Oh no! My stomach twisted into a knot, and tears ran down my cheeks as I read the January 2012 edition of Adventist Frontiers telling of John Lello’s tragic death in a tree-felling accident in Ama, Papua New Guinea. John and I had spoken over the phone in 2011 when he was researching the tribes of Papua New Guinea. From 1994 to 1996, I served as an AFM student missionary on the May River Project. The two tribes I lived with adjoined the Ama people, and John Lello was interested in any information I could share with him. He wanted to know how the tribes lived, what type of materials they used to construct their houses, their customs, religious beliefs, diet, etc.

Now this courageous man was dead. Immediately, I began to pray for his wife and two daughters as I began to internalize their loss. Then it struck me that the Ama people must also be devastated! The men working alongside John had witnessed the accident. They must also be mourning! They had been waiting 50 years for another missionary to come and live among them. And now their missionary was gone before he even had a chance to build his house. Had they forever lost their chance to learn about the God of heaven?

I couldn’t get the plight of the Ama people out of my head. I dearly hoped that another missionary could be found to go to them. The jungles and swamps of PNG are a difficult place to live. It is like camping in the woods for 10 years with no Walmart or grocery store nearby.

As I prayed for the Ama people, God began to speak to my heart, urging me to go. God reasoned with me: “David, you know the people of Papua New Guinea. You know one of the languages of Ama, and you are familiar with the customs of these people. I want you to go. I will be with you!”

I fell to my knees and wept. I was willing to change my plans for my life for the Ama’s sake. I told God that my wife Edie must also agree to go. Edie is close to her family, and I knew it would be tough for her to leave them and live among tribesmen in PNG.

Today, Edie and I are excited about devoting the next segment of our lives to the Ama people. We know there are challenges ahead. We know our abilities will be stretched. But we will not work alone. Heavenly angels will work alongside us. Edie is a Registered Nurse, and I studied pastoral ministry at Weimar College. We look forward to bringing the Gospel to these precious Ama people!

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