In 1998, we provided ground support while my co-worker John flew an aerial survey team over the mountainous jungle looking for villages which might belong to the Hewa people, marking coordinates for a visit by helicopter.
For many years, a man named Sefen had been coming to the missionaries working among the people of the Saniyo and Malaumanda languages, asking for a missionary. He had heard about the shiny thorn that heals — injections — and he wanted that medicine for his people, too. Four missionary couples arrived in Papua New Guinea the next year and began planning to live among the Hewa people. Jonathan Kopf tells the story of Sefen and the work among the Hewa in his book, Canopy of Darkness.
In the years since, the Ethnos360 Aviation team has provided many hours of support to help the team establish a thriving church among the Hewa: stories of warfare, threats, conflicts, medical evacuations, emergency flights due to civil unrest, and many thousands of hours moving people, supplies, building materials, equipment, and medical teams in and out of the remote locations where the Hewa live.
In 2005, just before Bible teaching began at the first village, I was flying Jonathan out of the village for a short rest with his family nearer to civilization. He was diligently reviewing the flash cards that helped him memorize vocabulary. I asked him about the progress of the ministry. He set aside his flash cards and said to me:
“My being here is like putting your finger in a bucket of water and pulling it out to look for the hole. Unless God does something miraculous, nothing will change.”
The Hewa people were so deeply entrenched in their murderous beliefs that the idea of change looked impossible. And humanly speaking, it was. But God…
The videos below give a tiny glimpse into what God has done in changing hearts and lives among the Hewa people since then.
Watch the Hewa story
- 01
Hewa — The Spirits Never Loved Us
The Hewa live in a very remote place high in the mountains of Papua New Guinea. Today there are still many needs, but there are maturing, thriving churches among them sharing the Good News with their neighbors and the regions beyond. Watch →
- 02
Faimpat
The story of a Hewa man transformed by the Gospel. Watch →
- 03
Canopy of Darkness
Jonathan Kopf’s book tells the full story of Sefen and the work among the Hewa people, from first contact to a maturing church. Read →
Go deeper
- Testimonies — the Hewa are one of thirty people groups with recorded testimonies of God’s work.
- Aviation — how flight support makes ministry among the Hewa possible.
- What Are Some Ministry Stories? — more stories from the field.