Church Planting in PNG

"Back home you see people at church and maybe once or twice a week. Here you live so close to your partners you can hear them flush the toilet." The young church planting missionary was sharing his story across the lunch table. "We work in teams in the bush here. Our homes are just twenty feet apart and we do almost everything together. Even though we get along, it isn't an easy thing. We sure need help in this area." He went on to admit that he seldom gets away from his work, even when - like now - he and his family are out of the tribe for a purposeful break. "I always have a project I am working on, it's hard to break away and spend time with the family." As we shared together, his passion for what he does was very clear. Their team was making a difference in the tribe they were working in. He shared of how some of the tribal fathers were growing in their capacity to teach the Word. His excitement was catching as he shared of what progress had been made in this area. At the same time our new friend made it clear that he was very interested in what we are doing here and indicated that it was critical for where they were at. "We go through a lot of training before we get to the field," he shared, "but it seems that we don't realize how important interpersonal skills are until we have been here a few years living and working side by side with our partners." He was encouraged when we told that besides doing several workshops while we are here, our primary role is mentor coaching three of the missionaries here so that they can continue organizing and facilitating workshops into the future. He indicated that he would be very happy to attend a Sharpening Your Interpersonal Skills workshop when it was made available in his part of the country.
 
Why do we do what we do? Just maybe it is so that a team of church planters living among the tribes along the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea can continue doing what God has called them to do... translating the Bible; evangelizing; teaching new believers; training elders; and finally leaving the tribe and moving on to new ministry when the church is able to continue to live and grow in a spiritually mature and healthy state. We are so excited to see the team of facilitators here growing in their understanding of the materials and in their abilities to share that material with others. Our desire is that the three facilitators here (and maybe more in the future) will be able to continue holding SYIS workshops for years to come and make it available even to the church planters who live in very remote locations and are so busy that they seldom can take a break from their work to take care of themselves.

We have had a great two weeks so far while we have been here among the missionaries of Lapillo. We have gotten to hear many of their stories, and are once again impressed by the quality of people who give of their lives to bring the true Gospel to those who have never heard. Many of the stories we have heard are sad, and grief plays a constant part in the lives of these sent ones. Losses of family, friends, ministry and even children have been shared with us as we have made new friends and gained insights into their lives.  Too many times the stories include names of others who have left the field for reasons that could have been avoided. Too many people are carrying multiple jobs and roles because co-workers have left the field suddenly and without time to prepare for replacements. Too often the leadership is faced with the hard choice of closing down ministry or letting people burn out trying to carry too heavy a load. This is the reality of missions, but we do not believe this is what God has in mind for His sent ones. This is why we do what we do.