Papua New Guinea: After only a few short months of battling cancer, Baru Dirye, the National Health Secretary for the Nazarene Health Ministries (NHM), entered into the presence of his Savior on Thursday, November 24th, 2016.

Baru has motivated disciples to lead, started church plants, and guided hundreds to Christ. He was an inspiration to all who knew him, and the church mourns with his family.

Andy Bennett says, “During the night, Baru Dirye, our friend, brother in the Lord, leader, and man of God, quietly slipped into the arms of the One whom he had served faithfully these many years.”

“He was not only a top administrator in the health care ministry, but he and his wife Christina, have led a hugely successful Nazarene church plant.  What initially started as a simple house church a few years ago eventually led to the single biggest baptism in the church’s history in PNG- with 75 people baptized in one service!” Dr. Scott Dooley, Nazarene Hospital Administrator

There is most definitely a tremendous reunion in heaven between Baru and his brother Rev. Taime, who passed in 2014.  Both of these men shared an insatiable passion for seeing souls won to the Lord.  Rev. Taime was a long-time pastor, church planter, evangelist, the first national district superintendent in Papua New Guinea, and a chaplain for 20 years at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital.  He was also the first ordained elder and first DS in Papua New Guinea. Taime and Baryu were the eldest and youngest sons of Dirye, an early convert of Lutheran missions in the northern Wahgi valley who joined the Nazarene church when it came to their village, Warakar. What a tremendous family legacy.

Please pray for Baru’s wife, Christina, and their kids, ranging from college age down to early elementary age. Please pray for the ministry in Papua New Guinea, and pray that our church members will understand that godly men sometimes die for reasons that we don’t always understand.

—Submitted by: Ingrid Kiper