Back in the early part of 2017 I attended my first New Tribes Mission conference, called REACH. During that year I had been particularly seeking the Lord’s guidance in my life and was surprised to find out about all the people on the mission field serving in vital support roles as part of NTM. I did not realise that I could be a part of the team of people reaching the unreached with the Gospel by doing what I had already been trained to do (i.e. teaching music). To start with, I was not at all keen on the idea of serving overseas though. I’m not naturally the adventurous type and the specific need that was highlighted to me was in Papua New Guinea! This was a very long way away for someone who really didn’t like travelling. I was also struggling with some health issues and not convinced that was the role for me, but it was! The Lord gently guided me in many ways and kept pointing me to this option during the months that followed.
By July 2018, I was in PNG, teaching music at Numonohi Christian Academy as an associate member of NTM. The purpose of the school is to glorify God and to assist in the establishing of indigenous tribal churches throughout PNG, by supporting parents in providing a Christ-centred education for their children. The school usually enrols about 150 students of about ten different nationalities.
Most of the children belong to NTM families but the school also provides education to families working for other mission organisations in the country as well as some local PNG children. I initially went with the intention of just helping for a year or two with the music programme and then returning to the UK to get back to “normal” life, but I continued as an associate for four years.
I really enjoyed all the different musical opportunities that came my way, from classroom teaching to starting a choir with PNG men and women to celebrate the country’s Independence Day. In my third and fourth years I also taught the students TokPisin, the most widely spoken language in PNG. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the locals and being able to study the Bible with some of them. Visiting a couple of church plants out in tribal locations impacted me deeply and I was able to meet and, hopefully, encourage several church planting missionaries as they passed through our support centre, too. It was such a privilege to work as a valued part of the wider mission team.
I am now in my second year at North Cotes College, the NTM-UK training centre, becoming better equipped to serve the Lord in the coming years.
Perhaps you are considering stepping out of your comfort zone? It might not always be plain sailing but, remember, God is faithful and He “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” (Ephesians 3:20)