I didn't want an old tribe

At first, I did not want to work among the Simbari people of Papua New Guinea.

The work started in 1966 -- before I was born -- and I wanted to "boldly go where no one had gone before." Besides, the Simbari language was among the most difficult in Papua New Guinea.

But as I searched for the ministry God had for me, He opened my eyes to the needs in tribal works where missionaries were already working. The team working in the Simbari tribe, Dennis and Jeanne Best and David and Shari Ogg, invited me to visit and explore joining their team. I flew in and spent a week with them, and I immediately felt welcomed and accepted. There was still much to be done in the Simbari tribe and I saw how I could fit in, so I joined the team in 1997.

After translating chronological Bible lessons and using some Scripture that Dennis had translated, David was able to present the Gospel in 2001. He taught in an open area in the village where we lived, and a few people came regularly to hear the teaching.

Many, however, didn’t want to hear. Missionaries had been living in their village for 35 years. The people had heard another message from a religious group that taught salvation by works. As a result, most of the Simbaris had become apathetic toward spiritual things.

But after the teaching a few people did believe. Since they were willing to get together regularly, we poured our energies into them with weekly Bible teaching. Through literacy classes they learned to read and write in their own language. With further discipleship they began to take over some of the responsibilities of teaching literacy and Bible lessons. For years we invested in this small group of people.

And slowly, almost imperceptibly, change began.

One of the first changes I remember was when the wife of one of the Bible teachers came to know Christ as her Savior. Previously, she had not been interested in hearing the Bible teaching. She had heard the teachings of another religious group and believed that you needed to be good and follow the Law in order to be saved.

Most Simbari husbands would have beaten their wife and forced her to come to church with them. But the Bible teacher did not. He was patient. He prayed for her and talked to her about Jesus and grace. As he helped David revise Bible lessons, he took them home and read them aloud to her.

Quite unexpectedly, she showed up at church one Sunday. The lesson that week was about the thief on the cross. He was unable to do any good works to please God, and yet because of his faith Jesus said to him, "Today you will be with me in Paradise."

After the lesson, this Bible teacher’s wife did something very uncommon for Simbari women. She spoke openly to the group of believers about her salvation. She and her husband have been active and passionate witnesses for the Lord ever since.

Because of the obvious changes in the lives of some of the believers, their family members also began to come to our meetings and sit under the Bible teaching and more people were saved. Gradually, the number of believers began to grow. Other people in the community began to see the changes and request to hear Bible lessons, and the Word of God began to spread.

But perhaps the most significant event took place when all of us missionaries were away from the village.

A young couple from another village became very ill. Their families gave up on them but the believers prayed for them and took care of them. They spooned water into their mouths and later fed them. When the couple regained their strength they wanted to hear "God’s Talk." The Holy Spirit found fertile soil in their hearts and the Word of God took root and grew.

They accepted Christ as their Savior. Through their changed lives, others in their village have seen the difference that Christ can make. It made a big impact.

Missionaries have worked among the Simbari people for more than 40 years. But when the tribal people saw the difference in the lives of the missionaries, they would always say, "Oh, the outsiders are just different from us."

But when they saw how Christ transformed the lives of some of their own people, they no longer had that excuse. Now they want this new life for themselves.

The work here among the Simbaris is far from being finished. Because of the difficulty of the language, translation has been a slow process. David and Shari and I have been developing our translation procedures and have begun making quicker progress than in the early years of working on translation. But 73 percent of the New Testament remains to be translated.

The Simbari believers also face opposition from another religious group that does not preach the Gospel. New believers are often fearful of persecution if they publicize their faith. They have been slandered, and one woman’s husband beat her for wanting to be baptized.

Please pray for the Simbari church. Like a tender shoot springing up out of the dry ground, they are growing in a hostile environment and are still fragile. Pray that they would grow in the Lord to become a strong and mature church.