United at last!

Weekender
PEOPLE

By Rev SEIK PITOI
CHILDREN feel safe and secure in a stable family.
In the typical nuclear family setting where mum and dad are there for their kids, and where love, protection, and the basic necessities of life are provided, the home becomes the safest place to be in this turbulent world. But when death visits the family at the early home-calling of a parent, the Melanesian ‘extended family’ arrangement becomes the best alternative.
Despite their loss, such tragedies in families will not really be felt by the children as long as there is love and warmth shown by the extended family members towards them!
But what happens when a child knows only one parent’s family? He has both his parents whom he loves, but he seems to know only his mothers’ people. He lives in her village and speaks her language. What about his father?
As he grows up, he realises that his features differ from the others; even his skin complexion and hair are different. He is curious and begins to quiz his father on where he actually comes from and who his relatives are. He realises he has never met any of his dad’s wantoks.
Then, suddenly, his father dies. While he is shown love and acceptance by his mother’s people, which he appreciates – deep in his heart, though, there is a longing to solve the mystery of his identity. He has very little to go by, but he knows somehow God will make it possible for him to meet his father’s people one day!
Such was the dilemma Komuna Sogam was in. In an article I wrote back in March this year entitled, Serving God while searching for his Sepik Roots, I explained that Rev Komuna, who grew up as an Abau, Central Province man, knew only his mother’s people. His father, Sogam, was from Wawat Village in the Turubu LLG of East Sepik.
But how could he go and search for his father’s family? Would they still remember him? Where is Wawat, anyway?
Komuna recalled that his father scribbled those details down one day. Apart from that, there was no other information, neither was there a name of a relative to contact. To make it worse, his father didn’t have too many photographs and those few he had were lost. Komuna only had his dad’s driver’s license photo to show! That was when he contacted me to do an article about him.
Exactly six months after the article was published by The National Weekender, Rev Komuna Sogam finally met and was reunited with his father’s people in Lae. The story of how it all came about is nothing short of a miracle.
It was a nephew of his in Lae who decided to buy copy of the paper that Friday morning, March 22, 2019. The article didn’t even have a photograph as Komuna couldn’t send me one on time. The nephew, John Ambendi, bought the newspaper and decided to read through it, glancing at the occasional story as he went.
Found at last
Then the name caught his attention. After reading it through, he promptly picked up the telephone and rang his uncle, Pius Handite in Wewak. He asked him to check it out. Pius bought a paper, turned to the article and read. He immediately called his nephew back, excitedly saying, “That’s our long lost relative. We have found him at last!”
The next problem was how to contact him. I did not leave my number, nor Rev Komuna’s number when I wrote. I would have expected them to call The National office to enquire if they wanted. However, they sat tight, reading my articles as they came out in subsequent Weekenders. It wasn’t until June 7 when my three-part article on the Israel prayer movement came out. This time, Part 3 had my phone number in it. I was contacted by the family and then forwarded Rev Komuna’s number to them. They immediately began talking.
The family arranged to meet Rev Komuna and his wife in Lae in August.
Leaving Mendi in the SHP where he serves as superintendent minister for the United Church, the couple made their way to Mt Hagen, then to Lae along the Highlands Highway. All the relatives in Lae were notified and close family elders came down from Wewak for the occasion.
On Saturday, Aug 28 they all met together in a family home. For the first time, the Sepik family met the son of their long lost wantok, and the Abau man finally met his father’s people!
It was an emotional reunion as both parties embraced each other and pieced together the stories from both ends. Komuna had only the father’s driver’s license photo which he enlarged and gave to his relatives. Lots of tears were shed that day!
It was revealed that Sogam left Wewak before Independence with the promise to find work in Port Moresby and send money home to his family. He came down and never returned. Komuna in return explained about how his father worked at Moreguina station driving tractors. He met and married a lady from Dom village, Abau, and Komuna was born. His father never talked about his Sepik family, neither did he introduce any of them to his wife and son.
One day, Sogam was taken ill and was rushed to the Moreguina hospital. A short time later, he passed away. Komuna was only 11 years old when his father died on Nov 23, 1983.
God’s hand at work
As the family met and rejoiced that day, Rev Komuna saw everything that happened as being orchestrated by God. He saw how God used a human vessel like me to write the article, and how He impressed the editor of Weekender to allow the story to run. Despite it being quite obscure, with no photo to go with it, somehow the Spirit of God directed nephew John to buy a copy of The National – not Post Courier as he often did – and located the story.
Rev Komuna, who was attired in his ministry gown that morning, led a service for his people and encouraged them to all turn to God.
“It was God who worked this out for us. As we have now been united with each other, we must now all unite with God. Regardless of which church we worship at, we must turn our hearts to God,” he said.
Before the meeting ended, his older brother in Wewak, Pius, asked to speak to me, and so they called.
“I wish to thank you for taking the time to listen to our brother and write his story,” he said.
“I also wish to thank the editor of The National Weekender for running the story. Without the help from the two of you, we would not be rejoicing with our brother today.”
His nephew, John, also passed his gratitude to the writer and editor.
“Many will not know how much this means to us, but we are so grateful to you and the newspaper. May the Lord bless you both.”
Rev Komuna was happy that he had taken the time to contact me. He thought of many who are in his situation but have never been able to locate their lost families.
“I pray that they will come across some good people to help them in their search. I was helped by an article you wrote. I pray that they will not give up but that God will help them make the right connections and bring about a similar result in their search. I too would like to extend my sincere thanks to the newspaper. Because of you both, I now have met my Sepik family.”
As he added in a recent Facebook post: “After 37 years search since my dad passed away in 1983, Nov 23, I have finally found my family from East Sepik.”
The Sepik family will formally welcome Rev Komuna and his family to their Wawat village in December this year. Next year, they hope to all come down to Abau to see the grave of their long lost relative. That will bring both families, from the Sepik and Abau together, and will finally bring closure to everyone concerned.

The article that got the family united.

One thought on “United at last!

  • Thank you very the writer and editor of the National for publishing my story. You have truly bridge me to my lost family. I have truly felt the power of social media uniting families.

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