I cannot foretell the future. I cannot guarantee that all will be well – that we shall all come through unscathed. One thing only I can guarantee is that, if we do not forsake Christ here in Papua in His Body, the Church, He will not forsake us. He will uphold us; He will sustain us; He will strengthen us, and He will guide and keep us through the days that lie ahead…Let us trust and not be afraid.
(Bishop Philip Strong, Papua New Guinea, 31st January 1942
Some were beheaded,
Some were betrayed.
Others looked into
Their own fresh-dug graves,
Some killed out at sea,
Some killed on the beach,
Some killed as examples,
Some thrown to the waves,
And still some survived,
Pulled out from the flames,
Living sacrifices
To live and to praise.
And we who look on now
Must make in our own way
The choice that then faced those
Who stayed in their places,
To live or to die,
Each option the same,
When living is Christ
And dying is gain.
The Consolations of Writing 