Number 17

Back on that list of 57 things I mentioned in number 17 that in Papua New Gineua there are 17 people groups asking for missionaries to come live with them.


There are hundreds of tribes in PNG, and only a few of them have missionaries. Since each tribe has a different language, it takes years to effectively communicate the Gospel to each group of people. The different tribes communicate with each other using the national trade language, but the vocabulary is so small that they do not have words to express deeper things than trade and economics.

Let me explain this with a little bit more detail by quoting the man that gave me this information. He is a missionary to PNG and he and his family are back in the states on furlough. This is what he said:

“I have had three letters handed to me personally, asking for missionaries, saying, ‘If you send us missionaries, we’ll house them, we’ll put them in our little village, and we’ll give them land. We just want someone to tell us! We’ve seen the difference in the tribe up river. We want that change. Just send us something! Send us someone!’ And I replied, “We don’t have anyone to send.” The people replied, “Well then, this message must not be as important as you missionaries say it is.”