What a blessing!

Elated, I started jumping for joy! Jack Sample offered to build us a house so we can live among the Ama! He and his daughter Corrie, along with our AFM partners, Orion and Keren Lawrence, called from May River in Papua New Guinea while Joella and I were still in Idaho.

Jack and his wife, Elana, were career missionaries with AFM from 1994-1996, serving the Namia people of Papua New Guinea. Recently, Jack sensed God’s Spirit putting the construction of a house for us on his heart. He told us that he was willing to come down from Tipas, where he and his family now live, about ten miles away from the Ama.
Even more encouraging is that the people in Ama are so excited about us coming. We are looking forward to meeting Gaspar and his wife, Morin. Gaspar has been seeking to hold fast to what he knows of the Seventh-day Adventist Christian faith and has been longing—along with many others—to have missionaries come to their tribe. Years before we thought of going, they reserved an area of land where they wanted missionaries to build their home. We realize that being able to live and serve right in Ama will be ideal as God’s Spirit catalyzes a church-planting movement among them.

In our call, we talked about the home being a simple yet very usable space from which we could enjoy living and serving among the Ama. As Jack gets to work to mill the lumber near the building site, will you join us in praying that the Lord will “build the house” (Psalm 127:1) that He has planned—not just physically, but in the spiritual impact this home and our presence will make for ministry?

We appreciate your prayers and partnership.

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