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How did Jeff and Joy end up in PNG?
JeffJeff was raised in the Pittsburgh, PA area and came to know the Lord at age 14. It was at Tennessee Temple University that he was introduced to missions. During his sophomore year, he felt the Lord leading in that direction. The summer after graduating from college, Jeff (engaged to Joy at the time) went on a summer missions trip to Brazil. It was during that summer that Jeff made a decision to enter into tribal missionary work with New Tribes Mission. JoyBorn in Chattanooga, TN and raised in a Christian home, Joy (since the age of nine) grew up in Northwest Indiana. She met Jeff while attending college. It was as this time she gave serious consideration to mission work. During the summer of 1983 Joy, too, went on a summer missions trip to Bolivia. The Lord used circumstances that summer to assured her that she could and should do tribal type missionary work. Six months later, Jeff and Joy were married and immediately started a specialized training program for tribal missionary work with New Tribes Mission. They completed the training in May of 1985. After a one-year stint as staff members at New Tribes Language Institute, they departed for Papua New Guinea in January 1987. Since that time they have started pioneer missionary endeavors in two different tribal locations. The latest of these undertakings was in 1993. They went to a remote mountainous region on the East Sepik Provincial border at a location called Malaumanda. After establishing suitable living conditions and obtaining partners for the endeavor, thousands of hours went into learning the unwritten tribal language of the Malaumanda people. After gaining a working knowledge of the culture of the Malaumanda people, and being able to speak the tribal language, the Gospel message was presented to this tribe for the first time ever in their native tongue in October 1999. At present, the young tribal church continues to be grounded in the truth, and translation of the New Testament is under way.In March of 2002, it became apparent that because of a degenerating back problem, Joy could no longer function well concerning the tremendous amount of physical labor required to live at the tribal location of Malaumanda. In an interesting turn of events the Lord opened doors for them to be involved in a new ministry at New Tribes Mission's field headquarters/school located near the town of Goroka. There, Jeff and Joy serve as boarding home parents for Jr. and Sr. high school kids whose parents are involved in many aspects of reaching tribal people all over the country of Papua New Guinea. Jeff also serves as the Dorm Coordinator for all the dorms at the school. Aside from providing guidance and counsel in the dorm setting, Jeff and Joy are involved in teaching Bible classes, chapel services, sports programs, Bible studies and other youth oriented programs. Jeff is also heavily involved in administrative/leadership duties regarding the school and boarding home ministry. Their children, Jordan (May 31, 1986), Grant (April 28, 1989), and Lindsay (April 24, 1991) live with them in the dorm. You can be a part of Jeff and Joy's work. They can be helped by your prayers and interest and financial support if you are led to help in that way. It is a trying and stressful ministry at times and they would deeply appreciate your involvement in their lives. Their e-mail address is Jeff_Ryder@ntm.org New Tribes Mission address is 1000 E. First St., Sanford, FL 32771-1487. |
