When Chris and Ingrid Hughes first arrived in Papua New Guinea back in 2018 they were welcomed to “The Land of the Unexpected”. Plans are made. Then they change. For avid planners like they are, who like to feel like they are in control, it can be frustrating.
Although they are very excited about a new direction for their ministries, Chris and Ingrid try to hold their plans loosely and trust God to work since there is no way they can know let alone control what will come of this…
There are around 10,000 Mamusi speakers living in the mountains of New Britain in PNG. For many years, the Mamusi believers have been asking New Tribes Mission to send them another missionary who can finish the work there. Missionaries who would work together with missionaries from the Ata church and would use their technical training in translation and literacy development to translate, disciple, and teach the thousands of Mamusi believers in about ten local churches. Right now, the Mamusi church has no Bible and the church leaders have never been discipled in their role. They just have paper copies of Bible lessons on parts of the New Testament as well as lessons for the evangelistic Bible teaching. They are desperate for a Bible they can read and understand, and they want to learn how to study and apply it to their lives.
The Mamusi story is unlike anything Chris and Ingrid have heard before in PNG and when they met some of them last October and heard their stories, it touched their hearts.
In November, Chris had the chance to fly in with some Ata believers to meet with some of the Mamusi leaders and he was humbled by their generosity and hunger for God’s Word and for meeting together. They have come so far with so little. There is incredible potential in Mamusi, and Chris and Ingrid believe this is something God wants them to pursue further.
However, there are still many questions to answer and hurdles to overcome before Chris and Ingrid with Jonathan and Lydia would be able to settle there and start culture and language study. Please pray for them in this process.
But Chris and Ingrid are so glad to have some direction again. Chris has stepped out of centre operations management so they can concentrate on pursuing Mamusi. The whole family is glad to have him around a bit more and it is a relief for them to have time and energy to focus on the future.
PRAYER & PRAISE
- Praise God for direction in tribal ministry!
- Praise God for providing a solar system that is already in PNG.
- Praise God for the Mamusi Church which is hungry for God’s Word and for meeting together.
- Praise God for the Ata Church who want to be (and already are) a part of helping the Mamusi Church grow.
- Pray for trusting, peaceful hearts as they move forward in faith.
- Pray for special wisdom to know if a second expat family is needed for the work. If it is, pray that God will surprise them and provide just the right family quickly so they can keep moving forward. Regardless, pray for wisdom and courage.
- Pray for help to maintain healthy routines as they move through uncertain times that requireflexibility and faith.
- Pray for good health as they (especially Chris) have often been sick over the last few months.