Our Stories
The Bible Boom Box
Bonifas Patane Korongia |Served with CRMF [1997-2001/Feb], MAF [2002-2011/Nov], NTM [2014-2018/Jan] In PNG as ICT (Technical Support). Bismarck range – Mt Wilhelm (background)
It is one thing to put a Bible into the hands of anyone who wants a Freebie, but is NOT at all interested in the things of God, then to someone who is interested in the things of God and seeking to know more about God but does not have a Bible.
In June/July of 2018, I ran a Village Bible teaching based on “Firm Foundation Bible Truth Chronological Teaching – From Creation to Christ” [Planim POS] in two villages. After ten months of teaching my tribe and especially those that were interested in the Word of God came no matter, rain, distance or problems. Many who participated when we first started the teachings dropped out, but those precious few who desired to know more about God and His truth still came. The main challenge was that many of them did not have a Bibles or the tools to help them understand the Bible. Over an average of 20-25 people would have a Bible with them.
There is no way, these people can cross-check and understand anyone who teaches and preaches the Bible to them. They must have the Word of God in their Hand to Read/hear. A Preacher/Teacher is just there only as a guide. Seeing the need for Bibles, I went around scavenging what little I could buy to help my people. A total of Eleven Solar Powered Audio Bibles, [Including 3 x Donated by CRMF] five Pocket Size (Green) Printed Bibles, One large Bible (Pidgin-Green) were distributed amongst them so far. There is still a great need for more.
Planim POS Teaching-Class
Following are stories of those who had the Audio Bible and Printed Bible donated to them.
Margret says, “With the help of reading glasses I can read the Bible, but I’ve always wanted to buy an Audio Bible because I heard folks talking about it. My garden is many miles away and by the time I come home prepare food, feed my family, and put the animals in the pen, by then it’s already dark and I’m too tired to read at night. Having an Audio Bible makes it easier for me to have time in the Word of God wherever and whenever I choose.”
Margret added, “The Solar Powered Audio Bible in my hand is just priceless. Getting to hear the Word of God being read to me at night is music without instruments.”
Kristina and Margret would talk about selling vegetables at the market so that they could have enough money to purchase what they call a, “Radio Bible (Audio Bible)”, but it was an answer to their unspoken prayers when they both received a donated Audio Bible from Bonifas. Kristina says, “Sometimes I’d go over to Margret’s house and we would talk all day about what we heard over the Audio Bible.”
What Kristina loves about the Audio Bible, “Here in the Mountains, the hours of sunshine is short, but the solar is good, it can charge enough for us even to play a Chapter of the Bible at night.”
Maria is a joy to watch as she always attends my teaching. No matter what, she would still make time to come to the, ‘Bible Truth Teachings’. I gave her an Audio Bible, a small Tok Pisin printed Bible and a reading glass. Maria is able to read the Bible but with her eye-sight failing even the reading glasses cannot help her at all. So often I would see Maria carry her favourite “bilum” (a string bag made by hands) with her everywhere she goes and inside her bilum she would always have her special cargo, the Audio Bible. She says that she loves to play the Audio Bible whilst she is working in the garden, because it’s so quiet there and she is able to take in every Word of God. One day she brought her Audio Bible to me, because the volume wasn’t working well.
The next trip I made to Goroka, the CRMF technicians fixed it for me. When I returned to the Village, I gave her a new one and kept the repaired one for myself to use in the Village. Maria still carries around with her that special bilum with her special cargo inside.
Pasika (Bonifas elder sister) won’t let her little brother down, when it comes to Tribal Church Planting work.
“Mom refused to send me to school, because I was just another girl in those early years. They sent both my brothers Bonifas and my eldest brother to go to school instead. I regret not getting an education. Because of that I can’t read the Bible…But to have the Word of God being read to me makes me very grateful for the, ‘Talking Bible’ (Audio Bible).”
Lucia tries her very best to come to the Teachings, but her village is far from where the Planim Post teaching so I gave her a copy of a Printed Bible and a Solar Powered Audio Bible. Before I left for Goroka she told me, “I’m have a problem with the Solar Powered Audio Bible, people are flocking into my house at night to listen to the ‘Talking Bible’ and my small hut is filling up fast…I think I need a bigger house now.”
Maratha and her big smile is a woman of few words, but always faithful when it comes to attending the “Planim Pos” teachings.
Because Maratha can’t read or write, she was given a free Solar Powered Audio Bible to take home and use. She said, “I invited my Husband to come to the teachings but he always makes excuses not to come.” A few weeks later she told me, “My Husband literally owns the radio (Audio Bible) and listens to it every day. I can’t take it off him. It is good that my husband is interested in hearing the Audio Bible. He tried to escape the Word of God but now the Audio Bible is preaching to him in his home.”
Francko is the little girl who coined the term ‘Bible Boom Box’. I once overheard her mention the word ‘Boom box, Bible boom box’ whilst playing marbles with her playmates.
Can’t exactly recall where I first heard the word boom box, but I never knew until I later found out that it’s a bluetooth speaker!…For an ICT guy, how in the world did I miss that…maybe the village life is taking a toll on me. One evening, Francko and some of her siblings came over to her grandma’s place to spend the night. Whiles sitting around the fire place Francko stood up, looked straight at her grandma and asked, “When can we listen to the Bible boom box?”
Francko, aka – the girl who coined the term Bible boom box
I never asked why she called it Bible boom box but since then others are now calling the Solar Powered Audio Bible, the ‘Bible boom box’.
How much the Audio Bible means to them
Like Franco, Maria, Kristina, Pasika, Lucia, Maratha and Margret…there are many who are seeking the Truth from the Word of God. The only missing thing is, the Word of God in their Hand. There was a lady who asked me to find the mailing address of the man/woman who initiated the idea of the Audio Bible and “planim POS” books so she can make a “Bilum” (String Bag) and post it to them as a token of thankyou….
2 Timothy 4:8
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
The Audio Bible story continues……
We’ve heard them all from the Bible Radio, Radio Bible, and Talking Bible to the now so called Bible boom box. It has become a norm whenever the Audio Bible is distributed and donated to someone for that person to nick name or adopt new names for the Audio Bible. But however many names they may address the Audio Bible by, this device delivers the same message on the truth of the gospel of God and it continue to have a tremendous impact on the lives of many and in particularly for those living in the Highlands of Madang in Bundi, Yandara (Bonifas village). This device may seem small and simple but it carries within its solar powered cover the pure and sweet Word of God both translated in English and in ‘Tok Pisin’. The Audio Bible is convenient for anyone to use at any time and place. This device as proven to be a great tool for the illiterate and has played as a significant source of entertainment whiles teaching and ministering to all ages the beautiful Word of God.
We thank the Lord for Megavoice who are the founders of the Audio Bible device and our valued translators, partnering mission organizations and individuals like Bonifas who are able to make it possible to place the Word of God in the hands of our people. Thank you!