Melissa Schworer shares her family's journey from years of ministry in Idaho to pursuing mission work in Papua New Guinea. She discusses the long-awaited call, challenges of deputation life, and preparations for serving in a culture vastly different from American life.
• Melissa and Rick have been married 22 years and five children. Melissa has an extensive background in church ministry, biblical counseling, as well as publishing several music albums.
• The family is currently traveling full-time in an RV, visiting churches to raise support for the mission field of Papua New Guinea.
• Prayer needs include wisdom in ministry, health/safety, and maintaining spiritual vitality during transition
To follow the Schworer family's journey or support their ministry, visit dispellingdarknesspng.com.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to Simply Edifies podcast.
Our goal is to encourage womenas we navigate the messiness of
life through biblical studies,personal stories and practical
tips that bolster our walk withJesus daily.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Thank you for joining us in our episode today to
continue our series on missions,and today we're very excited to
have Melissa Schwerer here.
She and her family are ondeputation to go to the mission
field of Papua New Guinea.
(00:34):
So, as you can tell, my voiceis a little bit under the
weather today, so I probablywon't be doing much of the
conversation.
But we have Esty and Melissahere who are just going to talk
a little bit about what's goingon in their life and their plans
for the future, and I'm reallyexcited to hear about this.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
So take it away.
So, April and I know you alittle bit, even though we've
not really we kind of crossedpaths sort of in college, but
now we just have followed eachother on social media and your
ministry has always been reallyencouraging to me.
And I know April and I haveoften had conversations about
things that you've shared orthings we've learned, so we're
(01:17):
familiar with you.
But tell us a little bit aboutyour family and your ministry
background.
So I have five kids.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
I've been married 22 years.
I have five kids, and one ofthem's married she just got
married in May and then four areliving with us.
We have spent the past 22 yearsin Idaho, and my husband went
to a Bible Institute in Idahoand graduated in 2003, and we
got married the same week, andso I then graduated with my
(01:46):
master's degree in biblicalcounseling in 2004.
Then we worked in our localchurch the same local church for
a long, long time doing.
You know, when you work in achurch it's so many of like
nursery music ministry, juniorchurch, bus ministry, visitation
, all the things.
So I think that that's those inreach types of ministries.
(02:07):
But for outreach, we've donethings like amazingly deep
thoughts, which is where we wereconnected through, which was my
counseling ministry.
But there came a season where,as a homemaker, you are very
homebound with yourhomeschooling and so many
different things, and so I wasfinding it difficult to be
(02:29):
anybody who wasn't a Christian,and so I was able to minister
that way, and so I started theAmazingly Deep Thoughts ministry
, and then people would send inquestions and I would use the
information from my counselingdegree to help people online,
and also I have five or sixalbums music albums.
(02:50):
I've written a lot of songs andso that was an outlet for that
as well.
So it was both music andministry.
And my husband taught BibleInstitute for 10 years and has
also written seven differentbooks on Bible doctrine and some
biblical fiction.
Just a lot of things.
You know how there's a lot ofwork.
There's a lot of work in thesethings in life.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Yeah, that's a lot of stuff.
That's.
That's interesting.
So it's very similar to how wegot started of just being kind
of homebound with our childrenand feeling like we still wanted
to have a ministry.
That reached a little fartherthan we were physically able to
go.
That's interesting.
That's really cool, though, butyeah, we definitely know what
it's like to kind of have yourfingers in a lot of projects.
(03:36):
One of the first times I heardyour name was through when we
went to college and one of yourmusic CDs and I I mean, I
listened to your music CD likeall the time in college- I have
a very clear memory of walkinginto the bookshop and like or
library, I forget, I think itwas kind of both and seeing your
(03:56):
picture and your CD and I justremember that like clear as a
bell.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
So and I I also listened to it a lot in college.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Such a close picture?
Yeah, it was, it was a, reallyit was.
I was like she's so pretty, butthat was fun, so do you still
do you?
Speaker 4 (04:14):
you still are writing music, I am, I have, so my last
album was a Christmas album andI completed that in 2022.
And since then I think.
I think I've written sixdifferent songs and I was just
praying the other day to see ifthe Lord would allow me to do
the music side of it while we'rein the RV, because I can do
that all through the computer.
And then if the Lord wouldallow, when we got to New Guinea
(04:36):
, to have my girls or to have mykids record the vocal.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
I could see that being challenging for sure.
So, speaking of Papua NewGuinea, how did that happen?
How did you go from church,ministry and all this stuff to
now you're off to the missionfield Very far away.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
So I was raised as a pastor's daughter and I think
that I fell in love with servingthe Lord then and therefore my
heart was towards full-timeministry.
I remember when I was 21 or 22saying to my brother, who's also
a pastor, said there's justnothing better than your day job
being ministering to otherChristians and serving the Lord
(05:17):
all day long.
So that was my side of it.
But then my husband, hisparents, went on a short-term
mission trips for actually twoyears.
They sold their house, used theequity to move to Papua New
Guinea and help out at amissions house there, and a
missions house is essentiallywhere all of the missionaries
from the bush.
When they come into town theyneed to buy their supplies, but
(05:37):
they need a place to stay in themeantime, and so they ran that
home for a couple years.
And then a lot of missionarieswent on furlough and so there
was no longer a need.
So they also went back to Idaho.
So he lived there for two yearsin a really formative time of
his life between 18 and 20, andat that point the Lord used that
to.
He fell in love with the Bible.
He fell in love with the peopleof New Guinea.
(05:59):
He learned the language.
He actually translated withanother missionary the book of
Obadiah from the King James intoPigeon and the book of Daniel
into Pigeon, and thattranslation is actually in the
current like Pigeon Bible iscurrently there.
So it was a lot.
And then it just stayed on ourhearts so much and then we would
(06:20):
.
It was a trying time becauseour hearts were in full-time
ministry, as people would callit.
But the Lord never fully calledus to do that, and so I always
describe it like a girl who isin that season of wanting to be
married and she so wants to be ahomemaker, but she isn't.
(06:41):
And so then you're kind ofwaiting and you feel like, well,
lord, if I'm not supposed toget married, then just take the
desire away.
But if I am going to getmarried, just let me get married
, but either one I want to knowwhich one it is so I can move on
.
But the Lord never did.
He just kept us in this limboof the desire still being there
but no actual call.
Now I can see, looking back,why it was that way.
(07:04):
But in that season limbo isjust hope deferred.
Make it the heart sick, that'sjust the best way I can describe
it and as you pray, lord,please take this desire away.
And he doesn't.
And so you just have tocompartmentalize it of a little
bit of a grief hanging there.
And missions conferences wouldbe discouraging, not edifying,
(07:27):
because you would see youngpeople go into the mission field
and you would sit there andpeople would say, you know, lord
, here am I send me.
And you would say, well, heream I, here am I send me.
And he wouldn't.
And so an opportunity came forus to go on a mission strip in
2020.
Came for us to go on a missionstrip in 2020.
Well, in 2019, during a missionsconference, somebody preached
(07:54):
out of John, chapter five, andeverybody in our family knew
that the Lord was moving ineverybody during that message.
It was the Holy Spirit was sothick that we wouldn't even look
at each other, not Rick or I orthe kids.
We just kind of were like whoa,what is this?
And somebody had one of themissionaries that we knew was
retiring from the mission fieldin Papua New Guinea and the
speaker was saying here you, itwas about God needs a man of
(08:18):
Bethesda, that the blind or thecrippled man couldn't get to the
pool of Bethesda because therewas no man to put them there,
and the reason why is becauseall of the Jews were in
Jerusalem at all of the feasts,and he said that so many of us
are in a season of feasting inAmerica and it has left the
people at the pool of Bethesdaempty.
And he said the Lord needs aman in Bethesda and the Lord
(08:41):
needs a man in Papua New Guinea.
And it was just like, hmm, thisis different than any other
time.
And as we all got into the car,one of our daughters said I
think we said it almostfearfully does this mean we're
going to Papua New Guinea?
But nobody had said it, but weall knew it, and so at that
(09:03):
point we we were just counseledwe'll just go on a trip to Papua
New Guinea, because you neverknow what happens.
So we started.
We bought tickets to go toPapua New Guinea in 2020.
I was actually looking at ourpassports and it says February
12th or February 13th of 2020,and then we bought the tickets
and then the whole world closedbecause of COVID.
So then it took a while to geteven the money back from our
(09:25):
tickets, because no airlinewanted to give back any money
during that time.
So it took until 2022 to getthat money back.
And then our air conditioningand furnace both broke at the
same time and it was like all ofthe money was gone.
Lord, we felt like we weretrying to obey your calling or
your direction, but all thesedoors keep closing, and so my
(09:49):
husband pretty much just said Idon't want to do this in my own
power, because what if it is me?
What if it is my own self-will,what if I misread the leading
of the Lord?
And so he just said Lord,you're just going to have to
make it happen.
And then in 2023 2023 we wenton a missions trip and the Lord
got to call us.
So why now?
(10:10):
Because God waited that long.
So I can see now why.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
But that's how we got there wow, that's a lot of
waiting and how.
How do your kids feel aboutthis?
Like, whereas you said that shewas kind of almost like afraid
to ask, was it like they knewand they all had it on their
hearts, but is it like, was itpositive?
Or how do they feel about itnow?
Speaker 4 (10:32):
so I think that everybody experienced loss
because here they had grown upand they were all born in the
same like midwife center and andthey all had lived in the same
city their whole life, they'dgone to the same church their
whole life, but they'd also beentalked to about the field of
pop, so it wasn't unexpected.
(10:53):
But still, nikki Lott she do.
You know who Nikki Lott is fromChristian Compositions anyway,
she writes a lot of music, shedoes a lot of Christian ministry
things.
But she said that when shefirst went to Bible college, her
grandma wrote her a poem aboutplants being transplanted.
And when you have a plant that'sin a pot and it's growing, you
can start to tell that it'sstarting to wilt because it
(11:15):
needs more space for the roots.
And I think that probably in2015 to 2019, we were just going
and I felt like there was arestlessness that I would only
call that wilting, because youneed to expand.
But then, as you transplant it,some of those roots and the
little hairs and the fibers theyget ripped and then when you
(11:38):
transplant it to the bigger pot,it wilts a little bit more and
you have this period of like ohmakes it.
I think that that's what it was.
I think that there was arecognition of way to cry.
It's okay, it's okay to haveloss.
You can be simultaneouslygrateful and you can sit there
and say and I'm thankful forthis, and I'm thankful for this,
(12:00):
and I'm thankful for this,while at the same time crying
and saying and I miss this and Imiss this and I'm thankful for
this, while at the same timecrying and saying and I miss
this and I miss this and I missthis that's something that, as
being in the military, I've hadto learn to be able to give
space for with my kids, to liketo say it's okay to be sad like
we're leaving.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
You've made friends, this has been your home.
It's okay to sad, but we canalso have those two things going
on at the same time of beingnot, you know, not miserable,
not complaining, not having abad spirit, but just
acknowledging the grief andstill being able to to live and
(12:38):
walk through it.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Yes, I have a picture of a pot, of a small pot that's
been knocked over and like aplant that's been transplanted,
because God used that exact sameimagery to help me give me
peace about a major life changethat we had a couple years ago,
and it was just that we need abigger pot so we can grow, and I
have.
I'll send you the picturesometime, just because it was
(13:02):
like I hung it up on my walljust as a constant reminder of
like it's hard but it's okay,yes, it's good.
And necessary.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
So, in addition to that, we have tried to make
their life as positive aspossible.
So we have internet in our RV,so they have Google chat with
all of their friends.
We have really just tried toshow them that Christians can
still have fun without sinning,and so we have made an
environment as best as possibleabout enjoyment while they're
(13:32):
doing this.
So, really, that this wholefirst year of deputation has
been a time of comforting andenjoyment, and really not just
even to focus on the littlethings, but to create lots of
things that we can enjoy and begrateful for.
So I think that that has reallymade it a positive experience
(13:54):
for everybody.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
How did the survey trip go Like?
How was that?
We kind of skipped over that.
I'm curious.
I know I saw pictures.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Right.
So I wouldn't necessarily callit a survey trip because we
didn't know if we were going tobe called.
It was like a generic missionstrip.
Okay, but still, I am a plannerand so I always look and say,
could I live here, you know?
Um, so the survey trip was verybeneficial because it was a
(14:24):
time where we could pray and say, lord, is this what you want?
And if you listen to, we haveon our website, which is
dispelling darkness pngcom, wehave a link to our call and it's
actually almost a little bitembarrassing how many fleeces we
put out.
(14:45):
But you have to understand,having had this on your heart
for so many years, the greatestfear for us, the reason why,
even though in the New Testamentit says that he that desireth
the office of a bishop desiretha good thing, there are
volunteers for the ministry, buthaving been a child in the
ministry, I knew the bullseyethat it puts on your family and
(15:08):
that puts a lot on the wife, andnone of us wanted to sacrifice
our children on the altar ofdesire, and so we were very,
very cautious, very risk averse,to confirm that this is what
God wanted, not what we wanted,and I think that while we were
there, we were doing ourdevotions and John, chapter five
(15:29):
, came up in our daily devotionsand and it was just like a
reminder that said, do youremember this day four years ago
?
And and then, but at the sametime we were both like, well,
that could be a coincidence.
Let's not, you know, uproot ourwhole life based upon
coincidence.
And I remember a day where Ijust stayed in a room and prayed
(15:51):
and Wayne Semish is amissionary to Australia and he
told the story about how he wastrying to figure out if the wife
that he did marry was the womanfor him.
And he said he asked the Lordto have her give him a purple
golf ball.
And he said, you have tounderstand, we don't like we are
this interested in golf, so theidea of her giving me any golf
(16:14):
ball, let alone a purple golfball, would be impossible.
He said that as he walked intoher house one day because they
had their families invited eachother for dinner.
He walked into the kitchen andon the kitchen windowsill was a
purple golf ball and he said it,winked at him and uh, and then
he, she, walked in and she saidwait, I found this in my
(16:35):
backyard.
Do you want it.
And so she found it in thepurple golf ball.
So I'm like in papua new guinea, earnestly praying lord.
Nobody plays golf in Papua NewGuinea.
Could you please give me apurple golf ball please?
I would love a purple golf ball.
And there was no purple golfball.
But I remember that later on,when John 10 came up in our
(16:55):
devotions as I was very tired, Ihad a lot of allergies, the
room that I was in had mold init and I didn't know it, so my
lungs were closing up.
There were a whole list ofthings where the Lord just
really hit every one of mypersonal weaknesses while I was
there.
That's a different side point.
But I was at this pointexhausted and frustrated.
(17:18):
And this verse said that thePharisee said to to Jesus uh,
how long does thou make us todoubt If thou art the Messiah?
Tell us plainly.
And all I saw was how long doesthou make us to doubt?
Tell us plainly.
But the very next verse he saidI did tell you and you believe
not.
I felt it hit me.
I was just like, okay, I willstop that.
(17:40):
And I I copy and pasted it andemailed it to myself, and so my
husband has a similar story ofhow many times he kept saying
the Lord, lord, really, lord,really, do you want this, please
let me know?
And just the abundance ofthings that the Lord did in our
life to get us there that by theend of that trip we both knew
it was the Lord.
(18:01):
So for me, that survey trip wasso important because when you
move your five kids out of theirhome and you leave a church of
22 years to go live in an RV andyou are walking out to a
country that is completelydifferent than anything you've
ever known, your confidence hasto be in the Lord, and that's
(18:24):
what that did for us.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
That's sounds very, very relatable.
Not the missions part, but justthe okay.
I need you to show me one moretime, please that's amazing,
though I feel that, um, you know, god always shows up when we
need him, and that's just anamazing account of that, and
(18:46):
also just being sensitive to theHoly Spirit, and I think
sometimes we're so concernedabout getting it right which
isn't wrong but that we almost,in trying to hear the Holy
Spirit, we kind of forget thathe's already spoken to us.
I at least, I do that, I knowthat, I know for a fact that I
do that.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Um, wouldn't it be nice to have a purple golf ball
every single time.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
I would prefer the purple golf ball.
Yes, I just just give me a,give me a.
I actually had to make a reallyhard decision a couple years
ago.
That was there was no clear,direct answer and I really just
had to go on like I was notgiven that direct purple golf
ball.
Yeah, yeah, I just had to kindof step out in faith.
(19:33):
And I didn't want faith.
I wanted something I could seeand hold.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
So is it okay if I add to that just a little bit?
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, my husband worked in thesecular field our whole marriage
and, as a lot of times peoplewill go out on part-time
deputation to build enough tolive off of before they venture
out to full-time with no job.
And as we were looking to move,so we had moved to Pennsylvania
(20:03):
to start deputation on thisside of the world, because
there's like seven churches inall of Idaho and there are seven
churches within an hour of mybrother's church there were so
many doors that opened that saidthis is the direction to go.
You need to move toPennsylvania and that with.
But we thought of our ownunderstanding.
Well, before you move toPennsylvania, get a job, for my
(20:25):
husband to get a job, and he wasworking fully remotely at that
time and he thought, well, maybeI can just work fully remote
same job over there.
But as of the technicality ofthe way their corporation worked
, it just didn't work.
And so we thought, well, do wego or should we just stay here?
Until we just didn't know.
And we both listened to amessage, the same message, and
(20:50):
the Lord told us the same thing,but we both listened to it
separately, like we werelistening to podcasts, and the
message came up and it was aboutthe lepers who were at the gate
, while I don't know if it wasSyria who had cut off all the
water supply and the food supply, and so everybody in the city
of Israel was dying, and theleper at one point said well,
you know what we're just goingto go out and cause?
(21:12):
We're going to die for here, orwe could die out there, is it?
Because when you're that, thatplant that needs to be moved, we
were going to die if we stayedthere, or we were going to die
once we were transplanted.
And so the message said whatkind of faith do you have if you
actually have to have it all infront of you?
That's not faith.
(21:34):
And so I just remember sayingwell, lord, if we die, we die.
And my and my and his was thewhat kind of faith you have?
How can you glorify a God thatyou have that little faith in?
And so for us that was.
We were the lepers, leavingwith no job to go to full-time
deputation in an RV, with nosupport, nothing.
(21:55):
So imagine just having, howevermuch job you make to zero.
And yet here we are a yearlater and the Lord has provided
everything Amazing.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
That's such a great testimony For those who may not
even know what deputation is.
Would you mind to just give usa description of what deputation
is?
Speaker 4 (22:16):
Deputation is when we go to many different churches
throughout the United States andwe present our burden and our
desire for the mission fieldthat the Lord has called us to,
and we simply say if the Lordhas put it on your heart and you
are able, would you like topartner with us in that?
Because worldwide missions is atrade-off.
(22:37):
Sometimes people have money butno time, and then some people
who are missionaries, god hasgiven them the time but no money
, and so it is the way forpeople within the churches to
fulfill the great commission andhave those seeds everywhere
from what they can do at home.
And so as we go around, we knowhow much, lord willing, it
(23:00):
would cost us.
Our budget would be livingthere and trying to save up for
tickets for furlough.
There's a lot of costs that comeinto moving to a third world
country.
You pay everything in cash.
Imagine going and knowing thatthere's only one type of vehicle
in that country and it costs$23,000 cash.
(23:21):
So you have to just be vigilantabout how you spend your money
and vigilant about savings andvigilant about knowing how much
things cost, and ask all thesepeople do you want to support me
and be a part of this?
Speaker 2 (23:37):
yeah, that's a great description and I mean I know
nothing really about the overallcost of such things, but I do
know that it's a lot because youhave to think of future, like
because you I mean generallyspeaking once you go to the
mission field, you're there fora good number of years before
you can even come back to try toget more support correct.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Typically speaking, you wouldn't come back to get
more support.
Typically speaking, on furlough, you go around to give an
update to all those partners.
That is like if you look at itlike a business, they are your
business partners and you showthem how their investment is
going.
At times somebody you wouldhappen to go to a new church and
they might pick you up forsupport.
Then that could happen, buttypically you don't.
(24:20):
Whatever happens in deputationis usually the full support you
have for a long, long time.
And for New Guinea we wouldhave to come back every three
years because it's a work visathat expires every three years.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
So I was going to talk about that.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Add into your budget that every three years you spend
the $1,500 per person roundtrip to come back and forth.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
And you have to have that money already budgeted for,
like just knowing that you haveto have return tickets.
And do you have to have proofof that before you go in?
Like with like, before you getthere, as far as, like the
government's concerned, to likeknow that you can leave yes, so
right now we are working on ourvisa process.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
So you have to have a sponsor so john gray, who's
been a missionary there forabout 40 years, is our, and in
that sponsorship you have toeven set aside a like a bond, a
certain amount of money thatthat sponsor holds in case of an
emergency or a kidnapping, oryou have to immediately leave
the country.
(25:18):
So they have a bond set aside,um, but the government so, and
the visa is a work visa.
So you show, like my husbandhas his diploma, so he has to
show this is my diploma, I havea bachelor of divinity, I'm
going into work there forministry, and so you have to
prove all of these differentthings that you are not going to
(25:38):
financially drain their economy, but rather financially input
to their economy.
So that's it?
Speaker 3 (25:46):
How has it been?
I just traveling, you know,with your children, traveling
the reception at churches, likehow is that going for you guys?
Speaker 4 (25:56):
There's two sides of it.
There's the ministry side of itand then there's the lifestyle
side of it.
Traveling from differentchurches to churches has been
actually a very.
It's like the balm of Gilead tome Because, like I said,
there's like seven independentfundamental Bible leaving King
James Baptist churches in thewhole state of Idaho that I can
(26:19):
think of maybe eight and goingfrom a dearth.
It feels like I remembercalling my brother at one time,
like 10 years ago, and he saidyou're not alone.
It just feels like you're alone.
It just feels like the wholeworld was compromising and just
giving up on the Lord andthere's so many anti-fundies and
you're just like what am I evendoing?
I just feel so discouraged.
(26:41):
But we have an app called IFBMTwhich is for missionaries to
find other churches that you cancall, and my husband plugged in
not just Baptist but likeeverything, everything that you
would identify yourself as, allof those tiny little things that
have to spite about.
We put them all in there andthere were 13,000 churches in
(27:04):
the United States and as we havegone from church to church to
church, it reminds you thatliterally there are Christians
who are brightening the cornerwhere they are.
Literally there are Christianswho are brightening the corner
where they are and it remindsyou that, even though people
might have thought about allthose tiny little doctrines
there are, there's still a bodyof Christ, there's still a
unified people, there are stillpeople who serve the Lord with
(27:25):
all of their heart and areactively giving towards missions
and trying to reach theircommunity.
So for me, brother Morrison,who's the head of All Points
Baptist Mission, our missionboard, he said at the beginning
God knows who will be able topartner with you at the
beginning, don't ever make thatyour focus.
(27:47):
So our focus has just been tominister to the person in front
of us wherever we go.
So as we go to differentchurches, we just try to make
each person feel loved, becausewe remember the 22 years of
showing up at church after work.
When you have 14 differentministries, it feels like and
you're just like I made it andyou just are exhausted and you
(28:10):
know that tomorrow you have ayouth activity and then the next
day you have to go here andthere and it's a weary lifestyle
.
Satan tries to weary the saintsand so we just want to
encourage them for showing up,and that really is the heart of
traveling back and forth is tosay good job, the lord sees.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Thank you so much for being here yeah, well, no, I
think that's cool because I Imean, a lot of times when
missionaries are coming in, I'mthinking like we need to be
encouraging them.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
But if it's like mutual, like we're all just
trying to encourage each other,that's just more positive it is
mutual, because we feel the samelove, because it would be
horrible if you showed up andyou felt unwanted, but we've
never experienced that.
So it's just like I said, it'scomforting.
We're so grateful.
As far as the lifestyle, it istransient, the the level of
(29:05):
brain fog.
You wake up in the morningsomebody posted a video of
babies and they're like in theirlittle car seats wake up in
random places.
Where am I?
I was in Walmart, but now I'mhome.
That's how it feels.
You just constantly you sitthere and you're like am I in a
parking lot?
Am I in a?
(29:26):
Am I in an RV park?
At what state am I in?
Where were we yesterday?
It's just really weird.
So then when you try to focus onanything, like you just got
done traveling.
So the way it looks is Sundaywe have church.
We usually try to be the samechurch all day.
Monday we travel up to six toseven hours a day, then we try
to do our laundry in Walmart thesame day, and then Tuesday,
(29:49):
wednesday Lord willing we doschool, take our showers and
church, and then Thursday wetravel again and laundry and
Walmart, and then Friday,hopefully, you do school, and
Saturday we crash and we justdon't do anything, because it's
very hard to be social if you'redrained.
So just imagine that that you'retrying to be productive, you're
(30:11):
trying to commune with God.
That's very challenging.
It's very challenging tocommune with God.
That's very challenging.
It's very challenging tocommune with God.
And it's actually challengingto commune with each other.
We often become, we coexist asworkers and that includes my
children because we all have arole and when we're done we just
want to not talk to anybody.
So this year we've beenpurposeful.
(30:33):
Like, okay, during dinner we'regoing to ask each other
questions and you can't be likewhat'd you do today?
But really that's what we do,like I did the same thing you
did, but what did you like aboutit?
How do you do that?
So it is very challenging toeven have the mental clarity to
have a thought, let alone pray,or I don't even know how to
(30:58):
describe it more than that.
But we're actively working.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
There's probably not a lot of like just alone time
either, I would imagine, witheveryone kind of on top of each
other to an extent so we aren'tphysically alone, but all we do
have the internet and so wecould ignore each other.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
We viably could ignore each other all day long
by watching our at least I saythat our love language is
sharing reels.
Yeah, oh, because at least it'ssomething new, like you can say
what did you watch today?
What did you play?
You play roblox, you.
You know, you watch a youtubeshort.
You talk to your friends, andso we could have a lot of mental
(31:38):
alone time.
But that's what creates theother challenge of but do we
have a relationship?
Speaker 2 (31:43):
sure, sure, I have enjoyed seeing some of the
things that I think that you'repurposely, intentionally.
It sounds like everything thatyou're doing it has to be
intentional.
You can't like just kind of letit take over, like you have to
be intentional.
And I've seen, like thepictures you've posted of like
going to different parks orwhatever when you can and stuff,
(32:05):
and um, I appreciate thatbecause, just like what you were
saying, I think all of us canvery much relate to that.
Being in the same house, you'reobviously closer and you have
more to do being the same home,being in the same things, but
not being intentional aboutdoing those fun things, taking
(32:26):
the advantage of, you know,going to a park, even something
simple like that, just to giveyourself some space away from
the norm or your norm isdifferent every day, but it just
you know, but it's not.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
It's not actually super different because our norm
is really within the 250 squarefeet of the RV, Right, so to
get outside of the rv becausesometimes some parking lots it's
dangerous to leave the rv andsometimes some parking lots you
have, yeah I was thinking aboutthat.
I was wondering if you're verydeal with that we often mock
(33:01):
each other about our lack oftouching grass.
So, yes, we intentionally tryto find things that the kids
would enjoy, because, even if westruggle with sometimes having
the emotional energy tocommunicate, we can still build
memories, and so that has been,that's been important is to
(33:22):
build memory.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
That's great, that's yeah, and I mean you're talking
about this is the kind of yourlast couple, however long it
takes you to get support butthis is kind of your last
experience here in the Statesfor a while and I could imagine
that you'd kind of want to beable to fill it with some
positive things.
I appreciate your saying thatyou know you're taking time and
(33:47):
intentionally doing those things.
I think we all need to bereminded of that for sure.
What is your timeline?
On that note, like what, howlong do you think it will take
you as far as?
Like?
You've been on the road for ayear now, right, so how's it
going as far as?
Like your timeline to get there?
Speaker 4 (34:07):
So we've been on.
We started officially startedfull-time deputation in August
of last year and the way thatchurches work, they usually
there's two different missionsconference seasons.
There's usually October,november, before Christmas, so
they have missions conferenceseasons.
And then there's usuallyFebruary, march, because nobody
wants to do anything duringsummer months, so those are
(34:30):
usually and then churchesusually set their budget after
the missions conference.
So if they're going tomissionary you would usually
hear about it Like they mighthave maybe 15, 20 missionaries
visit during the year and thenthey have their missions
conference budget and then theyhave their missions conference
budget and then they'll informpeople.
Okay, we have decided as achurch to be able to pick you up
(34:51):
or whenever their fiscalbusiness year starts.
So we have gone through thatseason of October, november and
then February and March and withit's been about a year and we
have about 67 percent support.
So if you look at our budget ofhow much we need to get, we're
we're pretty close there.
But you again have to gauge theebb and flow of when churches
(35:13):
accept missionaries.
So we could viably it's Augustnow not be accepted from another
church until maybe the end ofOctober or November.
So a lot of churches to visitbetween now and then.
I think that so far we've beento 75 different churches.
Right now we have a schedule offrom total, we all have had a
schedule of 100 churches.
And so we have to look and say,should we bump it out to the
(35:36):
next missions conference season?
You know, do we?
Because nobody really wants tohave missionaries in at
Christmas because, oh, christmas, and then people are recovering
from Christmas in January andeven though we have churches to
visit and then it's just not thesame.
So you have to look and say,should we ride it out?
Should we wait and schedule inFebruary and March?
We're at that transitionalperiod of will the Lord provide
(36:01):
the support for the October,november missions conferences,
or do we have to wait forFebruary, march, and then after
that we're going to spend amonth at um in Pennsylvania, at
my brother's church, which isour sending church, and just to
reacclimate with the folks there.
Uh, because because they'reyour church, they're your home
church and you need thoseconnections, and then Rick will
(36:23):
have his ordination service andthen we'll leave.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
So that's our list.
Great that's.
I mean when you said, would yousay 73 churches, that you've
been to 75 churches?
Speaker 4 (36:36):
that's, that's quite a lot for one year um yeah,
considering there's 52 weeks ina year, 73 churches, yes, it's a
lot.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
That's why I get foggy yeah, totally
understandable um, I get foggygoing to the same church twice a
week so hopefully we will bepraying for, obviously we'll be
praying for you, for thatsupport, because I mean, who
wants to drag that out further?
Right, you want to get to themission field?
Um, once you are there, whatwould your kind of like first
(37:10):
steps be?
I know you talked about as faras, like, you have to have the
work visa and all that.
I'm sure you have to have allthat figured out to begin with.
But is there like a missionswork that you're going to be
part of already?
Are you kind of going there?
Are you going into more of aalready established area?
Are you going into the morebush area?
Like, what's kind of the stepsthere as of right now?
Speaker 4 (37:35):
So that's something we've prayed about a lot.
We've had several differentveteran missionaries reach out
and offer to have a stay thereshort term.
There are pros and cons ofworking with a veteran
missionary versus not, andthat's definitely something we
have actively prayed that theLord would lead about.
But the Lord never reallyconfirmed on our hearts Every
(37:59):
place the Lord has pointed us toon the map.
There is no veteran missionarythere which would have us
believe that the Lord wants usto start a fresh work, which is
actually where our heart.
So in the song that I have sunghere, am I send me?
There's a section that sayssend me to the people who have
never heard the gospel, and Ithink that that is what our
(38:20):
heart is have more of anemphasis on outreach, and so
right now it looks like also,you have to find a place to live
.
It's a very clan.
I say tribe, I don't mean some.
There are some tribal, like inthe bush and in the jungle, but
even beyond that, the clanextends vast areas and districts
(38:44):
, and imagine how the map of theUnited States looked when it
was the Native Americans and howit was broken up by different
tribes, even though they wouldsometimes cover many states.
It was still their land and Ithink that the global political
system has recognized that.
England came in and they madepurchase agreements with one
(39:04):
person when really it would haverepresented 7,000.
And so they've been verycautious of that scenario in
Papua New Guinea.
So, that being said, the landis owned by those clans and you
can't just come in and purchasea section of land or purchase a
house, and even then, if youcould, that actually
(39:26):
availability of housing is verysmall because it's it looks like
a shed that you would have inyour backyard.
But we have been trying to finda place that we can rent as it
on the coastal region.
We're looking at coastalregions where the temperature
ranges between 75 and 95 at 100humidity, all day long, all year
round.
An american body would get sickquickly without the
(39:49):
availability of air condition.
That's one thing that we'vebeen told by missionaries who
are there.
So I try to find a house thatif it has consistent when I say
consistent electricity I meanlike there might be a grid
electricity but also there mightbe an addition of solar
electricity with it, but alsodefinitely with a generator in
(40:11):
case none of those work.
So to have a place wheresomebody can afford all of that
and have a house.
It narrows where you're goingto stay and so usually they have
expat housing for Australianswho come and work there, housing
for Australians who come andwork there.
So that has a lot of saying ofthings.
Just to find out that it lookslike you'd be going to Medang to
(40:33):
rent a house there and thenstarting work from there.
But what my life would look likewould probably be very similar
to what your life looks like,because I'm still a homemaker,
I'm still a homeschooling mom,I'm still, in addition to a
Christian who wants to have aministry and who wants to soul
win and who wants to havediscipleship.
But again, it would probably bemore done within the walls of
(40:55):
my own house.
Invite somebody in for a coffeeor to invite somebody in for a
tea, as Lord leads.
But then my husband's heartwould be to go to the villages
surrounding and make connections.
It's a very communalenvironment.
America is self-sufficient,independent.
Don't tell me what to do.
I can make my own decisions.
It shouldn't impact you.
Business is business there it's.
(41:17):
Every relationship you makeimpacts another person because
they are a clan.
So you have to go very slowlyand build your community and
it's also an environment ofpeople who are not considered
immoral to take advantage ofsomebody.
You have the skill of takingadvantage of somebody and
getting away with it.
It gives you, brings morerespect to your name, and so
(41:48):
knowing that respect to them isone of the greatest priorities,
and they often can gain it bytaking advantage of somebody,
especially somebody who is anAmerican who's perceived to have
a lot of money.
You have to just be verycautious.
So it would just be what yousaid when we get there, what's
our goal?
Speaker 2 (42:00):
it's to slowly build relationships, sure yeah, that's
quite a thought to process,like that idea of them, like
that being a positive thing, ofbeing able to take advantage of
someone, that's quite becausethat affects, that does that
would affect how you could evenbuild relationships, because
(42:20):
you'd always have that kind ofin the back of your mind is this
person just trying to takeadvantage?
Speaker 4 (42:25):
right?
And is this person saying theywant to be a christian so that
they can become buddies with theperson with money?
Speaker 2 (42:32):
sure, yeah, so kind of along those lines too.
It's just like, as far as thespiritual climate of new guinea,
like I'm, I could imagine thatwith the different clans, as you
were saying, like there'sprobably a bit of different
religion and different ways theypractice their religions.
But on a whole, I guess what isthat like?
Speaker 4 (42:53):
There have been missionaries of all sorts for
probably maybe a hundred yearsnow, but I would say that the
predominant religions that arethere are works-based, but that
actually goes hand in hand withtheir shamanism.
Shamanism is like the defaultreligion of any place that
doesn't have God, real God ofthe Bible, so that ancestors,
(43:15):
praying to ancestors andappeasing spirits and again
works.
What can I do to make thespirit happy?
What can I do to make myancestor happy?
What can I do to be a quotegood person based upon their
version of what that is Veryprevalent?
So they're very spiritual,they're spiritually minded.
There is no atheism in PapuaNew Guinea because they feel the
(43:38):
impacts of demons and thatoppression.
So I would say that they areconstantly aware of I'm not
necessarily saying of doingright or wrong, but at least
appearing that they are doingwhat the culture would accept as
positive.
So it is challenging.
While they're very open tohearing the gospel and many are
(44:01):
so glad to know that there is aspirit that is more powerful
than all the spirits and thatspirit also loves them and isn't
somebody to be afraid of in thetypical sense, anything beyond
salvation can be challengingbecause if you start speaking
about forgiveness, forgivingyour brother, forgiving your
husband for beating you,forgiving your father for all
(44:23):
sorts of abusive things, yourfather for all sorts of abusive
things.
It starts encounter culture totry to teach people to be.
You know, charity is seeketh,not its own, to keep somebody
that those basic principles,even just within your own family
life, can cause problems withinthe clan.
Because then suddenly thehusband angry at the wife she
(44:46):
got saved and then the wholehusband's family, husband angry
at the wife she got saved, thenthe whole husband's family gets
angry at the wife and then thecommunity themselves says just
do what's expected of you tostop causing this problem.
You know I'm saying it's just asilent appeasement.
So that's.
Speaker 2 (45:01):
I mean, I could imagine that that would be quite
a tough field just to, like youwere saying, as far as to go
beyond the salvation message andto really start to do
discipleship or anything likethat, cause it really is like um
sounds like it would be verydifficult to cause.
It's in a sense you're sayingcan you basically leave your
family, like the shunning of alot of different cults or things
(45:24):
like that that they that theywould do?
Speaker 4 (45:29):
And essentially sometimes it's beyond shunning,
like sometimes they'll go in andgrab you by your hair and pull
you out of the service.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
Okay, yeah, that's a lot.
Well, on that note.
So what are some ways that wecan pray for you guys in the
here and the now, to just be ablessing, like, and as far as,
like I, I, when I ask someone topray for me, I kind of want to
give them specifics withoutbeing, you know, overly deep,
but also I want to givespecifics so that you know, they
(45:57):
can know what's going on.
So, as much as you'recomfortable, we just want to
know how we can pray for you.
Speaker 4 (46:04):
I think it would be three-pronged In the ministry.
It would be to be wise as aserpent and harmless as a dove.
Really I can't describe it anymore than that to be wise as a
serpent and harmless as a dove.
And the practical day-to-daywould probably be health and
safety, because we are pamperedAmericans going into a third
(46:25):
world disease ridden and to beable to drive safely.
Personally, I was telling ourkids we've just been praying
that the verse cleanse me, oLord, or search me, o Lord, and
it says send a revival and startthe work in me.
That in the midst of the fog,that God will still be our
greatest love and that we wouldremember to not forsake our
(46:48):
communion with God for the workof God.
Speaker 2 (46:50):
Sure.
Thank you for sharing thosewith us.
And now we can pray for you alittle bit more specifically.
I think of you often and try topray for you.
When I think of you and alsobeing on social media, I hope
our listeners would follow youguys so that they can also be
(47:12):
reminded of your travels andthings and be able to pray for
you as well.
So if we were to give afinancial gift is there some
sort of a Venmo, paypal oranything like that?
If our listeners would like togive to your work right now
obviously not as far as likecontinued financial support, but
(47:32):
just for a gift or somethinglike that Is there any way we
could do that?
Speaker 4 (47:36):
Yes, Our webpage is dispellingdarknesspngcom and on
that page we have, because ofthis question, a lot.
We have a page and some peopleactually have asked if they
could financially support usmonthly so we have a donate page
where you have those options to, where you can sign up for such
and such amount monthly or youcan do a one-time gift.
(47:57):
Those are the digital optionsand then there is a mailing
address if people would prefer acheck going to our mission
through our mission board.
They give us 100% anything thatwe do.
They don't take a percentage ofanything.
So all of those are positiveoptions.
All of those will be recordedaccording to taxes, barley and
honor.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
Okay, great, that's awesome.
Thank you for sharing that withus.
Thank you so much for beingable to take some time out of
your travels and all of thethings that you've got going on
and just share with us a littlebit about your deputation and
all of this.
It's been very eye-opening forme, I feel.
You know, I've grown up hearingabout deputation, I've grown up
(48:43):
going to missions, conferencesand going to all of these things
and it's kind of funny.
I always, like as a kid, when Iwould see missionaries, I would
always be like super scared toeven like go up and talk to them
, cause I just felt like theywere like these heroes of the
faith you know, which you know.
I think that you guys are.
I mean, it's, it's anincredible sacrifice and, um,
(49:06):
just to be able to say that youare going to a country you know
and dedicating your life to thatis, I feel you are like heroes,
you know, timid and shy, toeven go up to a missionary and
say, you know, hi, or talk tothem at their tables or whatever
(49:28):
.
And I feel like I still havethat a little bit in my mind,
like I can't really talk to amissionary.
What am I going to say I'mgoing to sound so weird, but I
love missions and I love thatyou got that.
Missionaries are just so willingto forsake all and follow
Christ and just that idea and toleave behind family and comfort
(49:53):
and all of those things and andto start by traveling around
the United States in an RV andto to put just that kind of
pressure, almost like onyourself, even before you go.
Like I always thought like man,that's kind of a hard way to
(50:15):
find financial support.
You know, like why can't youjust call up people and tell
them what your mission is Like?
Why do you have to go to this?
I mean, I understand it, but Ijust have always felt like
that's a, it's like a testbefore the test but, I do really
appreciate you giving some moreclarity and just your testimony
(50:37):
and the whole thing it's.
it's been great.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (50:41):
I feel privileged that you would ask me.
Speaker 2 (50:42):
All right.
Well, we will wrap this up andand to our listeners again.
If you would like to helpfinancially, you can check out
their website, dispellingDarkness, pngcom.
And then, just also to keepthem in prayer, the Schwerer
family.
Speaker 4 (50:59):
Thank you so much.
Hello and welcome to Simply Edifies podcast.
Our goal is to encourage womenas we navigate the messiness of
life through biblical studies,personal stories and practical
tips that bolster our walk withJesus daily.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Thank you for joining us in our episode today to
continue our series on missions,and today we're very excited to
have Melissa Schwerer here.
She and her family are ondeputation to go to the mission
field of Papua New Guinea.
(00:34):
So, as you can tell, my voiceis a little bit under the
weather today, so I probablywon't be doing much of the
conversation.
But we have Esty and Melissahere who are just going to talk
a little bit about what's goingon in their life and their plans
for the future, and I'm reallyexcited to hear about this.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
So take it away.
So, April and I know you alittle bit, even though we've
not really we kind of crossedpaths sort of in college, but
now we just have followed eachother on social media and your
ministry has always been reallyencouraging to me.
And I know April and I haveoften had conversations about
things that you've shared orthings we've learned, so we're
(01:17):
familiar with you.
But tell us a little bit aboutyour family and your ministry
background.
So I have five kids.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
I've been married 22 years.
I have five kids, and one ofthem's married she just got
married in May and then four areliving with us.
We have spent the past 22 yearsin Idaho, and my husband went
to a Bible Institute in Idahoand graduated in 2003, and we
got married the same week, andso I then graduated with my
(01:46):
master's degree in biblicalcounseling in 2004.
Then we worked in our localchurch the same local church for
a long, long time doing.
You know, when you work in achurch it's so many of like
nursery music ministry, juniorchurch, bus ministry, visitation
, all the things.
So I think that that's those inreach types of ministries.
(02:07):
But for outreach, we've donethings like amazingly deep
thoughts, which is where we wereconnected through, which was my
counseling ministry.
But there came a season where,as a homemaker, you are very
homebound with yourhomeschooling and so many
different things, and so I wasfinding it difficult to be
(02:29):
anybody who wasn't a Christian,and so I was able to minister
that way, and so I started theAmazingly Deep Thoughts ministry
, and then people would send inquestions and I would use the
information from my counselingdegree to help people online,
and also I have five or sixalbums music albums.
(02:50):
I've written a lot of songs andso that was an outlet for that
as well.
So it was both music andministry.
And my husband taught BibleInstitute for 10 years and has
also written seven differentbooks on Bible doctrine and some
biblical fiction.
Just a lot of things.
You know how there's a lot ofwork.
There's a lot of work in thesethings in life.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Yeah, that's a lot of stuff.
That's.
That's interesting.
So it's very similar to how wegot started of just being kind
of homebound with our childrenand feeling like we still wanted
to have a ministry.
That reached a little fartherthan we were physically able to
go.
That's interesting.
That's really cool, though, butyeah, we definitely know what
it's like to kind of have yourfingers in a lot of projects.
(03:36):
One of the first times I heardyour name was through when we
went to college and one of yourmusic CDs and I I mean, I
listened to your music CD likeall the time in college- I have
a very clear memory of walkinginto the bookshop and like or
library, I forget, I think itwas kind of both and seeing your
(03:56):
picture and your CD and I justremember that like clear as a
bell.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
So and I I also listened to it a lot in college.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Such a close picture?
Yeah, it was, it was a, reallyit was.
I was like she's so pretty, butthat was fun, so do you still
do you?
Speaker 4 (04:14):
you still are writing music, I am, I have, so my last
album was a Christmas album andI completed that in 2022.
And since then I think.
I think I've written sixdifferent songs and I was just
praying the other day to see ifthe Lord would allow me to do
the music side of it while we'rein the RV, because I can do
that all through the computer.
And then if the Lord wouldallow, when we got to New Guinea
(04:36):
, to have my girls or to have mykids record the vocal.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
I could see that being challenging for sure.
So, speaking of Papua NewGuinea, how did that happen?
How did you go from church,ministry and all this stuff to
now you're off to the missionfield Very far away.
Speaker 4 (04:54):
So I was raised as a pastor's daughter and I think
that I fell in love with servingthe Lord then and therefore my
heart was towards full-timeministry.
I remember when I was 21 or 22saying to my brother, who's also
a pastor, said there's justnothing better than your day job
being ministering to otherChristians and serving the Lord
(05:17):
all day long.
So that was my side of it.
But then my husband, hisparents, went on a short-term
mission trips for actually twoyears.
They sold their house, used theequity to move to Papua New
Guinea and help out at amissions house there, and a
missions house is essentiallywhere all of the missionaries
from the bush.
When they come into town theyneed to buy their supplies, but
(05:37):
they need a place to stay in themeantime, and so they ran that
home for a couple years.
And then a lot of missionarieswent on furlough and so there
was no longer a need.
So they also went back to Idaho.
So he lived there for two yearsin a really formative time of
his life between 18 and 20, andat that point the Lord used that
to.
He fell in love with the Bible.
He fell in love with the peopleof New Guinea.
(05:59):
He learned the language.
He actually translated withanother missionary the book of
Obadiah from the King James intoPigeon and the book of Daniel
into Pigeon, and thattranslation is actually in the
current like Pigeon Bible iscurrently there.
So it was a lot.
And then it just stayed on ourhearts so much and then we would
(06:20):
.
It was a trying time becauseour hearts were in full-time
ministry, as people would callit.
But the Lord never fully calledus to do that, and so I always
describe it like a girl who isin that season of wanting to be
married and she so wants to be ahomemaker, but she isn't.
(06:41):
And so then you're kind ofwaiting and you feel like, well,
lord, if I'm not supposed toget married, then just take the
desire away.
But if I am going to getmarried, just let me get married
, but either one I want to knowwhich one it is so I can move on
.
But the Lord never did.
He just kept us in this limboof the desire still being there
but no actual call.
Now I can see, looking back,why it was that way.
(07:04):
But in that season limbo isjust hope deferred.
Make it the heart sick, that'sjust the best way I can describe
it and as you pray, lord,please take this desire away.
And he doesn't.
And so you just have tocompartmentalize it of a little
bit of a grief hanging there.
And missions conferences wouldbe discouraging, not edifying,
(07:27):
because you would see youngpeople go into the mission field
and you would sit there andpeople would say, you know, lord
, here am I send me.
And you would say, well, heream I, here am I send me.
And he wouldn't.
And so an opportunity came forus to go on a mission strip in
2020.
Came for us to go on a missionstrip in 2020.
Well, in 2019, during a missionsconference, somebody preached
(07:54):
out of John, chapter five, andeverybody in our family knew
that the Lord was moving ineverybody during that message.
It was the Holy Spirit was sothick that we wouldn't even look
at each other, not Rick or I orthe kids.
We just kind of were like whoa,what is this?
And somebody had one of themissionaries that we knew was
retiring from the mission fieldin Papua New Guinea and the
speaker was saying here you, itwas about God needs a man of
(08:18):
Bethesda, that the blind or thecrippled man couldn't get to the
pool of Bethesda because therewas no man to put them there,
and the reason why is becauseall of the Jews were in
Jerusalem at all of the feasts,and he said that so many of us
are in a season of feasting inAmerica and it has left the
people at the pool of Bethesdaempty.
And he said the Lord needs aman in Bethesda and the Lord
(08:41):
needs a man in Papua New Guinea.
And it was just like, hmm, thisis different than any other
time.
And as we all got into the car,one of our daughters said I
think we said it almostfearfully does this mean we're
going to Papua New Guinea?
But nobody had said it, but weall knew it, and so at that
(09:03):
point we we were just counseledwe'll just go on a trip to Papua
New Guinea, because you neverknow what happens.
So we started.
We bought tickets to go toPapua New Guinea in 2020.
I was actually looking at ourpassports and it says February
12th or February 13th of 2020,and then we bought the tickets
and then the whole world closedbecause of COVID.
So then it took a while to geteven the money back from our
(09:25):
tickets, because no airlinewanted to give back any money
during that time.
So it took until 2022 to getthat money back.
And then our air conditioningand furnace both broke at the
same time and it was like all ofthe money was gone.
Lord, we felt like we weretrying to obey your calling or
your direction, but all thesedoors keep closing, and so my
(09:49):
husband pretty much just said Idon't want to do this in my own
power, because what if it is me?
What if it is my own self-will,what if I misread the leading
of the Lord?
And so he just said Lord,you're just going to have to
make it happen.
And then in 2023 2023 we wenton a missions trip and the Lord
got to call us.
So why now?
(10:10):
Because God waited that long.
So I can see now why.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
But that's how we got there wow, that's a lot of
waiting and how.
How do your kids feel aboutthis?
Like, whereas you said that shewas kind of almost like afraid
to ask, was it like they knewand they all had it on their
hearts, but is it like, was itpositive?
Or how do they feel about itnow?
Speaker 4 (10:32):
so I think that everybody experienced loss
because here they had grown upand they were all born in the
same like midwife center and andthey all had lived in the same
city their whole life, they'dgone to the same church their
whole life, but they'd also beentalked to about the field of
pop, so it wasn't unexpected.
(10:53):
But still, nikki Lott she do.
You know who Nikki Lott is fromChristian Compositions anyway,
she writes a lot of music, shedoes a lot of Christian ministry
things.
But she said that when shefirst went to Bible college, her
grandma wrote her a poem aboutplants being transplanted.
And when you have a plant that'sin a pot and it's growing, you
can start to tell that it'sstarting to wilt because it
(11:15):
needs more space for the roots.
And I think that probably in2015 to 2019, we were just going
and I felt like there was arestlessness that I would only
call that wilting, because youneed to expand.
But then, as you transplant it,some of those roots and the
little hairs and the fibers theyget ripped and then when you
(11:38):
transplant it to the bigger pot,it wilts a little bit more and
you have this period of like ohmakes it.
I think that that's what it was.
I think that there was arecognition of way to cry.
It's okay, it's okay to haveloss.
You can be simultaneouslygrateful and you can sit there
and say and I'm thankful forthis, and I'm thankful for this,
(12:00):
and I'm thankful for this,while at the same time crying
and saying and I miss this and Imiss this and I'm thankful for
this, while at the same timecrying and saying and I miss
this and I miss this and I missthis that's something that, as
being in the military, I've hadto learn to be able to give
space for with my kids, to liketo say it's okay to be sad like
we're leaving.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
You've made friends, this has been your home.
It's okay to sad, but we canalso have those two things going
on at the same time of beingnot, you know, not miserable,
not complaining, not having abad spirit, but just
acknowledging the grief andstill being able to to live and
(12:38):
walk through it.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
Yes, I have a picture of a pot, of a small pot that's
been knocked over and like aplant that's been transplanted,
because God used that exact sameimagery to help me give me
peace about a major life changethat we had a couple years ago,
and it was just that we need abigger pot so we can grow, and I
have.
I'll send you the picturesometime, just because it was
(13:02):
like I hung it up on my walljust as a constant reminder of
like it's hard but it's okay,yes, it's good.
And necessary.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
So, in addition to that, we have tried to make
their life as positive aspossible.
So we have internet in our RV,so they have Google chat with
all of their friends.
We have really just tried toshow them that Christians can
still have fun without sinning,and so we have made an
environment as best as possibleabout enjoyment while they're
(13:32):
doing this.
So, really, that this wholefirst year of deputation has
been a time of comforting andenjoyment, and really not just
even to focus on the littlethings, but to create lots of
things that we can enjoy and begrateful for.
So I think that that has reallymade it a positive experience
(13:54):
for everybody.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
How did the survey trip go Like?
How was that?
We kind of skipped over that.
I'm curious.
I know I saw pictures.
Speaker 4 (14:03):
Right.
So I wouldn't necessarily callit a survey trip because we
didn't know if we were going tobe called.
It was like a generic missionstrip.
Okay, but still, I am a plannerand so I always look and say,
could I live here, you know?
Um, so the survey trip was verybeneficial because it was a
(14:24):
time where we could pray and say, lord, is this what you want?
And if you listen to, we haveon our website, which is
dispelling darkness pngcom, wehave a link to our call and it's
actually almost a little bitembarrassing how many fleeces we
put out.
(14:45):
But you have to understand,having had this on your heart
for so many years, the greatestfear for us, the reason why,
even though in the New Testamentit says that he that desireth
the office of a bishop desiretha good thing, there are
volunteers for the ministry, buthaving been a child in the
ministry, I knew the bullseyethat it puts on your family and
(15:08):
that puts a lot on the wife, andnone of us wanted to sacrifice
our children on the altar ofdesire, and so we were very,
very cautious, very risk averse,to confirm that this is what
God wanted, not what we wanted,and I think that while we were
there, we were doing ourdevotions and John, chapter five
(15:29):
, came up in our daily devotionsand and it was just like a
reminder that said, do youremember this day four years ago
?
And and then, but at the sametime we were both like, well,
that could be a coincidence.
Let's not, you know, uproot ourwhole life based upon
coincidence.
And I remember a day where Ijust stayed in a room and prayed
(15:51):
and Wayne Semish is amissionary to Australia and he
told the story about how he wastrying to figure out if the wife
that he did marry was the womanfor him.
And he said he asked the Lordto have her give him a purple
golf ball.
And he said, you have tounderstand, we don't like we are
this interested in golf, so theidea of her giving me any golf
(16:14):
ball, let alone a purple golfball, would be impossible.
He said that as he walked intoher house one day because they
had their families invited eachother for dinner.
He walked into the kitchen andon the kitchen windowsill was a
purple golf ball and he said it,winked at him and uh, and then
he, she, walked in and she saidwait, I found this in my
(16:35):
backyard.
Do you want it.
And so she found it in thepurple golf ball.
So I'm like in papua new guinea, earnestly praying lord.
Nobody plays golf in Papua NewGuinea.
Could you please give me apurple golf ball please?
I would love a purple golf ball.
And there was no purple golfball.
But I remember that later on,when John 10 came up in our
(16:55):
devotions as I was very tired, Ihad a lot of allergies, the
room that I was in had mold init and I didn't know it, so my
lungs were closing up.
There were a whole list ofthings where the Lord just
really hit every one of mypersonal weaknesses while I was
there.
That's a different side point.
But I was at this pointexhausted and frustrated.
(17:18):
And this verse said that thePharisee said to to Jesus uh,
how long does thou make us todoubt If thou art the Messiah?
Tell us plainly.
And all I saw was how long doesthou make us to doubt?
Tell us plainly.
But the very next verse he saidI did tell you and you believe
not.
I felt it hit me.
I was just like, okay, I willstop that.
(17:40):
And I I copy and pasted it andemailed it to myself, and so my
husband has a similar story ofhow many times he kept saying
the Lord, lord, really, lord,really, do you want this, please
let me know?
And just the abundance ofthings that the Lord did in our
life to get us there that by theend of that trip we both knew
it was the Lord.
(18:01):
So for me, that survey trip wasso important because when you
move your five kids out of theirhome and you leave a church of
22 years to go live in an RV andyou are walking out to a
country that is completelydifferent than anything you've
ever known, your confidence hasto be in the Lord, and that's
(18:24):
what that did for us.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
That's sounds very, very relatable.
Not the missions part, but justthe okay.
I need you to show me one moretime, please that's amazing,
though I feel that, um, you know, god always shows up when we
need him, and that's just anamazing account of that, and
(18:46):
also just being sensitive to theHoly Spirit, and I think
sometimes we're so concernedabout getting it right which
isn't wrong but that we almost,in trying to hear the Holy
Spirit, we kind of forget thathe's already spoken to us.
I at least, I do that, I knowthat, I know for a fact that I
do that.
Speaker 4 (19:04):
Um, wouldn't it be nice to have a purple golf ball
every single time.
Speaker 3 (19:07):
I would prefer the purple golf ball.
Yes, I just just give me a,give me a.
I actually had to make a reallyhard decision a couple years
ago.
That was there was no clear,direct answer and I really just
had to go on like I was notgiven that direct purple golf
ball.
Yeah, yeah, I just had to kindof step out in faith.
(19:33):
And I didn't want faith.
I wanted something I could seeand hold.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
So is it okay if I add to that just a little bit?
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, my husband worked in thesecular field our whole marriage
and, as a lot of times peoplewill go out on part-time
deputation to build enough tolive off of before they venture
out to full-time with no job.
And as we were looking to move,so we had moved to Pennsylvania
(20:03):
to start deputation on thisside of the world, because
there's like seven churches inall of Idaho and there are seven
churches within an hour of mybrother's church there were so
many doors that opened that saidthis is the direction to go.
You need to move toPennsylvania and that with.
But we thought of our ownunderstanding.
Well, before you move toPennsylvania, get a job, for my
(20:25):
husband to get a job, and he wasworking fully remotely at that
time and he thought, well, maybeI can just work fully remote
same job over there.
But as of the technicality ofthe way their corporation worked
, it just didn't work.
And so we thought, well, do wego or should we just stay here?
Until we just didn't know.
And we both listened to amessage, the same message, and
(20:50):
the Lord told us the same thing,but we both listened to it
separately, like we werelistening to podcasts, and the
message came up and it was aboutthe lepers who were at the gate
, while I don't know if it wasSyria who had cut off all the
water supply and the food supply, and so everybody in the city
of Israel was dying, and theleper at one point said well,
you know what we're just goingto go out and cause?
(21:12):
We're going to die for here, orwe could die out there, is it?
Because when you're that, thatplant that needs to be moved, we
were going to die if we stayedthere, or we were going to die
once we were transplanted.
And so the message said whatkind of faith do you have if you
actually have to have it all infront of you?
That's not faith.
(21:34):
And so I just remember sayingwell, lord, if we die, we die.
And my and my and his was thewhat kind of faith you have?
How can you glorify a God thatyou have that little faith in?
And so for us that was.
We were the lepers, leavingwith no job to go to full-time
deputation in an RV, with nosupport, nothing.
(21:55):
So imagine just having, howevermuch job you make to zero.
And yet here we are a yearlater and the Lord has provided
everything Amazing.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
That's such a great testimony For those who may not
even know what deputation is.
Would you mind to just give usa description of what deputation
is?
Speaker 4 (22:16):
Deputation is when we go to many different churches
throughout the United States andwe present our burden and our
desire for the mission fieldthat the Lord has called us to,
and we simply say if the Lordhas put it on your heart and you
are able, would you like topartner with us in that?
Because worldwide missions is atrade-off.
(22:37):
Sometimes people have money butno time, and then some people
who are missionaries, god hasgiven them the time but no money
, and so it is the way forpeople within the churches to
fulfill the great commission andhave those seeds everywhere
from what they can do at home.
And so as we go around, we knowhow much, lord willing, it
(23:00):
would cost us.
Our budget would be livingthere and trying to save up for
tickets for furlough.
There's a lot of costs that comeinto moving to a third world
country.
You pay everything in cash.
Imagine going and knowing thatthere's only one type of vehicle
in that country and it costs$23,000 cash.
(23:21):
So you have to just be vigilantabout how you spend your money
and vigilant about savings andvigilant about knowing how much
things cost, and ask all thesepeople do you want to support me
and be a part of this?
Speaker 2 (23:37):
yeah, that's a great description and I mean I know
nothing really about the overallcost of such things, but I do
know that it's a lot because youhave to think of future, like
because you I mean generallyspeaking once you go to the
mission field, you're there fora good number of years before
you can even come back to try toget more support correct.
Speaker 4 (24:00):
Typically speaking, you wouldn't come back to get
more support.
Typically speaking, on furlough, you go around to give an
update to all those partners.
That is like if you look at itlike a business, they are your
business partners and you showthem how their investment is
going.
At times somebody you wouldhappen to go to a new church and
they might pick you up forsupport.
Then that could happen, buttypically you don't.
(24:20):
Whatever happens in deputationis usually the full support you
have for a long, long time.
And for New Guinea we wouldhave to come back every three
years because it's a work visathat expires every three years.
Speaker 3 (24:32):
So I was going to talk about that.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Add into your budget that every three years you spend
the $1,500 per person roundtrip to come back and forth.
Speaker 3 (24:41):
And you have to have that money already budgeted for,
like just knowing that you haveto have return tickets.
And do you have to have proofof that before you go in?
Like with like, before you getthere, as far as, like the
government's concerned, to likeknow that you can leave yes, so
right now we are working on ourvisa process.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
So you have to have a sponsor so john gray, who's
been a missionary there forabout 40 years, is our, and in
that sponsorship you have toeven set aside a like a bond, a
certain amount of money thatthat sponsor holds in case of an
emergency or a kidnapping, oryou have to immediately leave
the country.
(25:18):
So they have a bond set aside,um, but the government so, and
the visa is a work visa.
So you show, like my husbandhas his diploma, so he has to
show this is my diploma, I havea bachelor of divinity, I'm
going into work there forministry, and so you have to
prove all of these differentthings that you are not going to
(25:38):
financially drain their economy, but rather financially input
to their economy.
So that's it?
Speaker 3 (25:46):
How has it been?
I just traveling, you know,with your children, traveling
the reception at churches, likehow is that going for you guys?
Speaker 4 (25:56):
There's two sides of it.
There's the ministry side of itand then there's the lifestyle
side of it.
Traveling from differentchurches to churches has been
actually a very.
It's like the balm of Gilead tome Because, like I said,
there's like seven independentfundamental Bible leaving King
James Baptist churches in thewhole state of Idaho that I can
(26:19):
think of maybe eight and goingfrom a dearth.
It feels like I remembercalling my brother at one time,
like 10 years ago, and he saidyou're not alone.
It just feels like you're alone.
It just feels like the wholeworld was compromising and just
giving up on the Lord andthere's so many anti-fundies and
you're just like what am I evendoing?
I just feel so discouraged.
(26:41):
But we have an app called IFBMTwhich is for missionaries to
find other churches that you cancall, and my husband plugged in
not just Baptist but likeeverything, everything that you
would identify yourself as, allof those tiny little things that
have to spite about.
We put them all in there andthere were 13,000 churches in
(27:04):
the United States and as we havegone from church to church to
church, it reminds you thatliterally there are Christians
who are brightening the cornerwhere they are.
Literally there are Christianswho are brightening the corner
where they are and it remindsyou that, even though people
might have thought about allthose tiny little doctrines
there are, there's still a bodyof Christ, there's still a
unified people, there are stillpeople who serve the Lord with
(27:25):
all of their heart and areactively giving towards missions
and trying to reach theircommunity.
So for me, brother Morrison,who's the head of All Points
Baptist Mission, our missionboard, he said at the beginning
God knows who will be able topartner with you at the
beginning, don't ever make thatyour focus.
(27:47):
So our focus has just been tominister to the person in front
of us wherever we go.
So as we go to differentchurches, we just try to make
each person feel loved, becausewe remember the 22 years of
showing up at church after work.
When you have 14 differentministries, it feels like and
you're just like I made it andyou just are exhausted and you
(28:10):
know that tomorrow you have ayouth activity and then the next
day you have to go here andthere and it's a weary lifestyle
.
Satan tries to weary the saintsand so we just want to
encourage them for showing up,and that really is the heart of
traveling back and forth is tosay good job, the lord sees.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Thank you so much for being here yeah, well, no, I
think that's cool because I Imean, a lot of times when
missionaries are coming in, I'mthinking like we need to be
encouraging them.
Speaker 4 (28:39):
But if it's like mutual, like we're all just
trying to encourage each other,that's just more positive it is
mutual, because we feel the samelove, because it would be
horrible if you showed up andyou felt unwanted, but we've
never experienced that.
So it's just like I said, it'scomforting.
We're so grateful.
As far as the lifestyle, it istransient, the the level of
(29:05):
brain fog.
You wake up in the morningsomebody posted a video of
babies and they're like in theirlittle car seats wake up in
random places.
Where am I?
I was in Walmart, but now I'mhome.
That's how it feels.
You just constantly you sitthere and you're like am I in a
parking lot?
Am I in a?
(29:26):
Am I in an RV park?
At what state am I in?
Where were we yesterday?
It's just really weird.
So then when you try to focus onanything, like you just got
done traveling.
So the way it looks is Sundaywe have church.
We usually try to be the samechurch all day.
Monday we travel up to six toseven hours a day, then we try
to do our laundry in Walmart thesame day, and then Tuesday,
(29:49):
wednesday Lord willing we doschool, take our showers and
church, and then Thursday wetravel again and laundry and
Walmart, and then Friday,hopefully, you do school, and
Saturday we crash and we justdon't do anything, because it's
very hard to be social if you'redrained.
So just imagine that that you'retrying to be productive, you're
(30:11):
trying to commune with God.
That's very challenging.
It's very challenging tocommune with God.
That's very challenging.
It's very challenging tocommune with God.
And it's actually challengingto commune with each other.
We often become, we coexist asworkers and that includes my
children because we all have arole and when we're done we just
want to not talk to anybody.
So this year we've beenpurposeful.
(30:33):
Like, okay, during dinner we'regoing to ask each other
questions and you can't be likewhat'd you do today?
But really that's what we do,like I did the same thing you
did, but what did you like aboutit?
How do you do that?
So it is very challenging toeven have the mental clarity to
have a thought, let alone pray,or I don't even know how to
(30:58):
describe it more than that.
But we're actively working.
Speaker 3 (31:01):
There's probably not a lot of like just alone time
either, I would imagine, witheveryone kind of on top of each
other to an extent so we aren'tphysically alone, but all we do
have the internet and so wecould ignore each other.
Speaker 4 (31:14):
We viably could ignore each other all day long
by watching our at least I saythat our love language is
sharing reels.
Yeah, oh, because at least it'ssomething new, like you can say
what did you watch today?
What did you play?
You play roblox, you.
You know, you watch a youtubeshort.
You talk to your friends, andso we could have a lot of mental
(31:38):
alone time.
But that's what creates theother challenge of but do we
have a relationship?
Speaker 2 (31:43):
sure, sure, I have enjoyed seeing some of the
things that I think that you'repurposely, intentionally.
It sounds like everything thatyou're doing it has to be
intentional.
You can't like just kind of letit take over, like you have to
be intentional.
And I've seen, like thepictures you've posted of like
going to different parks orwhatever when you can and stuff,
(32:05):
and um, I appreciate thatbecause, just like what you were
saying, I think all of us canvery much relate to that.
Being in the same house, you'reobviously closer and you have
more to do being the same home,being in the same things, but
not being intentional aboutdoing those fun things, taking
(32:26):
the advantage of, you know,going to a park, even something
simple like that, just to giveyourself some space away from
the norm or your norm isdifferent every day, but it just
you know, but it's not.
Speaker 4 (32:41):
It's not actually super different because our norm
is really within the 250 squarefeet of the RV, Right, so to
get outside of the rv becausesometimes some parking lots it's
dangerous to leave the rv andsometimes some parking lots you
have, yeah I was thinking aboutthat.
I was wondering if you're verydeal with that we often mock
(33:01):
each other about our lack oftouching grass.
So, yes, we intentionally tryto find things that the kids
would enjoy, because, even if westruggle with sometimes having
the emotional energy tocommunicate, we can still build
memories, and so that has been,that's been important is to
(33:22):
build memory.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
That's great, that's yeah, and I mean you're talking
about this is the kind of yourlast couple, however long it
takes you to get support butthis is kind of your last
experience here in the Statesfor a while and I could imagine
that you'd kind of want to beable to fill it with some
positive things.
I appreciate your saying thatyou know you're taking time and
(33:47):
intentionally doing those things.
I think we all need to bereminded of that for sure.
What is your timeline?
On that note, like what, howlong do you think it will take
you as far as?
Like?
You've been on the road for ayear now, right, so how's it
going as far as?
Like your timeline to get there?
Speaker 4 (34:07):
So we've been on.
We started officially startedfull-time deputation in August
of last year and the way thatchurches work, they usually
there's two different missionsconference seasons.
There's usually October,november, before Christmas, so
they have missions conferenceseasons.
And then there's usuallyFebruary, march, because nobody
wants to do anything duringsummer months, so those are
(34:30):
usually and then churchesusually set their budget after
the missions conference.
So if they're going tomissionary you would usually
hear about it Like they mighthave maybe 15, 20 missionaries
visit during the year and thenthey have their missions
conference budget and then theyhave their missions conference
budget and then they'll informpeople.
Okay, we have decided as achurch to be able to pick you up
(34:51):
or whenever their fiscalbusiness year starts.
So we have gone through thatseason of October, november and
then February and March and withit's been about a year and we
have about 67 percent support.
So if you look at our budget ofhow much we need to get, we're
we're pretty close there.
But you again have to gauge theebb and flow of when churches
(35:13):
accept missionaries.
So we could viably it's Augustnow not be accepted from another
church until maybe the end ofOctober or November.
So a lot of churches to visitbetween now and then.
I think that so far we've beento 75 different churches.
Right now we have a schedule offrom total, we all have had a
schedule of 100 churches.
And so we have to look and say,should we bump it out to the
(35:36):
next missions conference season?
You know, do we?
Because nobody really wants tohave missionaries in at
Christmas because, oh, christmas, and then people are recovering
from Christmas in January andeven though we have churches to
visit and then it's just not thesame.
So you have to look and say,should we ride it out?
Should we wait and schedule inFebruary and March?
We're at that transitionalperiod of will the Lord provide
(36:01):
the support for the October,november missions conferences,
or do we have to wait forFebruary, march, and then after
that we're going to spend amonth at um in Pennsylvania, at
my brother's church, which isour sending church, and just to
reacclimate with the folks there.
Uh, because because they'reyour church, they're your home
church and you need thoseconnections, and then Rick will
(36:23):
have his ordination service andthen we'll leave.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
So that's our list.
Great that's.
I mean when you said, would yousay 73 churches, that you've
been to 75 churches?
Speaker 4 (36:36):
that's, that's quite a lot for one year um yeah,
considering there's 52 weeks ina year, 73 churches, yes, it's a
lot.
Speaker 2 (36:46):
That's why I get foggy yeah, totally
understandable um, I get foggygoing to the same church twice a
week so hopefully we will bepraying for, obviously we'll be
praying for you, for thatsupport, because I mean, who
wants to drag that out further?
Right, you want to get to themission field?
Um, once you are there, whatwould your kind of like first
(37:10):
steps be?
I know you talked about as faras, like, you have to have the
work visa and all that.
I'm sure you have to have allthat figured out to begin with.
But is there like a missionswork that you're going to be
part of already?
Are you kind of going there?
Are you going into more of aalready established area?
Are you going into the morebush area?
Like, what's kind of the stepsthere as of right now?
Speaker 4 (37:35):
So that's something we've prayed about a lot.
We've had several differentveteran missionaries reach out
and offer to have a stay thereshort term.
There are pros and cons ofworking with a veteran
missionary versus not, andthat's definitely something we
have actively prayed that theLord would lead about.
But the Lord never reallyconfirmed on our hearts Every
(37:59):
place the Lord has pointed us toon the map.
There is no veteran missionarythere which would have us
believe that the Lord wants usto start a fresh work, which is
actually where our heart.
So in the song that I have sunghere, am I send me?
There's a section that sayssend me to the people who have
never heard the gospel, and Ithink that that is what our
(38:20):
heart is have more of anemphasis on outreach, and so
right now it looks like also,you have to find a place to live
.
It's a very clan.
I say tribe, I don't mean some.
There are some tribal, like inthe bush and in the jungle, but
even beyond that, the clanextends vast areas and districts
(38:44):
, and imagine how the map of theUnited States looked when it
was the Native Americans and howit was broken up by different
tribes, even though they wouldsometimes cover many states.
It was still their land and Ithink that the global political
system has recognized that.
England came in and they madepurchase agreements with one
(39:04):
person when really it would haverepresented 7,000.
And so they've been verycautious of that scenario in
Papua New Guinea.
So, that being said, the landis owned by those clans and you
can't just come in and purchasea section of land or purchase a
house, and even then, if youcould, that actually
(39:26):
availability of housing is verysmall because it's it looks like
a shed that you would have inyour backyard.
But we have been trying to finda place that we can rent as it
on the coastal region.
We're looking at coastalregions where the temperature
ranges between 75 and 95 at 100humidity, all day long, all year
round.
An american body would get sickquickly without the
(39:49):
availability of air condition.
That's one thing that we'vebeen told by missionaries who
are there.
So I try to find a house thatif it has consistent when I say
consistent electricity I meanlike there might be a grid
electricity but also there mightbe an addition of solar
electricity with it, but alsodefinitely with a generator in
(40:11):
case none of those work.
So to have a place wheresomebody can afford all of that
and have a house.
It narrows where you're goingto stay and so usually they have
expat housing for Australianswho come and work there, housing
for Australians who come andwork there.
So that has a lot of saying ofthings.
Just to find out that it lookslike you'd be going to Medang to
(40:33):
rent a house there and thenstarting work from there.
But what my life would look likewould probably be very similar
to what your life looks like,because I'm still a homemaker,
I'm still a homeschooling mom,I'm still, in addition to a
Christian who wants to have aministry and who wants to soul
win and who wants to havediscipleship.
But again, it would probably bemore done within the walls of
(40:55):
my own house.
Invite somebody in for a coffeeor to invite somebody in for a
tea, as Lord leads.
But then my husband's heartwould be to go to the villages
surrounding and make connections.
It's a very communalenvironment.
America is self-sufficient,independent.
Don't tell me what to do.
I can make my own decisions.
It shouldn't impact you.
Business is business there it's.
(41:17):
Every relationship you makeimpacts another person because
they are a clan.
So you have to go very slowlyand build your community and
it's also an environment ofpeople who are not considered
immoral to take advantage ofsomebody.
You have the skill of takingadvantage of somebody and
getting away with it.
It gives you, brings morerespect to your name, and so
(41:48):
knowing that respect to them isone of the greatest priorities,
and they often can gain it bytaking advantage of somebody,
especially somebody who is anAmerican who's perceived to have
a lot of money.
You have to just be verycautious.
So it would just be what yousaid when we get there, what's
our goal?
Speaker 2 (42:00):
it's to slowly build relationships, sure yeah, that's
quite a thought to process,like that idea of them, like
that being a positive thing, ofbeing able to take advantage of
someone, that's quite becausethat affects, that does that
would affect how you could evenbuild relationships, because
(42:20):
you'd always have that kind ofin the back of your mind is this
person just trying to takeadvantage?
Speaker 4 (42:25):
right?
And is this person saying theywant to be a christian so that
they can become buddies with theperson with money?
Speaker 2 (42:32):
sure, yeah, so kind of along those lines too.
It's just like, as far as thespiritual climate of new guinea,
like I'm, I could imagine thatwith the different clans, as you
were saying, like there'sprobably a bit of different
religion and different ways theypractice their religions.
But on a whole, I guess what isthat like?
Speaker 4 (42:53):
There have been missionaries of all sorts for
probably maybe a hundred yearsnow, but I would say that the
predominant religions that arethere are works-based, but that
actually goes hand in hand withtheir shamanism.
Shamanism is like the defaultreligion of any place that
doesn't have God, real God ofthe Bible, so that ancestors,
(43:15):
praying to ancestors andappeasing spirits and again
works.
What can I do to make thespirit happy?
What can I do to make myancestor happy?
What can I do to be a quotegood person based upon their
version of what that is Veryprevalent?
So they're very spiritual,they're spiritually minded.
There is no atheism in PapuaNew Guinea because they feel the
(43:38):
impacts of demons and thatoppression.
So I would say that they areconstantly aware of I'm not
necessarily saying of doingright or wrong, but at least
appearing that they are doingwhat the culture would accept as
positive.
So it is challenging.
While they're very open tohearing the gospel and many are
(44:01):
so glad to know that there is aspirit that is more powerful
than all the spirits and thatspirit also loves them and isn't
somebody to be afraid of in thetypical sense, anything beyond
salvation can be challengingbecause if you start speaking
about forgiveness, forgivingyour brother, forgiving your
husband for beating you,forgiving your father for all
(44:23):
sorts of abusive things, yourfather for all sorts of abusive
things.
It starts encounter culture totry to teach people to be.
You know, charity is seeketh,not its own, to keep somebody
that those basic principles,even just within your own family
life, can cause problems withinthe clan.
Because then suddenly thehusband angry at the wife she
(44:46):
got saved and then the wholehusband's family, husband angry
at the wife she got saved, thenthe whole husband's family gets
angry at the wife and then thecommunity themselves says just
do what's expected of you tostop causing this problem.
You know I'm saying it's just asilent appeasement.
So that's.
Speaker 2 (45:01):
I mean, I could imagine that that would be quite
a tough field just to, like youwere saying, as far as to go
beyond the salvation message andto really start to do
discipleship or anything likethat, cause it really is like um
sounds like it would be verydifficult to cause.
It's in a sense you're sayingcan you basically leave your
family, like the shunning of alot of different cults or things
(45:24):
like that that they that theywould do?
Speaker 4 (45:29):
And essentially sometimes it's beyond shunning,
like sometimes they'll go in andgrab you by your hair and pull
you out of the service.
Speaker 2 (45:34):
Okay, yeah, that's a lot.
Well, on that note.
So what are some ways that wecan pray for you guys in the
here and the now, to just be ablessing, like, and as far as,
like I, I, when I ask someone topray for me, I kind of want to
give them specifics withoutbeing, you know, overly deep,
but also I want to givespecifics so that you know, they
(45:57):
can know what's going on.
So, as much as you'recomfortable, we just want to
know how we can pray for you.
Speaker 4 (46:04):
I think it would be three-pronged In the ministry.
It would be to be wise as aserpent and harmless as a dove.
Really I can't describe it anymore than that to be wise as a
serpent and harmless as a dove.
And the practical day-to-daywould probably be health and
safety, because we are pamperedAmericans going into a third
(46:25):
world disease ridden and to beable to drive safely.
Personally, I was telling ourkids we've just been praying
that the verse cleanse me, oLord, or search me, o Lord, and
it says send a revival and startthe work in me.
That in the midst of the fog,that God will still be our
greatest love and that we wouldremember to not forsake our
(46:48):
communion with God for the workof God.
Speaker 2 (46:50):
Sure.
Thank you for sharing thosewith us.
And now we can pray for you alittle bit more specifically.
I think of you often and try topray for you.
When I think of you and alsobeing on social media, I hope
our listeners would follow youguys so that they can also be
(47:12):
reminded of your travels andthings and be able to pray for
you as well.
So if we were to give afinancial gift is there some
sort of a Venmo, paypal oranything like that?
If our listeners would like togive to your work right now
obviously not as far as likecontinued financial support, but
(47:32):
just for a gift or somethinglike that Is there any way we
could do that?
Speaker 4 (47:36):
Yes, Our webpage is dispellingdarknesspngcom and on
that page we have, because ofthis question, a lot.
We have a page and some peopleactually have asked if they
could financially support usmonthly so we have a donate page
where you have those options to, where you can sign up for such
and such amount monthly or youcan do a one-time gift.
(47:57):
Those are the digital optionsand then there is a mailing
address if people would prefer acheck going to our mission
through our mission board.
They give us 100% anything thatwe do.
They don't take a percentage ofanything.
So all of those are positiveoptions.
All of those will be recordedaccording to taxes, barley and
honor.
Speaker 2 (48:18):
Okay, great, that's awesome.
Thank you for sharing that withus.
Thank you so much for beingable to take some time out of
your travels and all of thethings that you've got going on
and just share with us a littlebit about your deputation and
all of this.
It's been very eye-opening forme, I feel.
You know, I've grown up hearingabout deputation, I've grown up
(48:43):
going to missions, conferencesand going to all of these things
and it's kind of funny.
I always, like as a kid, when Iwould see missionaries, I would
always be like super scared toeven like go up and talk to them
, cause I just felt like theywere like these heroes of the
faith you know, which you know.
I think that you guys are.
I mean, it's, it's anincredible sacrifice and, um,
(49:06):
just to be able to say that youare going to a country you know
and dedicating your life to thatis, I feel you are like heroes,
you know, timid and shy, toeven go up to a missionary and
say, you know, hi, or talk tothem at their tables or whatever
(49:28):
.
And I feel like I still havethat a little bit in my mind,
like I can't really talk to amissionary.
What am I going to say I'mgoing to sound so weird, but I
love missions and I love thatyou got that.
Missionaries are just so willingto forsake all and follow
Christ and just that idea and toleave behind family and comfort
(49:53):
and all of those things and andto start by traveling around
the United States in an RV andto to put just that kind of
pressure, almost like onyourself, even before you go.
Like I always thought like man,that's kind of a hard way to
(50:15):
find financial support.
You know, like why can't youjust call up people and tell
them what your mission is Like?
Why do you have to go to this?
I mean, I understand it, but Ijust have always felt like
that's a, it's like a testbefore the test but, I do really
appreciate you giving some moreclarity and just your testimony
(50:37):
and the whole thing it's.
it's been great.
Thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (50:41):
I feel privileged that you would ask me.
Speaker 2 (50:42):
All right.
Well, we will wrap this up andand to our listeners again.
If you would like to helpfinancially, you can check out
their website, dispellingDarkness, pngcom.
And then, just also to keepthem in prayer, the Schwerer
family.
Speaker 4 (50:59):
Thank you so much.
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