For a Time Like This, by Michael Jelliffe, 170 pages, paperback with colour pictures & photos.  

ISBN 978-0-6459597-6-5     SPECIAL (AUS/NZ) - AU$30.00  includes postage within Aus/NZ - USE SPECIAL CART BUTTON ABOVE TO BUY

The story of one man’s journey in missionary service and some of the challenges he faced managing a mission aviation program in Papua New Guinea for three years during 2005 - 2007. 

Already an experienced pilot and missionary pastor, he nevertheless found himself feeling out of his depth leading an organisation thrown into turmoil by two accidents which claimed the lives of three pilot colleagues. Aware of evil intentions to undermine and destroy the ministry, he is constantly reminded of God’s gracious hand at work in the midst of tragedy, even when he finds his own resources stretched to the limit. 

An honest and personal account of what it means to be a leader in a demanding cross-cultural Christian ministry.  

Mike’s detailed recollections of his time as General Manager for Mission Aviation Fellowship in Papua New Guinea, and his craft with words, gives the reader graphic revelation of challenges few people ever face in life. As you read this book, in which Mike so effectively paints pictures with his words, you will not only be entertained with interesting stories, but also appreciate some of the joys, privileges and challenges faced by mission leaders. SC

POMBREOL My Hero, by Stella Sondpi, 190 pages, paperback.        ISBN 978-0-6488206-7-3         AU$27.95.

Life for the Southern Highlanders of Papua New Guinea was tough in the times before first contact with the outside world in the mid 20th century through patrols from the Australian colonial administration. Secluded from the rest of the world in their valleys, it was survival against the odds. Drought, famine, disease, crop failure, high mortality rates for women and children, and the ever present threat of attack from enemy tribes drove them to seek the help of ancestral spirits, usually through elaborate and secretive pig sacrifices.

Stella Sondpi passionately and graphically recounts the stories of life and love in the time before contact with the outside world, as told to her by her beloved grandfather, Pombreol. With brutal honesty the reality of tribal life is exposed as the reader journeys with Pombreol through the events of his life, becoming a warrior, husband and father, while negotiating the many other challenges to survival - the final challenge being how to respond to the first incursions of patrol officers onto their sacred grounds.

This narration of a true life story gives a wonderful insight into pre-contact tribal culture in Papua New Guinea from the viewpoint of the people themselves. As such it is not only a riveting read but a great anthropological resource.

Click here to read POMBREOL - Introduction and Chapter One (use L/R arrow keys to scroll pages)

NEW Legends of the Mendi Valley: Footprints of the Coming of the Gospel by Stella Sondpi. 160 pages, 6" x 9" paperback.  ON SALE from 1 July 2025

ISBN 978-0-6459597-8-9  AU$27.95

Culture within traditional societies has at times been portrayed as bad, even evil, something that people need to move on from to demonstrate a true faith in Christ. So it is against that negative paradigm that Stella Sondpi seeks to offer a contradictory view - that God has been present in tribal cultures well before their 'discovery' by missionaries and the rest of the world. These oral cultures have a rich heritage of stories and legends passed down faithfully through the generations. The key is in understanding the deeper meaning and significance of these narratives, like an overlay of meaning beyond the actual storyline.

Building on her first book, POMBREOL, stories of pre-first contact life in the Mendi valley of Papua New Guinea told her by her grandfather, the author digs into ten legends in her tribe. The concept of Biblically-based spiritual truths embedded in culture was expounded by former missionary in Irian Jaya, Don Richardson, in his book, "Eternity in Their Hearts". He proposed that God has never left people groups devoid of witness and in fact, within various customs and tribal narratives are redemptive keys which are fulfilled when the full gospel message of redemption in Christ is received. Take, for example, the practice of blood sacrifice so common in Melanesia, or the acknowledgement of a Creator.

Set in two parts, the author presents the ten tribal legends in Part One, then in Part Two explains their meaning within the culture and significance as prior 'footprints' of the gospel, embedding biblical truths within the culture in preparation for the coming of missionaries and the gospel message. Her claim is that her people were prepared to receive the Christian message as a result, and accepted it.

From Fear to Freedom - The Transformation of Yuna-land by Marjorie Pethybridge, 182 pages with colour photos, ISBN 978-0-6488206-8-0  AU$29.95.  Revised and updated edition. 

The Yuna tribe in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea were completely unreached by missionaries until 1961, in fact their area, only recently discovered by the rest of the world, was still restricted to government patrols. "There is a dense population of thousands barely touched with the Gospel" was the pioneer missionary report at that time. This book describes how in less than ten years the Yuna tribe was set free from lifelong bondage to evil spirits and how they enjoyed the freedom of being God's children. Writing from her mission outpost in Yuna-land in those pioneering days in the 1960s, the author, who with her husband and young family, took on the challenge of reaching out to the Yuna with the gospel, follows the true stories of transformation as they happened. Here is a readable and lively account of a modern mission movement, with photos, that anyone with an interest in cross-cultural mission will find an inspiration.

The Treasury of Teapu: Discovering the real gold in Bougainville by Ray Grindley. 366 pages, colour photos, paperback. ISBN 978-0-6488206-1-1.  AU$45.95 

1969 was a turning point in Australian accountant Ray Grindley's life. As a Christian volunteer working with the United Church in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea, he meticulously recorded details about the life and culture of the people of Teapu in northern Bougainville. Now, 50 years later, he has combined the stories, along with his own experiences living there, into one record. Traditional oral stories, conversations with people in the community, experiences travelling the island of Bougainville, historical backgrounds, kinship systems, initiation ceremonies, archeological artefacts, spiritual beliefs, the growth of the church, missionaries and their ministry, aspects of practical life such as gardening and fishing, all supported by many photographs, make this an amazingly valuable anthropological insight into Melanesian village life at that time. 

What makes this such a valuable record is that much of this information was lost to the people during the civil war of the 1980s, when an estimated 20,000 people died in a protracted confrontation over the Panguna open cut copper-gold-silver mine. It is information Bougainvilleans are keen to rediscover and Ray's modern day contacts, some who were children when he was there, are keen to propagate it. Ray's diligence has in fact resulted in him being the repository of otherwise lost cultural data. Each chapter also takes the reader on a personal journey with Ray, who arrived in a state of despondency following the death of his girlfriend, and left a year later transformed having discovered what he calls the real gold in Bougainville - the love and acceptance of a people previously unknown to him. This makes it such a delightful read because the anthropological and cultural information, while scholarly in its own right, is presented in the continuing context of his own journey of self-discovery and healing with the people of Teop. 

This book will appeal to anyone with an interest in modern Christian missions and the rise of the indigenous church in Melanesia. As a fascinating accumulation of anthropological information written in layman's language, it will be an invaluable reference to life in Bougainville fifty years ago, before the civil war led to widespread destruction and loss within the society. As such it is an amazing contribution to the forgotten history of Bougainville. As a personal interest story, of how one man found love to be real and found his faith in people and his God reinvigorated, it is an inspirational read.

Click here to read The Treasury of Teapu - Chapter 24 .

An Ongoing Journey - from Christian Work to Servanthood by Douglas K Parrington. 350 pages, colour photos. ISBN 978-0-6480675-9-7    AU$35.95

The autobiography of Douglas K Parrington and his life journey from infancy to missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators/SIL in Papua New Guinea, where he (with his wife and six children) translated the New Testament into the Ewage-Notu language. In mid life, teacher Douglas left Adelaide, South Australia, to become a Bible translator with Summer Institute of Linguistics in PNG. Assigned to the coastal Ewage-Notu language group along the north coast of Papua (the same coastline that the Japanese forces used to launch their invasion across the Kokoda Track to Port Moresby in 1942), the author and his wife spent 20 years, much of it living in local villages, from 1973 to learn the language and then translate what was the 100th NT translation by SIL in PNG. He traces his childhood influences and history in this journey which at every turn was inspired by Scripture. As such this is an amazing story not only of the feat of translation and God's provision and direction for them, but also of the author's experience of a living relationship with God, lived out in his experience of the Bible, a relationship he inspired in others.

Dekeleba, The Lake Bird: the story of Pastor Kitapateke by Sarah Kende. 36 pages, photos, paperback. ISBN 978-0-6484284-8-0      AU$15.95

The story of Kitapateke Yonape who was one of the first converts to Christianity when missionaries first entered the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. He became a pastor and leader in the community. This is his story of growing up in the early days where cultural practices and tribal warfare were common, as told to Sarah Kende.