew support from many people.
“Money came from friends and family members
– much to the shock of the relatives and the body was taken home,’’ says
Elizabeth.
There was an even a bigger surprise awaiting
the Thomas’ at Kagamuga Airport in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, when they
arrived with the body. Twenty-six vehicles awaited them, including two
ambulances (one from Elizabeth’s district). In the village, there were hundreds
of people waiting for them.
All the different Christian churches
operating in the area also took part in the funeral program – from receiving
the body, organising and running the funeral service to laying it down in the ground.
“Today, I can speak in public. It started
when they allowed me to speak during the funeral time,’’ says Elizabeth.
Last year while on a long-service leave, she
and Steven started a ministry in the village to address many concerns of the
villagers, one of which is
sorcery-related killings.
One of those women Elizabeth had helped protect
from being killed by her accusers will be working with her when she goes back
to settle and work in the village.
They also started an interdenominational
women’s prayer group and set up a library at the village primary school, using
their own money as well as funds that came for Karol’s funeral program.
“We’re excited about going home,’’ she
says.
The Thomas’ have been operating from PNGBTA
headquarters in Port Moresby in the last 20 years. They now feel led to go and serve in their
home area.
Last month, friends, co-workers and
relatives gathered at PNGBTA centre in Waigani to farewell the Thomas’ and to
fundraise to support the new ministry they have begun in Tumandan village. The
ministry is registered under the Tandani Community Empowerment Association Inc.
Funds being raised will cater for a house
for the Thomas’ in the village as well as an Empowerment Resource Centre to
cater for a long list of programs. These includes:
·
Empower Rural Women: Train and
empower rural women in agricultural crops, animal husbandry and farming for
their economic benefit.
·
Counselling services for rural
areas in general and particularly violence against women;
·
Counsel and deal with 'sanguma' issues that cause violence against women;
·
Rural pastoral in-service training:
Facilitate inter-denominational Pastors in-service training in rural pastors to
improve and better understand and apply word of God in rural Christian
communities
·
Churches United in Partnership
Ministry: Encourage church leaders from every denomination in the villages to
partner and reach out to communities together.
·
Environmental Care: Promote
care of environment through cleanliness, better public toilet, disposal of
rubbish etc.
·
Encourage prayer ministry among
women and men
·
Promote Community Development:
Provide skills training such as adult literacy, sewing, new farming methods and
cooking skills and others as needed
·
Assist and help set up
libraries in rural schools and communities
·
Facilitate translation services
(English to Tok Pisin and English to Enga and vice versa)
·
The vision of the association
is to see spiritual and physical transformation come to Mulitak community and
other parts of Enga Province.
It is a big project, but they will be
working with other people to fulfill the mission so it can benefit the people. Once
they are settled in the village, the Thomas’ will also be travelling to and
from Mt Hagen to coordinate the set up of the Highlands Regional Centre for PNGBTA
which will serve Jiwaka, Western Highlands, Southern Highlands, Hela and Enga.
Those who wish to support the Thomas’ ministry
can contact them on the following phone numbers – 71779664/ 76527986
(Elizabeth); and 72639763/76870484 (Steven).
Email: steven-thomas@pngbta.org or stevenelizabeth@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment