UPNG Graduation trip - Day 2: "Meeting the parents"

Elton & Dianne waiting for our guests.

Tonight we invited our 5 national missionaries and the parents of the 3 new missionaries out for dinner.  My goal for the night was for the parents to get to know us (our senior missionaries and myself) and our ministry, and for me to get to know them a bit.  We got there early not sure of what it will be like - and in the end, things went extremely well and everyone was encouraged!  (Please click on the photos to see larger images).

Beautlyn brought along her mom and grandfather

Tanya brought along her mom and brother

Elidah brought along her mom & dad

I shared about Kaylynn & myself and our history raising 4 kids in the Pacific islands (I gave them all a photo of Kaylynn & I since she wasn't there).  I also shared, with Elton's prompting, that we as a ministry focus on Jesus' Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20) which says to "make disciples of every nation" ("ethnos" = people groups, of which PNG has over 830) - we focus on discipling believers & training them to share their faith, disciple others, and train others to find disciples of their own.  We are working at the University because the country's future leaders will come from it and most people groups (over time) are represented there.

After I shared, I left the conversation hang a bit to see what would happen.  One by one, all the parents shared how they felt when their daughter told them God was calling them to full-time ministry... and how they felt about it now.  They were very honest, most saying that they were initially worried, concerned, or angry.  All of them talked about how their relatives wanted to be "paid back" for helping to pay for the girls' education.

Elton and I both shared (Dianne had to leave early) how our parents responded at first.  It also helped that I had 3 daughters and I shared how I knew how hard it was let them go out on their own (harder than with sons).  The 3 girls also shared how God led them to join our ministry and how hard it was to tell their parents.

In the end all the parents expressed support for their daughter and what she was doing.  One parent shared with me afterwards that they appreciated my sharing how God has used me over the years in the Pacific, shewing that my commitment to the Pacific islands is long term.  Another parent shared how honored they felt with their daughter being the first person from both sides of her family to become a missionary.  Another parent shared how they see this calling by God to be a higher calling, and that even though the relatives were hoping to be repaid, in the end what their daughter was doing was going to impact others for eternity.  Another parent shared how they are convinced that many new missionaries will join with us in the future through these girls.

We hung around and went outside and took lots of photos.  It was obvious that everyone was encouraged and not eager to get away.  

Personally, I enjoyed talking to the men, Elidah's father and Beautlyn's grandfather.  Both are godly men and I found myself greatly encouraged!