Who's your wantok? & Proverbs 11:28

Who's your wantok, or who are your wantoks?  We are still in the middle of culture and language acquisition and read an article about the Wantok System in PNG.  A wantok in the shortest summary is your friend.  It is the division between "us" and "them"; it also comes with expectations that are not expressly spoken.

The view of a wantok starts small and then works itself outward in larger concentric circles.  Trying to relate this to American culture:  If you have a spouse they would be your wantok, your family would be your wantok, your coligues at work could be wantoks, you could be a wantok with others that represent the city you live in, you could be a wantok of those living in the state you reside, etc...

The spin on the Wantok System in PNG is how it relates to ecconomy.  Things are given to wantoks with the unspoken expectation that you will return the favor in the future.  It is like having liability placed on you that your friend (wantok) can redeem at a later date.

We have been kicking this idea around and thinking on how we will choose to interact in the Wantok System in PNG.  Not sure that we have arrived at a solid answer yet...

Proverbs 11:28
He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf.

Do I view money as an end or a means to an end?  No doubt there have been countless times that I have viewed money as the tool for success, but that is a foolish thought.  Notice that the righteous mentioned in verse 28b flourishes; there is not even the mentioning of him having riches.  Thinking on the truth that riches are truly fleeting, and the only true pursuit that flourishes is the righteousness that comes by faith in Jesus Christ.

Riches are a tool used by God for the advancing of the Gospel.  Believer, be diligent, work hard, save, but trust in Jesus Christ - your riches are but a tool to be used in due time.

Preparing to go to Papua New Guniea

When would we be leaving?

We are currently aiming at the early part of 2014 as a date to leave.  There is a long list of things that need to be done before we can go and depending on when that list is complete it could delay or speed up the date.  Items that need to be finished before we leave:  Finish missions training, equipping through the elders at Grace Bible, raising initial sending costs, and raising monthly support costs.

Where would be be living?

The town that we would live in is Madang Town.  It is a small costal town on the Northeastern side of the island of Papua New Guinea, you can follow this google map link to see it in relation to the USA:  Google Map Link.

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What would we be doing?

Grace Bible church is sending missionaries through Finisterre Vision to Papua New Guinea as tribal missionaries.  These missionaries will be moving into tribal villages that have have no instant access to supplies, food, paper, etc.  There is a need for Logistic Coordinators that would meet this need.  The town that we would be living in is a good location to do this work.

The majority of the work will be supply buying:  Food, paper, clothing, construction equipment, tools, hygiene  medication, and teaching supplies are just examples.  Those supplies are then weighed, boxed based on priority, and wrapped in weather tight plastic.  The supply drop is then scheduled and coordinated with local missionary organizations that have areal, or naval equipment (boat, plane, and helicopter).  The supplies would be picked up in Madang, taken to the closest airstrip or port (depending on the tribes location) and then dropped off by a helicopter.

Other work that we would be involved in:  Visa renewal, emergency evacuation coordination, preparing places to stay when the missionaries come out of the tribe, keep an ear to the ground on the political climate of PNG.  We are also thinking on ways that the entire process can be streamlined so all aspects run as efficiently as possible.

How long would we be gone?

We are initially committing 3-5 years of our life to this work.  No one knows the length of your life; and life is but a vapor.  Should the Lord (Jesus Christ) desire that we be there longer, we will be there.

How we got here

Lorie and I had an initial interest in missions in 2008.  We were living in Anthem, AZ at the time.  We looked at New Tribes Mission but found the there were qualifications that we did not meet:  Debt, owning a home, as well as not having a college education.  I made initial contact with a close missionary friend (Hal and Beth Hansen) in Thailand and we traded some e-mails regarding our interest.  After considering that we had areas of disqualification we felt that this was a closed door.

In 2010 Hal Hansen was back in the states.  We had him over for dinner and I spent the majority of the evening asking questions about missions.  Lorie and I were both encouraged but still had debt.  Hal was encouraging that not having a college degree should not hinder our pursuing missions.  In light of our debt we continued to view this yet again as a closed door.

In June of 2012 GBC had a missions Sunday.  This was an encouraging Sunday as all the missionaries that GBC supports were addressed.  This was informative for us as we were able to see more detail in missions than we had in the past.  After the service Lorie and I spoke much about it and our interest in going.  I asked that we would take 2 weeks of time to wait and see if the initial emotions of the service would go away.  In this time we did the following:  Wrote in several places in our home and at work, “Would you prayerfully consider the work in PNG?”

After 2 weeks of having this in front of us we still felt compelled to pursue asking more questions.  I contacted Scott Maxwell and informed him that we were interested in PNG.  He asked that we would meet with the couples that were already involved in training.  Since then we have not turned back, and are currently involved in missions training with FinisterreVision as of August of 2012.