As Samaritan Aviation carries out its mission in Papua New Guinea; our most precious resource is our team of overseas workers.  They have uprooted their lives and moved across the world to a remote, new land. Thankfully, there are some key PNG citizen helpers, willing to walk beside them as they learn how to live and serve in their new country. 

Justin, a single man in his mid-20’s, serves as a worship leader in his local church.  Lily is the mother of four who sells food from a stall on the street by her house. Both of these people are part of our network of citizen friends and volunteers. They invest their time and energy into our families’ orientation. Although they aren’t staff; their role is vital.  They teach our folks Melanesian Pidgin, the lingua franca of PNG. But, their importance goes far beyond teaching language. Our families arrive to a foreign world where they need “wontoks” (trusted friends) to show them the ropes.  These “wontoks” teach them to build PNG-style relationships. Our team members meet a few times a week with Justin and Lily at home, but occasionally their class heads out to open-air markets, a ride on a PMV (privately owned minivan bus) or for a walk around Wewak.  

As sojourners in PNG, we are humbly learning from our new neighbors. We are thankful for a community of Christ-following volunteers who serve us.  We can communicate God’s love to PNG better because of these volunteers.