Yesterday I wasn’t feeling well, so I planned on staying in the house all day after having a fever through the night. I was working with Bella at the table in my pajamas when I heard the sing song sound of a woman crying out. I went to the door and saw that all my workers were running to the top of my hill as well to see what was happening down in the village, and there I witnessed a man (I should say more like a boy) hitting his wife in the dirt where she fell into a fetal position and he continued to beat her and kick her in the neck and head. I was screaming out from the doorway to find out who it was, it was the couple we just ate with two Wednesdays ago. We had a dinner with them and spoke of Christ. I would say they’re both about 21/22 years old. The argument was over firewood and babysitting. She said I will go get you firewood because he was upset that there was none and when she asked him to watch their baby who’s about a year and a half he got angry with her and decided to beat her. No one really stopped him at the time that was happening, but I did find out he was stopped from numerous times going back to her. I went out my pajamas called out to her to come, so I could help her. Her name is Jennifer… she came up with another girl and was caked over with mud since this is the rainy season and the ground is full of it. Her arm was so swollen from being punched her back was so bruised from being kicked and her neck extremely bruised. I was shocked that she could walk up to me. She was crying, so I told the kids to make her tea with lots of sugar and milk because I knew she was in shock. After we cleaned her, I rubbed witch hazel all over her body for the bruises I gave her pain medicine and was just thankful that she wasn’t dead. We wrapped her arm where the biggest bruise was on her muscle. She drank her tea in a state of shock and was sort of in a disbelief! After she went back down I came back in the house still not feeling well and said to Caleb. I can’t believe these things are aloud. This is just so evil constantly these people get away with things that are so wrong and there’s no justice. Caleb said to me but wait one of the policeman a true policeman( paid by the gov. not a civil police) is here in the village. He said “I told all the people to go to him so that they can handle this the right way” but here is the problem everyone has an issue with everyone so if one person goes to the police for an issue on someone else that person will turn around and say I’m gonna pull out my issue with you as well so they sort of live in this position of being scared. Thing is I don’t have any issues that people can hold against me so I’m not scared to go to the police. (Issues that I’m referring to is someone’s son slept with someone else’s family member. Someone stole a pineapple from someone else’s garden, someone stole something from someone else’s house those kind of things.)
As I’m sitting there gonna get my lunch I think to myself this can’t be happening. There’s no way, no one‘s going to call on the policeman. I just witnessed something so horrific and nothing will be done. I have done this for many years now one man almost killed his wife numerous times, and I had to help her. Thankfully, she lived through it all, but due to medicine and God’s goodness. Another time I’ve helped people who have been stabbed, which I’ve mentioned before.I have to remind myself that Christ is the ultimate judge who will seek the true justice of man. Many times I feel like everyone could be a victim to this evil world and the evil continues to prevail. So I decided I was going to go, so I got dressed and walked down to find him now, every time I walk through the village they are always wondering why I’m walking through the village because normally it has something to do with a medical situation, or they’ll take advantage of the situation ask me for everything they could possibly think of while I’m walking because they think that I carry bandages and pain medicine on me at all times, but no one bothered us as we (the kids and I) walked to find him. When I got to the area that he was in, I called out to find out where he was, and he was in a house. Now, previously throughout the week we have helped him and another man from another village as well to use our satellite phone because they needed to make phone calls to an area that was sending a boat that was going to pick them up and they were trying to find out when that boat was coming. In PNG culture you return one favor for another so since we help them with the Satellite phone which is a very big favor. I knew he’d be happy to help me. Just so happens that the girl that was beat up was standing in that area as well so when I called him out, he came and I showed him, what happened to her back…showed him the bruises on her neck and her arm that was bandaged. I explained that I watched it as well and witness the situation and then I stated the law which states “violence against women.” it is against the law in PNG to abuse your wife, which is a great thing, but not necessarily easy to control in villages that don’t have police. He took in everything I said and then proceeded to go and get the husband. I didn’t stick around but knew that he would be in trouble. The policeman was not even aware that it happened. Like I said no one would have told him. Sometimes doing the right thing is hard but I knew I was her only hope at that time. Please pray for Beri and Jennifer and their little daughter Helen. They need Christ. They have heard the word and we have been to their house to witness to them.
28 A dishonest man spreads strife,
and a whisperer separates close friends.
29 A man of violence entices his neighbor
and leads him in a way that is not good.
30 Whoever winks his eyes plans[a] dishonest things;
he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.
Psalm 16:28-30
Jennifer is in the blue shirt with baby Helen
