You know you’re in Papua New Guinea when, during the service, instead of choir singing, there are dances with drums, and instead of writing a check as an offering, someone brings a sack of coffee to the altar.
And to use the water pump, you first need to call all your neighbors so they can turn off their electric kettles.
In the evening, a friend calls and says he heard that bandits are planning to attack “Promise Land” tonight, so be careful. Of course, of course—you smile. After all, you have a (friendly) dog in your yard and a guard with a bow and arrows. By the way, the guard loves to sleep.
Some would grab a gun, most would shrug, but you open your Bible to Philippians 4:6. Bandits or not, the last thing I do before bed is spend time with the Lord. “Do not be anxious,” says the imprisoned apostle to his dear brothers and sisters in Philippi. “Do not be anxious about ANYTHING.”
My challenges differ from yours, but “do not be anxious” applies in both cases. And it’s not a suggestion—it’s a command.
May the Lord bless each of you (and us!) with His peace, which only He can give. And “peace” is not the absence of difficulties. Peace is the presence of the risen Christ, and He is with each of us, right now, as He promised.
A flood of sick people has overwhelmed both Grandma Sharon’s clinic and our own. The most challenging part, as it turned out, is not only diagnosing and administering the correct treatment but also convincing people that their ailments are not due to witchcraft, but real diseases that require a dose of antibiotics.
One young man, for instance, was brought to us (actually, carried over the mountains) when he was already on the verge of death. Since some of his symptoms were extremely dangerous, that very night, Eugene took him to the hospital in Lae (a three-hour drive from us). A few days later, he called us, his voice breaking, begging to be taken home: “The doctors can’t help me. It’s a curse. I… need a sorcerer immediately… Take me back to the village; the sorcerer will lift the curse from me, please.”
(This young man was a believer, led worship in one of the churches, and participated in many of our evangelistic trips). Eugene tried to dissuade him, but he ran away from the hospital and was carried back to the village sorcerer. A few days later, he called again, barely breathing: “Save me!”
My first (natural) reaction was to ask, where is the sorcerer, and why didn’t he help? But Eugene was much more compassionate. When they brought him back to us again (and it’s a three-hour journey through the mountains, one way), Eugene once more took him to the hospital, where he is currently staying.
It’s important to note that the young man prayed with tears and repented! Praise the Lord, who is stronger than any sorcerer!
We have been able to conduct children’s ministry in Mamarei village! It’s truly joyful to see how, after about ten years, our boys are now serving other children—just as we once served them. How quickly they have grown!
Activities at our kindergarten will resume next week! We expect up to a hundred little Papuans aged 4 to 6 to come to learn to read and write, but most importantly, to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and begin their journey with Him.
Dear friends, we would like to ask for your support in providing financial assistance to our teachers on a monthly basis. Since education at our school is free, we lack the resources to pay the teachers. Although they have worked as volunteers for all three years, we understand that they need to feed their families, and schoolwork takes up all their time.
Therefore, we ask you to prayerfully consider a monthly contribution to support our teachers, who work very hard to teach the little Papuans not only the basics of grammar but, most importantly, to introduce them to Jesus.
We are aiming for a minimum of $50 per month for each teacher—we have six of them. This is the least we could do to thank and encourage them in their challenging work: among them are single mothers, families with many children, and elderly people. Thank you!
I don’t know when was the last time I slept more than 5 hours, and yesterday I didn’t even have time to do my hair. Welcome to the realities of missionary life! This month has been very intense. Tribal wars, jungle trips, dances, earthquakes. Teacher training, baptisms, small groups, and printing 400 T-shirts. Three youth camps, three teams from abroad, and tons of laundry in between. The bread is ready, the soup is boiling, the laundry is waiting for me to sort it out – and I set a timer for half an hour to send this email in one breath before the kids come back from school. Because in the evening, I’m not a missionary, I’m a mom. And my favorite form of service is serving my family.
Miroslava celebrated her 11th birthday on January 6th (in the morning). She went to a remote village for service (in the evening). And on January 7th, she got baptized! As I mentioned before, this month we were able to hold three youth camps in the villages of Asas, Obura, and Atuka – huge thanks to the team from Seattle who selflessly served the Papuans during these three weeks, despite all the discomforts of jungle life. They were very joyful, and that alone became the best preaching! There was much repentance in every village, and those who already knew the Lord experienced another renewal of their relationship with Him.
Last month, as in all the past six months, we actively preached the Gospel – in church, in prison, in remote villages, at markets, in the shade of trees, and from house to house. Many people accepted Christ, a peace treaty was signed between two warring tribes, and many also responded to the call to renew their relationship with God.
Also, in January, we expect a team of five brothers who will work for a week in three of our other campuses in camp ministry. Two of these villages are very remote, several hours on foot to the very center of “nowhere,” please pray for the three camps that will take place soon. We expect 150+ children and teenagers in each village, a total of around 400 people will be able to hear the Gospel.
And our “D” groups of discipleship continue to develop and multiply, we are grateful to the Lord that He gave us the command (1) to preach the Gospel and (2) to make disciples. Our goal is for every member of our church to be in a group of discipleship, and over time, to lead their own D group – step by step we are moving towards this. Our youngest D group members (including our Miroslava) – the girls’ age is from 10 to 14 years old, were able to serve with us in the remote village of Asas, creatively preaching the Gospel with skits, games, and visual examples.
We thank the Lord for His protection during the two-week trip to Indonesia! And although the last days were overshadowed by bouts of malaria, nevertheless, Eugene and his team were able to preach the Gospel in many schools, prisons, and simply on the street.
People in Indonesia are very open to the Gospel – dozens of repentant souls and many new contacts that have given us a platform to further develop our ministry in the West Papua province. The Lord has put it on our hearts to organize a church there, and there are already two pastor families from our central church who are ready to lay their lives on the altar and carry the light of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Please pray for David and his wife Evelyn, as well as Pastor Paul’s family (his wife Anna and four children), who are preparing to move to Indonesia. Also, please consider the possibility of regular monthly support for these families so they can work for the Lord full-time.
Being married to a missionary, when he, sick with malaria, fearlessly preaches the Gospel somewhere in a foreign country – and you’re at home, knitting a blanket, baking a banana pie for the children, biting your nails and in prayer remembering all the Scriptures that talk about protection and safety. Some may shake their head or twirl their finger at their temple – we signed our death warrant when we answered “HERE I AM” to the Lord’s eternal question, “WHO WILL GO”?
Ministry in Indonesia – Eugene & Irina Konstantiniki
