Maniosa had a smile that would light up a room, and he always exuded the joy of the Lord. Life in Enga is not easy, and there are trials and difficulties each day that can sap whatever bits of joy a person may have left. But by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, Maniosa had discovered the secret of being content, even joyful, in all circumstances.
Later Martha and I gave him some clothes and shoes to share with others in his village whose homes had been burned to the ground. When we asked him about it later, he told us that instead of giving the clothes and shoes to his tribesmen, he had gone down the road and found the enemy tribe’s hired mercenaries and given the items to them instead. Maniosa understood more than any other Papua New Guinean I have ever met Jesus’ commandment to love our enemies. He was truly a man of peace.
Maniosa drove an old red Land Cruiser. Nothing on the car worked unless it had to. I remember once riding with him from Wabag to Mt Hagen (at that time a three-hour trip). The gauges for his main fuel tank and reserve fuel tank both showed dead empty. As we made our way out of Wabag, we passed one fuel station after another, and Maniosa did not stop to refuel. As we started driving through the more remote areas, I began to get nervous, thinking that we would run out of fuel, but somehow we made it to Mt Hagen. Only years later did I realize that neither of the gauges worked!
Our whole family has pleasant memories of riding in the back of Maniosa’s Land Cruiser. During one of our first stays in Enga, Maniosa drove us to Mt Hagen for the weekend so that we could enjoy some restaurant food and a hot shower. He stopped at a roadside stand along the way to get us some chips (french fries). Checking to make sure we had enough to eat, he asked us a few minutes later in perfect English, “How is the potato situation back there?” We all laughed and smiled. Maniosa continued down the road (which was in bad condition back then) swerving to the right and left around potholes and singing hymns at the top of his lungs. Later he told us that we were going through an area where roadside bandits often hold up cars. He confronted this potential evil by singing mightily unto the Lord, and he kept us safe.
Maniosa was a strong man. Even into his early seventies, he would often do push-ups on the floor when we took breaks from our translation work. Nevertheless, he had some health problems, which he described to me once with his singsong voice, a smile, and a chuckle, saying, “The doctor says I eat too much pig grease.”
Maniosa never knew when he was born, but he estimated that it was around 1946. The farther along we got in our New Testament work, the more I prayed that Maniosa would live to see its completion. God granted that request, and Maniosa was there to see the dedication of the Enga New Testament on July 2, 2024. He continued working on translating the Old Testament into Enga for the next year until he died of a massive stroke on August 31. His great joy that he radiated on earth is now made full in the presence of the Lord, and I can only imagine that Jesus received him with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
 |
| Reverend Maniosa Yakasa |
One morning as the translation team and I were sitting at the translation booth in Wabag town, Maniosa received news that a tribal fight had broken out in his home village of Sakarip. There were rumors that his house had burned down, so he went home to investigate the matter. When I called him later that day and asked what had happened, he said with his singsong voice, “They murdered seven of my pigs!” Only an Engan would use the word “murder” with pigs, and only Maniosa could report such bad news with joy in his voice.
Later Martha and I gave him some clothes and shoes to share with others in his village whose homes had been burned to the ground. When we asked him about it later, he told us that instead of giving the clothes and shoes to his tribesmen, he had gone down the road and found the enemy tribe’s hired mercenaries and given the items to them instead. Maniosa understood more than any other Papua New Guinean I have ever met Jesus’ commandment to love our enemies. He was truly a man of peace.
Maniosa drove an old red Land Cruiser. Nothing on the car worked unless it had to. I remember once riding with him from Wabag to Mt Hagen (at that time a three-hour trip). The gauges for his main fuel tank and reserve fuel tank both showed dead empty. As we made our way out of Wabag, we passed one fuel station after another, and Maniosa did not stop to refuel. As we started driving through the more remote areas, I began to get nervous, thinking that we would run out of fuel, but somehow we made it to Mt Hagen. Only years later did I realize that neither of the gauges worked!
-web.jpg) |
| Maniosa at the Enga New Testament dedication |
Maniosa was a strong man. Even into his early seventies, he would often do push-ups on the floor when we took breaks from our translation work. Nevertheless, he had some health problems, which he described to me once with his singsong voice, a smile, and a chuckle, saying, “The doctor says I eat too much pig grease.”
Maniosa never knew when he was born, but he estimated that it was around 1946. The farther along we got in our New Testament work, the more I prayed that Maniosa would live to see its completion. God granted that request, and Maniosa was there to see the dedication of the Enga New Testament on July 2, 2024. He continued working on translating the Old Testament into Enga for the next year until he died of a massive stroke on August 31. His great joy that he radiated on earth is now made full in the presence of the Lord, and I can only imagine that Jesus received him with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
