Village Heartbeat serves the ethnic tribal communities of Papua, Indonesia's most eastern province. This unique land mass is often referred to as one of the last great frontiers on earth. From the ice-enshrouded peaks of the central highlands to the dense tropical jungles of the lowlands, Papua is a land of contrasts.
This South Pacific island is home to more than one fifth of the world's languages! These languages belong to some of the most unique and diverse cultural groups found anywhere on earth. The beautiful yet startling faces of the numerous indigenous groups only add to the mystique and confirms the fact that contrast is the beauty of life.
It would only follow that such a diverse area would also require many different approaches to addressing the spiritual and social needs of isolated tribal groups. The day of pioneer missions is not completely over, but in its place has evolved the urgent need to equip and empower local church and village leaders to become more self-sufficient so as to avoid the natural tendency of dependence ever prevalent among poor communities.
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I was raised in Papua
My parents were first generation missionaries in Papua and lived and served amongst ethnic tribal groups for decades. They adopted several Papua orphans and because of that, I grew up with my Papuan brothers and sisters, truly integrated into and accepted in both worlds. I now
count it a privilege to be a partner with them in planning and preparing for
their spiritual future, a future based on cooperation rather than
dependence.
With God's blessing and leading, we created the Village Heartbeat
Foundation, a non-profit Christian organization, formed to help meet the
social and spiritual needs of the numerous communities scattered throughout
Papua.
