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We spent a few days in a village in Wahgi, visiting the Hulley family. They have been missionaries there for many years. The road trip there was bumpy and long, but we made it safely. Wahgi is a rainforest area, so it was raining on and off while we were there. We took a walk with the Hulleys through the village and were greeted by everyone with smiles and handshakes.
The first evening we were privileged to meet with the believers in a hut. There was tarp on the ground and a hanging lantern for light. They sang us a few familiar songs in their language. They passed out song lyrics so we could sing along too. We reciprocated with a few of our own songs. Then the testimonies began. We went back and forth between the villagers and us. There was an interpreter so we were able to understand their stories.
What struck me about their testimonies was they got straight to the point. It wasn’t about them, but all about Jesus. They confessed that they are sinners and did bad things, and then missionaries came to share the gospel. Many of them shared their gratitude for us traveling so far and spending a lot of money just to be with them. They also shared their prayer for more missionaries to come to PNG because there are still so many people living in darkness, and if missionaries hadn’t come to tell them the truth, they would still be lost and in darkness too. This was a humbling night and definitely the highlight of our trip for me.
The following day we went on a hike through the gardens and to the river. Their gardens are beautiful, so neatly arranged in square blocks of land. They work from 7am until 1pm everyday, weeding, working the soil, planting and harvesting. Their crops consist of sweet potatoes, greens, peas, corn, peanuts, strawberries and pineapple. I’m amazed at how strong these women are. One woman let us plant a few sweet potato plants so that whenever she sees those plants she will think of us.
Other activities we participated in were bow and arrow making, a hike through the mountains, and learning to sew bilum bags. The men started a fire to cook a large amount of sweet potatoes in the ground. That was an interesting process to watch. The rest of the time we sat around in conversation. Their life and community is outside. They only go inside at night to sleep, which is very different than our way of life.
Our last morning we packed up and went back to Lapilo. It was bittersweet to say goodbye knowing that we won’t see each other again until heaven. I was surprised to see the men in the village crying. It’s so evident how the gospel has changed them. In a culture that sees women as property, the gospel has transformed their hearts in a remarkable way.
Please pray for the people in Wahgi. Pray they will continue to follow Christ with humble hearts, for more missionaries to come and teach others about God’s truth, and for continued Bible translation as they are so hungry for the Word. Pray for the women whose husbands are not yet believers. Some suffer through physical and emotional abuse. Also pray for the Hulley family, that they will not lose heart. It can be very isolating and discouraging at times for them. They want to see more villagers accept Christ and be transformed. My prayer is that as a church we can continue to remember them in prayer and communicate encouragement to them throughout the year.