Moses leading people to salvation, progress

The National People

By ELIAS LARI
PASTOR Moses Kerua loves to tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ, especially to those who have fallen foul of the law and want to repent their sins and change their lives.
He gave his life to Christ very early in life – at age 14. He is now 55 and a pastor of the Pentecostal Church. He is from the Elti tribe in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands but based in Jiwaka. He graduated from the Four Square Bible College in Goroka in 1983. He has seven children.
As Christmas nears and people begin to prepare for the commemoration of the birth of their Saviour, Moses tells of how he has been trying to bring hope to those in despair, love to the unfortunate, faith to those who have lost confidence in life.
“Being a pastor, my ministry deals with Christians but I look outside the church for people who need my support, so that they come to know God and the Christian faith.”
One of the most vulnerable he thinks are the people returning from jail after serving their sentences. They are often regarded as outcasts, ridiculed, ignored by relatives and friends.
Moses knows it is wrong, as they need support and help to get their foothold back in society.
“Failures are not the end. There is always another way you can find to correct your past mistakes. Life is always like that. If you mess up your first chance, look for another opportunity to amend your failure and move forward.”
In 2015, Moses started his ministry as a visiting chaplain to the Baisu jail in Mt Hagen. He told the inmates about Jesus Christ. Some wanted to change their ways right there and then. Others made the change when they left the prison gate – for good they promised.
“During my visits to Baisu prison, I come across many prisoners and encouraged them to change their lives because they have a second chance to begin a new chapter.”
Moses formed the Ex-inmate’s Aftercare Association because he knew prisoners cannot and should not be regarded as outcasts. They are human beings too. And we are all equal before God.

“ Being a pastor, my ministry deals with Christians but I look outside the church for people who need my support, so that they come to know God and the Christian faith.”
Pastor Moses Kerua (second, left) receiving the boxes of chicks from the staff of the department of justice and attorney-general in 2016.
Chairman of the Ex-inmates Aftercare Association Ps Moses Kerua (left) and Inspector Titus Watipa from Baisu Prison at the Panga Elementary School.

In 2016, assistance came from the department of justice and attorney-general by way of chicks to start poultry farming. It began with 32 former inmates who started the poultry farms.
The department also built a rehabilitation centre for ex-prisoners at Avi in the Anglimp-South Waghi electorate in Jiwaka. It gave the association K20,000.
“Most ex-prisoners who have completed their terms do not feel that they are part of the community because they do not have the right people to support them.”
The association also carried out awareness on law and order in schools. They started at the Panga Elementary School in the Anglimp-South Waghi electorate of Jiwaka.
“This awareness teaches them about the dangers of using marijuana, or involved in criminal activities and petty crimes at a young age.”
Like his namesake in the Bible, Moses wants to lead people – both good and bad – to their promised land.
No discrimination. All are the same before God.