Jessie's House of Needles by John Algate

Author:John Algate
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JAC Publishing
Published: 2016-08-15T04:00:00+00:00

Many of you have been praying about the war that broke out here some months ago involving four villages. Incidentally it caused a lot of extra work for me in patching up the participants. This war was a big disappointment to us because some of our believers were involved and war has been the cause of much heart searching amongst the church people.

Many have come to rededicate their lives, others have come to ask how they can become real Christians and not just as church goers, others to forget old grudges and put them behind them. As God has forgiven their sin, they are now learning to forgive one another. For some this is particularly hard for them to do, especially for those whose loved ones had been killed by certain people (whom they know) not to take revenge into their own hands. This is just an infant church and their old ways and witchcraft are very close around them. (October 1980)

Jessie often drew comparisons between the Christian story and the everyday lives of the Kimyal, Dani and other Indigenous people.

The children were huddled together to keep out of the wind, but their eyes were glued to the picture book as the teacher explained the story. So many of the Bible stories they can relate to, as they too have seen people possessed of evil spirits. They have seen them become so strong that no one can hold them back. They know fear, if the spirit’s anger is directed at them. (May 1981)

One of the main things that impressed the people about the Christmas story is the humble place of Jesus’ birth. They say they can identify with him in this as their women often gave birth beside the pig pens in their homes. They have to clean out their pig pens each day, and they often wonder if Joseph had to clean out the stable before they had a clean place to stay. They say: ‘He understands us and the way we live because He too began in a lowly stable just like our little houses.’ (January 1982)

As usual in places where Christianity spread its messages, many local traditions were adopted and incorporated into Christian rituals.

A couple of weeks ago we had two weddings in the new church. Their weddings are a little different to ours. They call a wedding ‘being prayed over’. All the girl’s clan sit together and the boy’s family likewise. Usually they sit separately, men on one side and women on the other. At the appropriate time all the bride’s clan have to put up their hands to say that they agree with the marriage and the marriage payments have been made. Then similarly the groom’s clan put up their hands to say that they are in agreement with the marriage. (August 1991)

The coming of Christianity dramatically altered the social balance of communities. It is interesting reading through Jessie’s accounts how often church elders took on the role of conciliation in tribal and family disputes,

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