A man goes from drug dealer to lay preacher.

Konia Mungul was a name many whispered with fear, disgust, or silent anger. He was well known in the settlements of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea’s capital, not for any good reasons, but for the wicked life that he lived. Born and raised in the harsh, crowded corners of settlement life, Konia knew nothing but the instincts he had sharpened to survive. 

In those dusty streets, he quickly became known as a notorious betel nut dealer. He moved sacks of it between districts, dodging police and crossing lines others wouldn’t dare. But that was just the surface. Behind the shadows, Konia had gone much further into the darkness than anyone knew. He sold more than betel nut. He was a notorious womanizer, using and discarding people as easily as he traded goods. He hardened his heart, telling himself it was just survival. Money came fast, and his conscience faded.

To satisfy his hunger for wealth and power, he plunged deeper into dark trades–illegal cash deals, money laundering, and eventually drugs. His body reeked of alcohol by sunrise; his fingers were always stained with cigarette ash. Konia had never set foot inside a church. He saw religion as a weakness–a useless tool for soft men. “I thought that I had gone too far,” he later said, “and that there was no way God would look at someone like me.” But God had other plans.

One night, after heavy drinking and drug use, Konia collapsed alone in the back of a rundown warehouse he used as a hideout. Surrounded by filth, stained by the life he had chosen, he was overwhelmed by a feeling of aching emptiness. He saw with stark clarity that there was no life in what he was doing. His existence seemed useless, meaningless. People he had hurt, women he had used, and the things he had stolen flashed through his mind like a nightmare on repeat.

He wept. For the first time in decades, he broke. In that moment of profound brokenness, by the deep conviction of the Holy Spirit, he decided that there must be another way he could find peace for his turbulent mind. He remembered that when he was very young, he heard  people talking about Jesus, Who was able to solve any problem. Konia, trembling, whispered to himself. “I’ve done too much. I’ve gone too far to return.” But he decided that he would give God a try.

While on the crossroads of conversion, he heard a street preacher one afternoon in the market place read Isaiah 1:18: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” That moment sparked the beginning of a miracle.

The road to recovery wasn’t smooth. The first few nights were a war as Konia fought withdrawal symptoms and mental battles. But God did not let go.

He also heard Luke 15:20 from a preacher: “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him.…” That line stopped him. “A great way off….” That was him! He was far off, lost, and dirty. But he realized Someone had been watching all along.

He began attending church. He felt awkward at first. But week after week, the Word started cutting into his soul. He heard the stories of Mary Magdalene and the man with the legion of demons and whispered, “Maybe Jesus can fix me, too.”

Today, Konia Mungul is no longer the man who the settlements once feared. The former drug dealer and womanizer is now a lay preacher. The man who never believed in God now leads Bible studies in the very places where he once sold sin. “I’m not ashamed,” he says. “I was blind, filthy, and broken, but Jesus didn’t leave me there.”

He loves to quote 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Konia’s life is now a sermon. He visits youth groups, addiction centers, and broken communities, warning others of the traps he once was caught in. His story confirms what Ellen White once wrote: “The souls that turn to Him for refuge, Jesus lifts above the accusing and the strife of tongues. No man or evil angel can impeach these souls. Christ unites them to His own divine-human nature.” The Desire of Ages, 568.

“Strength and grace have been provided through Christ to be brought by ministering angels to every believing soul. None are so sinful that they cannot find strength, purity, and righteousness in Jesus, who died for them.” Steps to Christ, 52.

To those who believe they’ve gone too far, Konia’s life declares loud and clear: “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” Romans 5:20.  

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Location
Papua New Guinea

Author
Moses Yauma is a lay evangelist working in the upper highlands of PNG. 

How You Can Help
Pray for the evangelistic endeavors of Moses and the other lay workers as they reach out to the unreached jungle dwellers.

Pray for Konia as he begins his new life in Christ. Pray that God will continue to give him victory and a steadfast faith in His Word.

Give to the evangelistic work in PNG by sending your check marked “PNG Evangelism” to: 

Mission Projects International 
PO Box 237
Kirksville, MO 63501

To give securely online, scan the QR code or visit missionspro.org/donate