When God Opens the Door: 20 Days in Papua New Guinea
Sometimes God puts a desire in your heart long before you understand what He is going to do with it.
For me, that desire was Papua New Guinea.
I didn’t know anyone there. I didn’t know where to begin, how I would get there, or what the journey would look like. But I knew God had put the desire in my heart. So I prayed, stepped forward in faith, and watched as, one by one, God began opening doors that I could never have opened myself.
What started as a desire became a journey of 20 days that I will never forget.
A Home Base in Lae
The coastal town of Lae became my home base. From there, I traveled from village to village with the help of new friends from YWAM (Youth With A Mission). They traveled with me, translated for me, and helped me navigate places and situations that were completely unfamiliar to me.
Every journey seemed to bring another opportunity to share the Gospel.
I came to tell people about the love of Jesus Christ and the forgiveness He offers. But as I traveled deeper into the country, I realized that God was already at work in the hearts of the people I encountered.
Many of the people live in extreme poverty, often in very simple, primitive homes. Yet what struck me most was not what they lacked, but what they had.
They were warm. They were welcoming. They were hungry to hear about Jesus.
Traveling Where the Gospel Has Yet to Reach
Some of the places we traveled were incredibly remote. We went into areas where there is a strong spiritual darkness and where people have lived for generations under fear and oppression.
Many of these communities are located at the tops of hills and mountains. Getting there wasn’t easy. The only way in was often a difficult and treacherous trek on foot.
But when we arrived, we found people who were desperate for freedom.
We prayed with people who were seeking deliverance. We saw people set free from spiritual oppression. Many gave their lives to Christ. Others rededicated themselves to the Lord. And we had the joy of seeing people baptized as they publicly identified themselves with Jesus.
Those moments are difficult to put into words.
You can walk for hours through difficult terrain, climb mountains, arrive exhausted, and then suddenly find yourself standing in the middle of a village watching someone encounter Jesus.
And in those moments, you realize: this is why we came.
A Hunger to Know God
One of the things that impacted me most was seeing the hunger people have for God.
In many of the villages, there is no electricity. At night, people gather together using small solar lights. There may not be many material resources, but there is a genuine desire to worship God and know Him.
I watched people gather in the darkness simply because they wanted to hear about Jesus.
That image has stayed with me.
We often take so much for granted. We have access to churches, Bibles, electricity, technology, transportation, and countless resources. Yet there are people in remote parts of the world who will walk great distances and gather under the light of a small solar lamp because they are hungry to know God.
Their hunger challenged me.
There Is Still More to Do
As my time in Papua New Guinea came to an end, I knew the journey wasn’t really over.
There are still villages that need to hear the Gospel. There are still communities that have not been reached. There are still people who need to hear that Jesus loves them, that forgiveness is available, and that they don’t have to live in fear.
I left knowing there is still more work to be done.
I don’t know exactly what the future holds, but I know this: when God puts a desire in your heart, you don’t always have to understand the whole plan before taking the first step.
Sometimes you simply have to trust Him.
He will open the doors.
What I Brought Home
I went to Papua New Guinea thinking I was going there to give something.
I came home realizing how much I had received.
I received the gift of new friendships. I received a deeper appreciation for people who have so little materially yet possess such a hunger for God. I received a fresh understanding of what it means to step out in faith when you don’t have all the answers.
Most of all, I came home reminded that the Gospel is for every tribe, every village, every mountain, and every nation.
There are still places to go.
There are still people to reach.
There are still lives waiting to be transformed by the love and forgiveness of Jesus.
And if God opened the door once, I’m trusting Him to show me where the next door leads. I really appreciate everyone who prayed for this trip and stood with us. You are part of all that God was doing. Thank you.
Papua New Guinea, I’ll see you again.
One of the main highlights of this trip, was the opportunity to share in a substance addiction center. Both younger and older people come there to seek help and break free of addictions so that they can return to a normal life. Many people try everything and it does not help them, and finally, when they come to Christ, they discover true deliverance and it changes them. I had the opportunity share about my father’s alcoholism and how God changed him when he gave his life to Christ.
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As I am preparing for my next trip, I am asking God where to go. May the Holy Spirit lead where He wills. Keep me and my family in your prayers. Thank you for praying for us and standing with us. Until next time, may God bless you.
