We left our home in Seattle in 1970, wondering how God would provide and what we could do. My parents packed the four of us kids in a station wagon towing a small trailer and we moved to central Pennsylvania for missionary training. Less than three years later we were living in Borneo. In 1978 we moved to the center of the island in pursuit of the most unreached language group of people.
As our family began moving to live among the Urun Da’an people in Borneo, we wondered what God would do as we took steps of faith. Would we be safe? Would we be successful? Would they listen to God’s word? There were a lot of unknowns as my father and I took our dugout canoe up the river to ask permission to live among them. We learned a lot about the dangers of river travel with unknown people, jungle creatures, fast-moving rapids, and underwater ironwood snags. The Urun Da’an were a people whose reputation included sorcery, headhunting, and feeding visitors poison or shards of broken glass.
The Urun Da’an accepted our request to live among them and teach the Bible. The West, Poarch, Cork, and other families — and their support teams — labored over many years to establish churches among the Urun Da’an.
Living in the center of Borneo, far from modern conveniences, I learned the value of aviation in missionary work. Maybe I could help the missionary teams by flying and maintaining aircraft. In 1981 I left the jungle for the USA and started moving forward by faith toward college, aircraft maintenance licensing, flight training, Bible school, work experience, missionary training, bush pilot school, support team building, and language acquisition. In 1994 I moved to Papua New Guinea to serve with the missionary aviation team. God had provided in a variety of ways through many people in many places to make it possible.
While we supported about seventy different ministries in PNG, these testimonies give a glimpse of the consistent depth, breadth, longevity, and vibrance of people transformed by God’s grace.
These videos were recorded in Papua New Guinea, where we invested many years of our lives and have personal knowledge of the people and ministries. Working among people who have had no Gospel witness, our objective is to establish thriving churches of people who are capable of joining us in proclaiming God’s glory to the ends of the earth. We want to see more unreached language groups give praise to God like the people in these videos. Thank you for your support that enables our ministry. To God be the glory!
Video testimonies by people group
- Akolet (6:13, work began 2007)
- Amdu (5:43, work began 2015)
- Ata (23:01, work began 1988)
- Aziana (work began 1965)
- Bisis (Yembiyembi) (30:37, work began 2005)
- Bisorio (work began 1978)
- Dinangat (work began 2003)
- Dom (3:00, work began 1966)
- Gimi, East (31:22, work began 1953)
- Hamtai (31:52, work began 1950)
- Hewa (work began 2000)
- Inapang (49:13, work began 2004)
- Iski (5:53, work began 2017)
- Iteri (6:20, work began 1981)
- Kaje (3:45, work began 2019)
- Ma (Mibu) (7:30, work began 2002)
- Madak (6:20, work began 2001)
- Malaumanda (6:28, work began 1993)
- Maleu (39:19, work began 1995)
- Mariama (Bagwido) (6:41, work began 2001)
- Menya (3:45, work began 2018)
- Mouk (Ee-Taow!) (35:00, work began 1984)
- Pawaia (work began 1973)
- Siawi (13:07, work began 1984)
- Sinasina (1:45, work began 1961)
- Tangguat (work began 2015)
- Uriay (2:46, work began 2003)
- Waxe (work began 1979)
- Wuusarambya (work began 1964)
- Yagaria (26:52, work began 1953)