Having ministered already to hundreds of men and women imprisoned in Papua New Guinea, Crossroad Bible Institute is preparing to extend its reach in 2016.
CBI Australia, which works in several South Pacific islands including Papua New Guinea, has an open invitation from the Papua New Guinea government to introduce CBI lessons into all the nation’s prisons. Anne Bruinsma, director of CBI Australia, said her team is planning to begin working in two new prisons in 2016 – Gili Gili prison at Alotau and Kavieng prison.
As CBI Australia officials prepare for the expansion, they have received a financial gift that will help fund the project. Crossroad was awarded a nearly $4,400 gift from Mission Interlink, a global mission network based in Australia, at its annual ReachOut Convention in August.
Each year, organizations that participate in the convention are asked to put together a proposal for a missions-based project, and one of the proposals is selected to be the recipient of the collection taken from the hundreds of conventioneers.
“We are thrilled with the wonderful start this gift provides us and I am standing in awe of God’s goodness through Mission Interlink,” Bruinsma said.
CBI Australia’s ministry in Papua New Guinea has been fruitful. Over the past three years, CBI has ministered to 343 students in five prisons in the country. The commissioner for corrective services and other prison authorities in Papua New Guinea have noticed the impact, Bruinsma said.
“They have noted that the prisoners are more content and peaceful. This is also rubbing off on the non-students,” Bruinsma said. Prison officials are also noticing that many of the students are not reoffending and are more successful in finding employment with the CBI certificates.
“Yes, God is working in the prisons. We give all honor and thanks to him alone,” Bruinsma said.
More information on CBI Australia’s work in Papua New Guinea:
Student Enrollments Soar
Ministry Producing Change in Papua New Guinea