In Training: February 2012

On November 10, 2009, my wife and I accepted God’s call to go to the Ama people of Papua New Guinea with the message of His love. But with over $40,000 of business debt and a home in a depressed rural area that had attracted almost no attention during a year on the real estate market, our dreams of mission service seemed very distant. But we believed God’s promise, “Faithful is He that calleth you who also will do it” (1 Thess. 5:24). And so we set out to prove it true.
What followed was not an instant answer but rather the sustained providence of God that has brought us to the verge of launching. Slowly, steadily, one by one, God has removed the obstacles from our path. First, He miraculously sold our home to a couple seeking a quiet country getaway. Then, after a year of raising support, He completed our $90,319 launching goal. Next, He erased what remained of our $40,000 business debt. And now, after a second year of fundraising, He has completely funded our $7,148 monthly budget!
During the next three years we will face even greater challenges. But as we travel to one of the remotest places on earth, learn two new languages, build a home in the jungle, make sense of the mysterious ways of the Ama and design a method of evangelism that ministers to their unique needs, we know one thing: “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and his teaching in our past history.”
As He so often does, God has used many people to work out His will for our lives. To each one of you we say thank you ever so much for answering God’s call to assist us. Your continued prayers and support are a great source of encouragement. —John Lello

In Training: January 2012

The ringing of the phone broke the stillness of the morning as my mother-in-law hurried to answer it. A sweet, soft voice on the other end wanted to know if John and I could visit that morning. We climbed into the truck, bowed our heads and asked God for His guidance during our visit.
She was waiting at the door when we arrived and invited us in. As we began talking, she mentioned she had heard about our mission to the Ama people when we spoke at her church and had felt the Lord urging her to help. Weeks went by before the Lord once again spoke to her through the Sabbath School lesson: “If you feel deeply enriched in your own spiritual faith walk, resolve to step out in service as a mentor or support to others in your circle of friends, family, and faith community.” Once again, her heart was touched and she decided to act upon that still small voice. Not knowing if she would have enough each month for her bills, she took out her checkbook and pledged a monthly gift.
I sat there thinking about this dear lady whom God was using to strengthen my faith. What does it take to have that much faith in Jesus? I wondered. What would that kind of faith look like for me? I have found that when I open my heart and mind to a personal relationship with Jesus and give my all, faith becomes real.
Traveling to Papua New Guinea to reach the Ama for Jesus will take a giant step of faith. Also, we can’t do it on our own. If you want your faith to become real, too, step out with us and join our mission team. Together we can reach the Ama for Jesus.
—Pam Lello

In Training: December 2011

“Oh no! Were we supposed to exit at Lenhartsville?” My chest tightened. “We passed that exit thirty minutes ago.” Swept along the rainy interstate by a tide of cars and road spray, there was no going back and no way to follow our old directions forward. We exited the highway, but with no map, each turn only compounded our difficulty.

Wedged into our pickup, we battled along congested city streets in the direction of our appointment, Pam pressed against the far door, Abby and Alissa squirmed uncomfortably in the middle, and I gripped the wheel more tightly after each appeal for quiet. As our girls’ bickering developed into pushing, I snapped. “Can’t you girls just leave each other alone? Be quiet and sit still!”

Then, under conviction, I confessed my sin to my children and the Lord and asked for their forgiveness. Calling the people we were scheduled to meet, I explained our situation. Listening graciously, our hosts told us of their decision to support us with a monthly gift. Praise the Lord!

That night in our hotel room, I asked God for help, and in the morning I proposed a simple plan. “Today when we sense Satan beginning to attack, let’s immediately warn each other, stop what we’re doing and pray.” It worked, and the day was blessed by God’s peace.

This is all a part of the frustration and challenge of raising support. However, we do not allow logistical difficulties or family problems to deter us. “No, dear brothers and sisters, we are still not all we should be, but we are focusing all our energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, we strain to reach the end of the race” (Phil. 3:13, 14 Paraphrase). We’re almost there. Please help us cross the finish line.—John Lello

In Training: November 2011

The sun shone warmly through the window as we sat around the table for breakfast. As we lifted our heads from prayer, the stillness was broken by Alissa’s soft voice. “Mommy, where is our home?” Those words struck me. I had never stopped to realize how all this traveling was affecting my girls.
My thoughts flashed back to our trip the night before. As the stars twinkled in the sky, we squeezed into the front seat of the pick-up truck to begin the 10-hour trip back to Kentucky. I rested my head on the window as the girls began asking questions. “When will we get there? Will we see our friend, Gracie? How long will we stay this time?” It doesn’t matter where a person lives; there is no place like home.
Returning to the present, I searched for a gentle way to respond to Alissa’s question. Before I could think of anything to say, a smile came to her face, and she said, “I know, our home is in Heaven.” I leaned back into my chair, relieved. God had come through again, giving us peace about our situation.
It reminds me about how Abraham followed God’s leading and wondered when he would arrive at his home, the New Jerusalem. It was a child’s small voice that reminded me to be patient until we get to our home in Heaven. God still has work for us to do. When it is accomplished, He will take us to that Heavenly home where we will stay forever. —Pam Lello

In Training: October 2011

“Little ones to Him belong. They are weak, but He is strong . . .” My hoarse lullaby faltered and then fell silent, stifled by the choking in my throat and the deep aching in my heart. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks and dropped softly onto the tiny bundle in my arms. I gazed down into the painful darkness of my daughters eyes, determined to cradle her as long as I possibly could. Slowly, her vitality faded like a tiny wildflower picked before its time. And then it was over. Our precious Aubrie Marie had fallen asleep in Jesus after just four days of life. I gathered her close and sobbed out my sorrow. But even in the depth of our grief we had hope.
What must it be like for my Ama people who routinely suffer the loss of their children? They die amid squalor and filth without the comfort of a modern hospital. They slip away in malarial fevers, dehydrated by diarrhea, without the benefit of even simple treatments or medicines. But even more tragically, they die without hope. For them, death and what follows death is a horrifying unknown. There is no hope in the tortured wails of those they leave behind.
What must it be like for Jesus as His little ones slip away untouched by His love as hopeless grief grips their parents? The Bible says, “Jesus wept,” and I am sure His tears still flow today. I think I can hear Him crying out, “Please, please, won’t someone help My children? Won’t someone give My people hope?”—John Lello

In Training: September 2011

Contaminated Hands

During the mid 1800s, one of Vienna General Hospital’s maternity wards became notorious for the deaths of mothers. One in ten of the mothers in that ward became ill and died. In the other maternity ward of the same hospital, only one in 50 mothers died. The only apparent difference between the wards was that in the ward with the high mortality rate doctors attended mothers, but in the other ward midwives cared for them.
Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis became obsessed with finding the cause. Reasoning that the care provided by doctors in his ward could not be the cause of the deaths, he attempted to match every other aspect of care in his ward with the care given in the other ward, but the terrible mortality continued. Then something changed. He took a four-month leave, and when he returned, he found that the mortality rate had dropped significantly in his absence.
After much questioning, he found that the only difference between his practices and those of the doctors who had worked in his absence was that
he spent much more time doing research on cadavers. He theorized that disease-carrying “particles” from cadavers were being transmitted on the hands of doctors to patients, and he instituted the practice of washing hands in a chlorine-and-lime solution. Immediately the mortality rate dropped to 1 in 100.
We also struggle to save lives with contaminated hands when we insist that our children behave appropriately so we can feel like good parents, when we hold evangelistic meetings so we can report church growth, or even at times when we engage in missions in order to start successful church-planting movements. Whenever self-interest replaces unselfish concern for the lost, our hands stop healing and start contaminating.
The only cleansing agent is the blood of Christ. When applied, it destroys self and inspires love for our God and fellow man. Washed in His blood, we become effective healers. Please pray that the saving power of the Gospel will work mightily through us among the Ama people.—John Lello

In Training: August 2011

At AFM's Summer Institute of Frontier Missions, we have learned that God wants to completely bond us with the Ama people so we can be His message to them. In order to bond with our people, we must first let go of what feels familiar and immerse ourselves in their lives. Research in missions suggests several ideas we are considering.
First, missionaries need to be willing to live with a local family. In some cases, missionaries simply arrive and begin asking the people they meet if they know a family who would host them. Others arrange to stay with a local family for a time. In either case immersion in the lives of their people allows a much deeper and more intimate understanding.
Second, missionaries need to limit personal belongings to about 30 lbs. per person. An adult Ama may have only twenty possessions, so 30 lbs. of belongings seems like incredible amount of wealth. We must be careful not to let our belongings become a barrier.
Third, missionaries should use common modes of transportation. Along the upper stretches of the Sepik River, this will happen naturally since dugout canoes and walking are the only means of transportation.
Finally, missionaries need to learn language in the context of relationships that they develop and maintain. This approach not only produces fluency but also builds a large number of close friendships into which the seeds of the Gospel can be sown.
In all of this, our example is Christ, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” Please pray that we, like Christ, will not cling to our old culture but will instead communicate God’s love to our new culture in a way the people can understand.—John Lello