Retired pastor Yawijah overcomes all

By ELIAS LARI
DEDICATING one’s life to serve God’s kingdom can be a hard decision to make: Ask Wesleyan Church Reverend Yawijah Tuguyah, 94.
But the retired president of the Wesleyan Church of PNG testifies that it has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience.
He is from the Tobani-Fugwa clan of Tokomo village in the Koroba-Kopiago electorate of Hela.
When the first white Wesleyan Church missionaries arrived to establish the mission station at Betege, he was employed as a cleaner.
He also met his wife Yalena from the Mora clan in Fuygwa, Koroba-Kopiago. They became the first couple to have a church wedding conducted by the missionaries. They have six children, 12 grand children and four great grand children.
Yawijah, who was illiterate, was educated by the missionaries because he seemed to be quick in learning new things.
He became a translator for locals, teaching people how to communicate with the missionaries.
He shirked off cultural beliefs and activities which tribesmen and family members cursed him for. But he was not turning back.
From 1966 to 1969, Yawijah was trained to become a pastor. He attended a pastoral college from 1971 to 1973 and graduated with a certificate.

“ I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”

He was sent to serve in the Kagua-Erave electorate of Southern Highlands where he told people to turn away from witchcraft, sorcery and other evil activities.
His outreach activities reached parts of neighbouring Gulf province as well.
In 1974, he built the first Evangelical Church at Wapusale in Kagua, followed by the establishment of the mission station, health centre, school and the airstrip. Later, 11 more churches were built in the Kagua-Erave electorate.
In 1976, he was picked to attend the Wesleyan Church first general conference in the United States.
In 1984, he was ordained to be the first national superintendent of the Wesleyan Church of PNG – a position he held for 22 years.
“I am satisfied with what I have done in God’s service. I was confronted by the agents of evil through witchcraft and sanguma or customary beliefs. But I took them as a challenge to strengthen my faith in God.”
He sees many people today as not being serious in their relationship with God because they are focused on worldly matters.
Son James, a primary school teacher, praised his father for what he had achieved for the church and invites Wesleyan church leaders to visit him at his Newtown home in Mt Hagen.
His father is a member of the Topani tribe where the Petroleum Development Licence One is but missed out on benefiting from the LNG project because of his commitment to the church.
Relative James Diwi praised the retired pastor for his service saying it takes a person of strong faith and will-power to face challenges in church work.
“His footsteps should be followed by today’s missionaries because doing God’s work is not easy.
“I have been admiring how he lived his life because he was a person who had worked hard to accomplish God’s work.”
2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”