“God, I do not think I could love you more than I do right now!” Joyce proclaims as she worships with 100,000 Papua New Guinea (PNG) natives her first night of the Festival of Life in Port Moresby. And this was only the beginning of the 3-night conference. 

An Unexpected Attendance
Port Moresby, the capital of PNG, is extremely isolated from the rest of the country. In fact, the only way to get to the city is to fly or take a boat or canoe. But in this isolated city, an estimated 400,000 showed up the last night of the conference. People traveled from all over the country to attend this Festival.

As many public announcement (PA) systems that we could find, along with one brought in from Australia, were used. An entire soccer stadium, an adjacent rugby field, 4 soccer fields and all the parking lots were filled to capacity. Many began arriving at noon, so hungry to hear the Word of God that they were willing to sit in the hot sun for 6 hours before the conference began.

Bringing Denominations Together
Joyce spoke with an unprecedented passion and authority, hoping to bring unity to the denominations in this highly evangelized nation. 

Joyce’s conference was an opportunity to bring all denominations together, encouraging them to grow together through Jesus Christ and continue to reach the people of PNG.

Reaching the Country on Television and Radio
Not only did more than 1 million people attend the event over the 3 days, many were able to listen all 3 nights of the conference on the radio or watch the last night as it was aired live on the only TV station in PNG. Joyce has been on television here since December 1998, but this was the first time they’ve ever seen her live.

Unfortunately the station wasn’t prepared. The switchboard was jammed for 5 days straight with calls. They even requested permission to air the conference again.

Through the conference and the follow-up calls, more than 500,000 people accepted Christ. And whether they accepted Christ or not, every person in attendance either received a copy of Joyce’s book A New Way of Living or another one of her resources.

Raising Up Leaders
Joyce, along with Pastors Don Clowers,  Dino Rizzo  and Brian Houston  held 2 days of meetings in Port Moresby as a part of the Leadership Conference. Not only was the event an opportunity for 4,000 leaders in the nation to get equipped, it was an opportunity for all denominations to grow and worship together.

Joyce Gets Stuck In the Mud
Getting stuck in the mud couldn’t stop Joyce from sharing with the people in Kwikila. After her first car broke down and a second was rescued from the mud, Joyce shared with a small group of people, speaking with the same passion and urgency as she did in Port Moresby.

Joyce also traveled into the highlands of PNG to close out the Festival of Hope in Mount Hagen, which was coordinated by Go Global.   Pastors John Seibeling  and Dino Rizzo spoke at the event.  Steve Grace  and the worship team from Healing Place Church led worship. 

Village Receives Free Medical Care
For 5 days, two separate medical teams established clinics in Ambunti and Port Moresby. For the people of Ambunti, a small and removed village, this was the first time the people had received free medical care from a western medical team.

Over the 5 days, the teams treated 3,963 medical patients and 751 dental patients. The dentists extracted 1,357 teeth—some patients losing up to 6 teeth. They were also able to fill 13,962 prescriptions. And while they treated their physical needs, they also shared the love of Christ—1,225 people accepted Christ as their personal savior.

Visiting Every Prison in the Country
Most prisoners in PNG have heard of Joyce Meyer. Several of her books are in prison libraries, and the prisoners watch the Enjoying Everyday Life® program every day. Our prison teams wanted to meet every prisoner in the country…so they did.

Traveling to all 15 prisons, the team handed out 6,136 hygiene bags, which also include one of Joyce’s books. We also saw 971 inmates, as well as 2 guards, give their lives to the Lord.

Dave and Joyce visited the Bomana Prison, where Joyce shared with the prisoners, and the Meyer family and other volunteers helped hand out the hygiene packs to the inmates.

Thank You
God’s work in PNG will continue for generations to come. And we couldn’t have come to this seemingly forgotten nation without the prayers and support of our friends and partners.

The country will still need your prayers. Visit the interactive map for prayer points and other information about PNG.