A group of 41 Christian pilgrims to Israel hailing from Papua New Guinea plant olive trees in the Limonim Forest in the Upper Galilee, in a special ceremony on Thursday, January 21, 2016.
The group of 41 pilgrims from Papua New Guinea arrived at the planting site in Limonim Forest located near the ancient city of Safed, singing the traditional Hebrew song Hevenu Shalom Aleikhem /We Bring Peace Upon You. It was clear to all where their hearts lay. All were members of the pro-Israel Aliyah Raising association. Many were wearing colorful clothing decorated with the flags of Papua New Guinea and of Israel.
There was much excitement in the air because they considered the tree planting a spiritual act.
Before the ceremony, the leader of the group Pastor Albert Pawa held a prayer service, and quoted a verse from the Old Testament, Jeremiah chapter 31:
“Again you will plant vineyards
on the hills of Samaria;
the farmers will plant them
and enjoy their fruit.”
Pastor Pawa told the participants that the tree planting signifies the ongoing covenant between the peoples of the two countries. He said he was particularly pleased to be planting an olive sapling because as a tree, it can live for thousands of years. Pawa went on to recall that Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill planted a tree in Jerusalem in 2013, where he said that “planting a tree symbolizes that the world has a future and that we all have life”.
The founder and Chairman of the Aliya Raising association Alex Barak is an Israeli who has been living in Papua New Guinea for the past 3 years. Barak said that after arriving in Papua New Guinea, he quickly noticed an urgent need for such an association, because the people he had met at the time had no way to channel their abundant love for Israel. He revealed that today each member of the Aliyah Raising association donates a biblical “tithe”, i.e. approximately 10% of his or her income, to assist new immigrants in Israel and lone soldiers.
Tour participant George Baia said that the members of the mission came from villages and churches throughout Papua New Guinea and will soon return home as ambassadors for Israel to garner even more support.
After planting her tree, Nikkie Roselyn Appa said that she believes that each of the 8 million residents of Papua New Guinea will visit Israel “sooner or later”. She said that they all support Israel because they all know that Christian survival is linked directly to the fate of the Jewish people.