Not Done Yet: Continuing the Lord’s work in Papua New Guinea

A Google search of  “Papua New Guinea” brings up countless images of indigenous people in in traditional dress; articles about cannibalism, sorcery, and sexism; and an undeniable sense of other, foreign, and different. Mountainous, fertile, forested, landscapes dotted with villages highlight how vastly different this island nation is from its more industrial counterparts. According to Dr. David Lattimer, PNG is “the kind of place that if you ever visit, you won’t ever forget.”It would be easy to abandon such an isolated nation to its own devices, allow it to continue down a path of darkness. But that’s not what we’re called to do.Churches of Christ in Christian Union sent the first missionaries to PNG more than 50 years ago, and many church members are asking missionaries, such as Benji and Erica Jenkins, “Aren’t we done yet?”It seems an innocent enough question. Surely 50 years is long enough to bring the nation of 7.6 million to Christ, establish the Church, disciple locals into pastors, and raise the next generation up in Christ – right?Simply put, no. Fifty years ago, PNG was in the Stone Age. They’ve come a long way since then, but there's still a long way to go.We are invested in PNG. The Christian Union Bible College is training pastors to go out and make a difference in their villages and communities; Bible translation and audio Bibles are being utilized; building projects, such as churches and schools are being funded. All of that is great and needs to continue.But more than building projects and schools, PNG needs Jesus. Which means we need to send missionaries.PNG desperately needs Pastoral Trainers, Community Health Evangelism Facilitators, a Youth/Educational Developer, a Church Planting Facilitator, and a Missionary Kid Teacher, as well as many other ministry needs.You don’t have to have a degree in Missions or Ministry to go to PNG. If you’re interested in serving the Lord in PNG in any capacity, please fill out this no-obligation, information request form.For more information about the specific needs in PNG, please email David Lattimer at missions@cccuhq.org. If you’re interested in giving financially to CCCU’s missionaries in PNG, please click here.