CALLED to Papua New Guinea

This week I wept alone in my clinic room after praying for God to heal the brain tumor in a 20 year old girl. She plays guitar for her church and her mum teaches Sunday school, and with Jesus in our midst we believed together for God to miraculously heal her. I have long struggled to ask God (fully believing) for miraculous healing, so it was my depth of belief, trust, and hope in that moment which left me emotionally cracked open. As always with bad diagnoses, I encouraged her to use this physically painful season to joyfully wave the banner of God’s sovereign goodness. (Phil 4:4-7) It’s OK to hope for God to miraculously heal, and it’s OK if He makes it happen in the moment we pray for it, or after months of modern medicine. It’s also OK if He chooses not to heal, but instead ignites an entire community through the joyful testimony of a young life trusting God and worshipping Jesus as Lord with every breath until her last. None of us can guarantee tomorrow, but there is eternal peace...

Dear Ones, Happy Easter! We pray the presence and power of Christ's life and resurrection blesses you mightily this season, and I hope the pictures and stories captured here in this Blog are an inspiration and joy for you. We remain deeply grateful for your support in sending us here to Kudjip and truly feel the impact of your prayers daily! The following includes snapshots from my time in the hospital, some fun adventures outside of work, and concludes with a heart-wrenching experience. May these accounts bless and challenge your hearts. All our Love, Ted, Rachel, Penniella, and Solomon I had the pleasure of meeting this young Christian man named Samuel in clinic the other week, and I was immediately encouraged by his friendly spirit and awesome t-shirt. We joked that with his winning smile and admirable beard he could easily play the role of PNG Jesus in a feature film! After a few tests I was glad to report the diagnosis of pulmonary TB which can be easily remedied with a few ...

 ... a message from Rachel In Mark 9:37, Jesus says: “ Whoever welcomes one of these little children in My name welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me does not welcome Me but the one who sent Me, the Father. ”  Our time here at Kudjip is a fresh and daily reminder that ALL children should be viewed through the eyes of Jesus – with love, care and compassion …. They are HIS beautiful and unique creation. It has been a source of joy for us to reconnect with our Papuan friends here at Kudjip. There are many afternoons where the children are beckoned through open windows by sing-song voices: “Pen-nie … Sol-o-mon … can you play today?”  There are a few PNG friends in particular who remember Pennie & Solomon from our last trip in 2023.  In spite of two years passing, they have all picked up right where they left off.  Solomon and his friends enjoy a variety of activities together: throwing spears, playing soccer, building forts, and catching lizards and bugs. Pennie ...

On a rainy Saturday afternoon our local friend JOHN GARI came by the front porch to visit for a bit. We had previously arranged to attend his church (Mise Church of the Nazarene) the next day and he was momentarily surprised to hear we still planned to do so. He spoke with some shyness, a tone of shame in his voice, saying he had not arranged our visit with the pastor and was worried we wouldn’t have the  honorary reception he would like us to have. In seasons past when we have visited local bush churches the congregation usually prepares a gift of garden produce, a way to say thank you to their guests of honor. I assured John we neither expected nor needed any honorary preparations and we were looking forward to just worshiping the King of Kings with our PNG brothers and sisters. John then admitted he had not been to church in over a year and that this was the true source of his shame. He shared about some ongoing family drama and stress that had driven him to a place of isolati...