mawerero mission

From March 2019 to September 2022 we lived and worked among the nDo people in Mawerero village. Our goal was to establish a church among the nDo speakers that is:

  • God-glorifying …having turned to Christ for salvation and growing in holiness (2 Tim 3:16-17).
  • Self-governing …with biblically qualified leaders (1 Tim 3; 2 Tim 2:2; Titus 1).
  • Self-supporting …not reliant on missionaries.
  • Self-propagating …spreading the gospel among other nDo speaking villages (Matt 28:19-20).

Mission Progress

We planned to accomplish our goal by following these steps:

  1. Training. We completed 6 months of training in Phoenix.
  2. Partnership development. We have supporting churches in South Africa, America and Australia. God has provided many faithful friends to hold the rope!
  3. Arrival on field and orientation. We arrived in PNG November 2018 and completed 4 months of orientation and language learning (Tok Pisin) in Madang.3 arrival and orientation
  4. Surveys. This was done by the Dodds and Canns. They selected Mawerero, built houses there and moved into the village in 2016. The Dodds had to leave the field when Matt was diagnosed with terminal cancer. 
  5. Moving into the village. We moved to Mawerero in March 2019.house opening ceremony
  6. Culture and language acquisition. We spent several months in Madang learning Tok Pisin and studying Papua New Guinean culture. In the village we immediately started studying the language and culture of the nDo people.
    Ryan and his language helpers enjoying a meal
    Elna with one of her language helpers.
  7. Literacy and evangelism preparation. Cassidy developed the nDo literacy program. During the first class, she identified and started training teachers. They now run the literacy program themselves. Once the first class graduated, we also developed a post-literacy program.  These programs are ongoing. By now, 40% of the adults in Mawerero have completed the literacy class.
    Cassidy teaching a literacy class
    Learning to write for the first time
    Elna helping students practice reading
    Ryan giving results of reading assessments
    Post-literacy class
  8. Evangelism. From November 2020 to January 2021 Zach taught 53 Bible lessons, sharing the gospel from Genesis to Christ. A small group of people attended the lessons each day, and of those a handful have professed faith in Christ.
    Pictures were useful to remember the lessons
    Zach teaching
  9. Establishing the church.←Team nDo is here! 
    Elna meeting with some ladies to discuss parenting
    Ryan preaching at Easter

For the believers in Mawerero to grow in holiness, they need to be taught from the Word. They need the same shepherding care and discipleship that is present in our supporting churches. 

10. Phase out. 

On September 11, 2022, a huge earthquake shook the Finisterre mountains. Both missionary houses were shaken off their posts, and the damage sustained left them structurally unsound and uninhabitable. Through this event God provided a need and opportunity for us to assess and adjust our ministry goals. 

The Canns are remaining in Mawerero to continue establishing the church there. We have decided to transition to ministry in the coastal town of Madang. 

The final step in our ministry in Mawerero, phasing out, will be complete once our house has been torn down and we’ve assisted in the building of an office and new home for the Canns. Deconstruction has started (pictured below is Ryan and local carpenters removing the solar panels from the Cann house roof).

11 deconstruction and construction

madang mission goals

  1. Get involved in local church body, serve through teaching and supporting leaders.
  2. Development and translation of material into Tok Pisin.
  3. Work with our new teammates, the Twomblys, to investigate teaching / training opportunities for the future.
  4. Support the body of Christ in the Madang area. Current projects include material development for the church plant in Mawerero village and starting a Bible study in Bahor.