It’s been a few months, but I wanted to give a recap on my time in Papua New Guinea. It was such a special time filled with so much - it’s hard to wrap my mind around it even months after returning home. My team travelled all over Papua New Guinea, from the coast to the highlands, getting around in the back of a truck bed or sailing on the ship. Two of my team members were nurses, so we took every opportunity to use their medical experience for our ministry. PNG has barely any access to quality medical care, with many villages completely isolated with no concept of basic hygiene or medicine. With the crew on the YWAM Liberty ship, we sailed to many different isolated islands, setting up medical clinics daily to care for the people. Caring for these communities was no small task. Hundreds of patients would flood in each morning with all different needs. From children with malaria to women with broken backs from their husbands beating them, to old people struggling with the hardship that comes with their culture and lifestyle, we saw it all. We had a special eye glass clinic where we were able to help people see clearly for the first time in their lives. The medical clinic went way beyond just passing out bandaids, each provider took time to pray with each and every person that came through the line and truly listen to their story. Some days were very heavy and sometimes felt hopeless when the line would seem never ending with so many people hurting, but each day we saw the Lord move and miracles happened! My role was to engage the community, have meaningful gospel conversations, and love the people well. I ended up being a big fan of the “pikininis” all the kids running around with so much energy. When I wasn’t helping in the clinic or putting on a skit or teaching with my team, I was running up and down the beach or climbing trees with dozens of kids. Spending time with these kids, learning their names and their language allowed me to pour into them on a much deeper level than just running around with a soccer ball. I saw hearts soften and fall in love with Jesus.
We worked along side the Oral Bible Translation (OBT) team to help them with their goal of translating a book of the Bible into 33 languages in 3 years. It is truly so special to see eyes widen as people hear the word of God in their native language for the first time. PNG has thousands of languages scattered throughout the nation, some dialects only take a short 20 minute walk to completely change. The OBT team takes time to honor these languages, going after the one, so every soul can be saved and hear God’s word in their own tongue. They take time to train leaders to be able to translate themselves to further the mission without being hands on involved.
There are so many crazy stories I have to tell and amazing testimonies of God’s goodness, but writing it all out would take days. I am eternally grateful for the three months I spent in PNG and for how the Lord worked in me and through me. I have a deeper understanding of the Father’s love for His children. I walked away with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my American life, but also with such heartbreak to leave the nation I grew to love. No part of this trip was easy, but I grew in so many ways and saw the Lord moving with my own eyes. He is so GOOD!
I dealt with many challenges heading into new territory of living in a foreign country with completely different lifestyles and people, but I found that through all of the sickness and cultural hiccups, leaving and coming back home was the hardest part of all. I spent my summer at home in Boise so grateful to be reunited with loved ones and yummy food, but my heart ached to be in the villages, playing with kids, sharing the gospel, living on a boat in open ocean, so far away from “real life”. I didn’t expect to be so sad to leave, and I spent most of my summer trying to figure out how I fit back in to my life in Boise. It’s been hard but I’ve seen how the Lord has used this season to draw me closer to Him and be open to what His plans are for me. With that said, I am seeking out further mission opportunities with YWAM while working full time here. I am excited for this upcoming year, and will hopefully have answers soon about what exactly I’ll be up to!
Please reach out to me if you’re at all curious or have questions about my outreach. I have a huge heart for the nation of Papua New Guinea and love sharing whatever I can to whoever will listen. Thank you all for your continual support!
With love, Lucy Denham :)
LINKS: INSTAGRAM @lucyjdenham VENMO LINK - for financial contributions @denhamfamilymissions