July 22 signified the start of a new life in Jesus Christ for nine prisoners at the Baisu Correction Institution Services (CIS) prison grounds in Papua New Guinea. On that day they joined the Seventh-day Adventist church through baptism at the Baisu Prison grounds in Western Highlands Province.

Ten others were baptized that day, but it was the prisoners’ decisions to accept Christ while in prison that drew more than 2,000 friends, church members and the CIS community.

“I’m a very happy man from now on as I did what Jesus did 2,000 years back at the Jordan River,” said newly baptized prisoner Simon Konga, formerly of the Papua New Guinea Defence Forces. “I’m looking forward to meeting Him one day soon.”

The 31-year-old was Konga was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on March 2002 under charges of inciting mutiny with four others after an armory break-in at Moam Barracks in Wewak in 2001. Two of his comrades were given 13 years apiece. The rest were given five years and they have been released. Even though he has 11 years of his sentence left to serve, Konga is free in Christ.

“You are free. Not free from the 24-hour chains, locks, guards and laws of the land, no, but you are now free as of this date from the powers and principalities much greater than what you are experiencing today in the cell. Free indeed from the devil’s prison camp,” Elijah Hon Kops, president of Hagen Central Adventist Laity Association Inc. told the prisoners.

He encouraged the prisoners to “serve your terms in prison with honesty of character and when you leave Baisu, continue to be the disciple of Jesus.”

The Adventist church in Papua New Guinea is one of the fastest growing in the countries of the South Pacific with a membership of more than 300,000.