We just got a report that the six men from Mibu are doing great in Inapang for the Citizen Teachers Training Seminar. To put this whole thing into perspective, the Mibu guys had to travel two days by foot, one day by boat, and then catch the Papua New Guinea equivalent of a taxi, called a PMV, out to the New Tribes Mission headquarters. For all that, they had to scrounge up a great deal of money. I don't know for sure, but I think the church in Mibu helped with some of those finances. From the NTM headquarters, they took another PMV for several hours where they hopped into large dugout motor canoes which they've never ridden in before - see picture - for an all day ride up river. Most of the people that the Mibu guys are seeing right now are strangers. The Mibus have travelled a very long way and are in a totally different setting than what they're used to. The weather is hot. The food is different. The culture and language is different (other than a shared trade language). Yet the report that I'm getting is that they seem right at home with their host family in Inapang. They don't seem uncomfortable at all. If I know these six men like I think I do, I imagine that they're really super excited to be in this situation. Why? Because they know that the people they're with right now are, like them, redeemed people, bought by the same blood and adopted as part of God's family. Jesus' work on the cross is at the center of all this. Their confidence and their hope is made the same because of him. Their affinity for other believers, even those they've never met, is strong. It's a pleasure to be together with others who are in a relationship with God! That's what makes the Mibus look past the discomfort and long difficult travel. That's what makes them just enjoy meeting and spending time with other believers. We are really looking forward to seeing how these relationships play out in the long run as God's kingdom advances in PNG!
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