pesan | Although John Gottlob Geissler and Carl William Ottow are not well known in Europe because they came from poor families, however, to the Papuans their names are always in the hearts and minds of all Papuans forever.
With the work of the Holy Spirit changes began to happen in West Papua from that time. Houses were built, schools were established, the Gospel was taught to the Papuans. The Papuans felt that their life had changed since they knew God. Life in West Papua was peaceful and happy.
The presence of the Dutch missionaries and later the Dutch government made the people of West Papua feel that they were being lifted up by their foreign brothers and sisters who came to share the knowledge and the skills of life which they brought from their homeland.
The missionary work developed very fast during the Dutch occupation of West Papua. However, the West Papuans were betrayed by their Dutch brothers and sisters in 1962 when West Papua was handed over to Indonesia in the New York Agreement.
At the time of the 1969 Act Free Choice (as witnessed by the first Governor of West Papua under Indonesian Rule, Mr. E.J. Bonay), the people of West Papua burned their Bibles and did not want to believe in God because they felt that God did not do anything to help the West Papuans in that difficult situation.
(LANJUT KE KOLOM SELANJUTNYA) |