Nine inmates at Kerevat Correctional Institute in Rabaul, a town in Papua New Guinea (PNG), were baptized during the PNG for Christ program.

The Institute’s management allowed only 43 of the more than 500 inmates to attend the evangelistic series.

Pastor Garry Laukei, guest speaker and chaplain, explained that the prison management was concerned that inmates from other denominations would become Adventists. In response, they restricted inmates, both men and women, to their cells. Despite this, nine of the inmates who attended each night were baptized, while 16 inmates from other churches have committed to being baptized before the end of the year.

Aisoli Mitili, an inmate and chairman of the United Church at Kerevat Correctional Institute, said he was convinced by the truths presented throughout the program.

“I would like to request the same messages to be preached for all 500 inmates to know the truth and accept Jesus,” Mitili said.

Victor Warley, a baptized Adventist inmate, stated, “I am glad I attended this study to strengthen my faith in Jesus and continue to be in the true church.”

As the program ended, 43 copies of The Great Controversy, Movement: Cultivating and Multiplying Disciple-Making Movements, and Calvary to Pentecost were distributed to the inmates for further study. 

The Institute held a farewell dinner on Saturday night to mark the closing of PNG for Christ.

The original article was published on the South Pacific Division website.