God works when people pray

Shortly after sharing with our church family in Moscow of our plans to spend 10 months teaching at the Nazarene hospital station at Kudjip in Papua New Guinea, our long-time friend, Oveta Franklin invited us over for lunch and to share a story. 

Art Franklin 1944

Art in Papua New Guinea (photos
courtesy of Oveta Franklin/John Miller)

Volleyball game played by soldiers
and Papua New Guinea nationals

 She proceeded to tell us that her husband Art had served as an Army medic on the north coast of Papua New Guinea during World War 2. During the 1944 Battle of Hollandia, Art was in the initial landing with the Amphibian Engineers. Over the year Art was stationed in Papua New Guinea, he struck up friendships with the friendly nationals and even traded for a woven arm bracelet with one. After the war, Art always had a special place in his heart for the people of Papua New Guinea. He and Oveta prayed earnestly for them and Art wrote a letter to Nazarene World Missions to encourage them in the work in Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea children pose
with American soldiers

The first Nazarene missionaries Sydney and Wanda Knox, arrived in 1956 and started a church and school.  In 1957, the Australian provincial government gave Nazarene World Missions, property in the highlands at Kudjip that was situated between 2 warring tribes. After Sydney died in 1958, Wanda eventually returned with her two children to teach in the mission primary school and later at the Bible College. In 1967 the hospital was completed.  As time passed, more doctors and nurses came, nationals were trained, and the hospital expanded. In 2012 to 2014, the hydro project was built consisting of a dam, canal, and powerhouse. Along with backup generators, the hydro project allows Kudjip station to generate power for the hospital and over 100 staff houses on the station.

Today, there is a flurry of construction projects on station thanks to a grant from Australian Aid. The original buildings are being torn down and replaced with new facilities directed by project managers Earl and Jordan. Their construction crews of approximately 80 nationals were hired from the nearby villages. 

The 135 bed hospital serves 7,000 patients a year and 55,000 outpatients. The following link provides informative statistics for 2018.

Kudjip Nazarene Hospital

The hospital is staffed by doctors from the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea. The rest of the hospital staff including administrative and maintenance, is made up of nationals that live on the station or in the nearby villages. Rural health clinics have been established throughout Papua New Guinea.

The hospital station utilizes connections with various resources.  A shipping container with supplies is sent to the station every 3 – 4 months from Medford Oregon. Recently two nationals from the local area - a 7 year old girl and a 17 year old boy - made a trip to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for open heart surgery sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse – World Medical Mission.

True to the core value of Nazarene missions, sharing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is paramount to the mission of the hospital. Five national chaplains - two women and three men - minister to the spiritual, emotional, and mental needs of patients and visitors. Last year, chaplains helped start four new churches in villages of patients who visited the hospital where there are no churches. From the church that the Knox’s started at Kudjip, there are now 14 Nazarene districts with 700 organized churches and preaching points throughout PNG.

The Nazarene College of Nursing is located on station which offers a three year degree program. Enrollment at the college is 150 students with 50 students graduating each year. Students also graduate with a lay minister’s license. They are involved in visitation to local women’s and men’s prisons. Upon graduating, many of these students take jobs in some of the most remote areas of PNG.

Fifteen minutes down the road is the Melanesia Nazarene Bible College and Teacher College. The long range goal is to merge the three colleges into one university. All three colleges are administered by nationals.

In 2017 on the 50^th anniversary of the hospital, the PNG government officially recognized Kudjip Nazarene hospital as the provincial hospital for Jiwaka Province. The geography of Jiwaka Province consists of valleys separated by rugged mountain ranges. Patients will sometimes travel for days to get to Kudjip hospital. Each patient brings a watchman or watchmeri to provide food for them, do laundry, and assist them with other daily affairs.

Thanks to the fervent prayers of people like Art and Oveta Franklin and many others; as well as those who have come to serve here; the Nazarene Hospital station at Kudjip continues to be a beacon of hope for the people living in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.

Operating theaters will increase from two
to four when the new surgical center
is finished.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.”

- Jesus

The new pharmacy.

Workmen pour concrete.

Work and witness teams come from
the states to build houses for hospital
staff.

The two story admin. building
takes shape.

The 1.5 Km canal carries
water from the dam to the
powerhouse.

Under the direction of Earl Hartwig,
the dam was built by 175+ local
workers from 2012 - 2014.

The core value of the Kudjip
Nazarene hospital.

All concrete used in projects on station
  is mixed in these 1 bag mixers. 33,000
bags were mixed for the hydro project.

The new maternity ward.

The Jiwaka Provincial hospital.

As a young boy, our friend
John Opa was in Wanda Knox's
1st grade class. She would give him
food and pencils, and he in return would
collect firewood sticks for her.

Our five hospital chaplains prepare
to embark on a trip to Kenya for a chaplains'
conference.

Hospital staff housing for nationals
was built in picturesque Jordan Valley.