• Pictures
  • Selected Pictures (Normer's) - 69 select pictures
  • Daily Pictures
  • Doug McNash Pictures
  • MPG Video - our quarters, progress, Village (1)  (2)  (3) , Martha's Tour, Literacy Ctr
    Warning - these are large files, so they may take couple of minutes to download.
• Normer's Journal
• Emails Updates during Trip (before, during and after)
• Links to Papua New Guinea
• Satellite View of Trip
• Martha Wade's Ministry
• Building Plans one and two
• Team Members

• Email your Comments 

Papua New Guinea Mission Trip Summary

Martha Wade, missionary from Southwest Christian Church, has been in Papua New Guinea since 1980 preaching the gospel, translating the Bible into the Apali language and healing the sick.  Her work has touched thousands of lives in New Guinea.  The people of PNG are hungry for the Word of God. In the late 70's the local leaders in the Sogeram River Valley area were asking for a mission to come and help them spread the word.  The Australian Churches of Christ and the Pioneer Bible Translators responded by assigning a national preacher to the area in 1981.

In 1981, the Bible could only be taught and read in the local trade language called Tok Pisin. This translation was not accurate, yet in spite of this over 100 people were baptized at the village of Angguna in July 1984.  The villages in the Sogeram River Valley Area was open to the Word of God. 

By 1985, Martha Wade became convinced that God was calling her to help the people of the Apali language in the Sogeram River Valley to hear the Word in their own language.  Since then she has lived with the Apali people, understanding and translating their language and translating the scripture into books that they can read.  As she said, " The Apali language group knows little about the outside world, but they know Christ and His light is making a real difference in their lives."

In May,1986,  Southwest Christian Church sent a team into New Guinea to build Martha a house in which to live.  The team then included Wil Snyder, Walter Cobb, Frank Moynahan, Bill Wade, Grady Hunt and Matt Farmer.  The house/work place was a simple 'native-type' structure, on poles about six to eight feet off the ground.  The walls were of woven palm branches, and the roof was of metal to catch the abundant rain.  They were gone a month.  Their purpose was to share the ministry with Martha and to make her work more effective, safe and by the way, somewhat more comfortable.

The work of Martha Wade is as important as ever.  Since the 80's the churches in this area have continued to grow.  There are churches in 16 villages of the Sogeram River Valley area. They want to hear the Word of God in their own language. 

In order to further the ministry of Christ, expand the preaching of the gospel, and to support the building of the Church, another team from Southwest will be sent.  They will be leaving on July 13 for Papua New Guinea to the village of Angguna via very much the same route of the '86 team.  Seven men will spend thirty-six hours in the air, with layovers in Tokyo, Port Moresby and Madang to arrive at Martha Wade's missionary home in the village of Angguna.  Rather than an eight hour canoe trip, a helicopter will take the team from Madang  to Martha's village. 

The team will be building a much needed literacy center.  This will be a basic 20 by 80 foot building on stilts that will be about 6 to 8 feet off the ground.  Inside will be four rooms for equipment, a library, work rooms and storage.  This is where the translation work, teaching and industry will be done.  The team will build it in ten days. 

The team will arrive back in Atlanta by July 30th. 

Please keep this team in your prayers. 

The Papua New Guinea Team will be led by Mike Harbin and include Normer Adams, Ridge Boynton, Peter Dockery, Curtis Mauldin, Doug McNash and Phil Mercer.