Into the Remoteness...

We traveled to the city of Lae. In the days leading up to our departure, there had been much sickness. I was still recovering from a previous febrile illness with a lingering cough. The teams leaders had both come down with malaria. Many others were ill with gastroenteritis that was continuing to travel slowly through our team members. The health of our team posed some concern for the long bus rides, but God got us to our destination. We then traveled on by bus up the river until roads would take us no further. Our next mode of transportation was a seven hour canoe ride to a remote village in the interior of the country.

The river was wide and the journey not like anything I have previously undertaken. Once in the village we will stay there for ten days, sleeping in our small one person tents like we have in the other villages so far. This tribe is one where the Holy Spirit has been working in the hearts of the people. Sixty years ago, they murdered and cannibalized the missionaries that came. Now we go back as the second group to visit them since then. During the last outreach, the tribe asked for forgiveness and wanted to learn about God. I am looking forward to this journey, to meeting these people, and to see what God has to teach both them and me through our visit.

Up to now, we have been using the city of Madang as an outreach base for local trips into villages to share the Gospel and provide medical care. It is a great country to be in if you are shy or unsure what to say sometimes. This is because the people are so relationship focused that they are honored and thankful just to have you come up to speak with them even if they cannot understand you. They look to the hearts of people. It is so different then how we are in the U.S. It provides opportunities for conversation and deeper relationships.

At one of our previous outreach missions in a different village, I spent several days talking with a girl named Patricia. She was about 15 or 16 years old. We sat for hours making friendship bracelets, sharing our life stories. She enjoyed the conversation and encouragement. These young people are at a transitional point in the their lives and they need to know that God will walk with them into the future. My teammate, Garret, spent several days ministering to a young man like I did with Patricia. At the end of the trip, the young man thanked Garret for spending time with him because no one had ever talked to him before. Usually, as the teams provide medical care, the younger children gain the the attention of the other team members, leaving no one to speak with the older teenagers and young adults. And yet, these young people need to hear the Truth, be encouraged, and receive the love of Christ. So, as I continue on my journey I will look for those who have been overlooked. Those who are quiet. Those who stand to the side and yet still want to hear. The harvest is plenty and the workers are few...

Now back to my current journey up the river.... We stopped at this bend in the river.

From there we trekked inland to the village we are now staying in for the next week. I ask for prayer for me - for health, strength, energy, and opportunities to share the Gospel and disciple others. There is so much more to write and share. But I send these few words today thankful for our God and His salvation. May we know the hope to which we are called, the riches of his glorious inheritance, and the incomparable great power of Jesus Christ.

Here is the village where I am now. Signing off in joy, Laurel