A missionary family left a life of comfort in their home in Silicon Valley, California, and moved to Biem Island in Papua New Guinea. The family has faced many threats as they shared the Word of God to people with cultures and language different from their own. Despite all of these, they fixed their eyes on Jesus and the eternal reward. Their lives have become an inspiration that challenges other believers to stand up to God’s call.
Missionary Family
Wayne Chen made Jesus’ commission the priority of their family. As a result, they transferred to Biem Island, with a population of 2,000 indigenous people and no ready access to fresh water and electricity.
He shared, “Just surviving there day-by-day, facing dengue fever, malaria, and things like that, you wouldn’t say these things are ‘worth it.’ But as Christians, I don’t think the question should be how we feel about these things. The question is: as children of God, how should we interpret all these things that we experience in our lives?”
Wayne and Gail Chen
Wayne and his wife, Gail, learned the local language for three years. Then, they created a Biem alphabet so that they could communicate the Gospel well. As a result, they taught the tribe how to read and write in their language and shared the love of God. It led them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
They have planted a local church and ordained elders to share the Gospel to another island. Many have come to know Jesus because of the Chens, but for the family, it was not easy.
But, Wayne shared that whenever his faith would shake, he always remembers the one thing he “wants to pout out his life on.”
“When our lives are used by God, it might not be comfortable, it might not go according to our plans,” he said. “But I don’t want to invest in just the next 20-30 years of my life. I want to invest in the next 2,000 or 20,000 years.”
And for Gail, who suffers from recurring cancer, she puts her hope in God. “Actually, we don’t always look at things from an eternal perspective either. We understand completely,” she said.
“We’re just like everyone else. We live in the same world, but we know that God is with us. And even if we have to face death, we know that God is our dwelling place, and this explains so much to us because we know He loves us.”
Reference: CBN News
