Steve and Rhonda Hayward, missionaries with Pioneer Bible Translators, wanted to see Tay people transformed through God’s Word in their language. ​Druk was bleeding heavily from an accident. She had slipped while climbing over a fence, and one of the fence’s wooden spikes impaled her. Without emergency medical care, she probably would die. Her husband, Gabriel, had recently done something unheard of in their culture: He uprooted the magic tanget plants usually used to treat sick people in his village. The village sorceress condemned Gabriel for his treachery: You shouldn’t​ have done that! You will suffer consequences! The spirits will make you pay for defying them! Locals in Papua, New Guinea, report that evil spirits thrive in the jungles there, inflicting pain, sickness and destruction. Because of that, the Tay people have developed rituals to please and appease the spirits. For example, to ward off these hostile powers, the Tay have grown tanget plants in strategic places in their villages. When missionaries first proclaimed the Gospel to the Tay people, many of them accepted the Good News. But an animistic view of the world  —  the awareness of being surrounded by spiritual forces that live in the environment and manifest themselves in many ways  —  permeates every aspect of life in Papua New Guinea.

Even Tay people who became Christians still lived in fear of demonic forces and worked hard to appease the spirits around them. They longed for the people to live in the freedom that was theirs in Christ. As they discussed the Scriptures, Steve and Rhonda gently addressed some of the culturally ingrained practices by which Tay Christians continued to worship other gods. They encouraged the people to pray about taking tangible steps forward in trusting God. Perhaps they could begin by uprooting their tanget plants. The people were hesitant. What if God didn’t protect them? What if He couldn’t?  Gabriel, the pastor of his village’s small church, finally took action. Standing near the tanget in the center of the village and facing the jungle, Gabriel prayed aloud for the Lord’s protection. Then he reached down and began uprooting the plants. With the warning of the sorceress echoing in their minds, the people waited to see what would happen. Would Gabriel suffer? Or would God protect him and his family? Who was stronger? It was a contest reminiscent of Elijah’s encounter with the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18. Not long after, Druk had her accident. Gabriel found her with one the of the spiked wooden posts embedded several inches into her body. She was bleeding profusely.

“I was thinking of dying,” Druk says through a translator. “But God gave me the strength, so I couldn’t die. “We weren’t afraid. We knew God was with us.” Gabriel frantically radioed Pioneer Bible Translators’ office in the town of Madang. They arranged for a helicopter to evacuate Druk  —  but it would not be able to come until the next morning. The incessant ringing of the telephone jarred Steve and Rhonda out of deep sleep. The voice coming through the handset informed them of Druk’s accident. As soon as the couple hung up the phone, they began praying fervently. They also sent an SOS prayer request to the team of people that partnered with them in prayer. These prayer partners, in turn, passed the request to others. The Haywards knew that the Tay people were watching and wondering. Was the sorceress right? Was this how the spirits had chosen to punish Gabriel for uprooting the tanget? And most significantly, would Gabriel’s God take care of His follower? Steve and Rhonda took seriously Jesus’ promise that the Father would give His people whatever they ask in His name (John 16:23). So they prayed, asking God to demonstrate His power to the Tay people by healing Druk. 

Against all normal odds, Druk lived through the night. The next morning, the rescue helicopter transported her to a hospital. Gabriel took the stick that had impaled her, showing the doctor the blood stain that marked how deeply it had penetrated. While the doctor worked to clean and close. Druk’s wound, the Haywards and their prayer partners continued to pray that God would spare her life and that the Tay people would know His power. Druk survived. While tending Druk’s wound, the doctor made a discovery: Druk was pregnant. Considering how deeply the stick had gone into her body and how much blood she had lost, it was unbelievable that she had not miscarried, the doctor said. When Druk recovered, she and Gabriel returned to their village. They continued to hike into the jungle to work in their garden, even more confident that they were under the protection of their God. Several months later, Druk gave birth to a healthy, full-term baby. “God was there,” Gabriel says. “He showed us His power.”