The commotion on her front porch told missionary Joy Elliott to expect more than another sick child or someone with a fever.

“You need to come quick. Paulus has cut himself very bad on the wrist,” a young woman spoke.

Jim Elliott grabbed a few first aid items and went running through the village to get to the man. Not knowing what to expect, Joy followed close behind with more medical supplies.

Paulus had been cutting housing materials when he swung his machete and cut himself instead. When Joy arrived, Jim was trying to stop the bleeding from the large wound.

When the Elliotts were finally able to move Paulus to their house, Joy started the process of calling in a plane to take him to a hospital. They determined that Paulus needed medical attention that they were not capable of providing.

The Elliotts were finally able to get the bleeding under control and start Paulus on an IV.

While dealing with this emergency, another young man walked up who had sliced open the front of his leg with an axe. After stopping his bleeding and getting him bandaged, Joy looked up to see a mother who had been patiently waiting.

The baby in the mother’s arms told of yet another medical situation that needed attention. The baby had a rag tightly wrapped around his head.

When Joy asked what the problem was the woman responded, “Oh, his brother hit him in the head with a machete.”

Joy immediately turned to the crowd of about 50 Morop people on her porch and announced that no one else was allowed to use a machete or a knife the rest of the day. The people saw humor in her statement.

Four mission agencies were involved with the logistics of bringing in the plane and getting the emergencies cared for.

The Elliotts were pleased when one of the Morop men said, “Nobody else would ever do something like this for us … only the missionaries. They are the only ones that help us.”

“That is about the closest thing to a thank you we have ever heard from [the Morop] people,” wrote Joy.

Please pray for Jim and Joy as they minister among the Morop people and present Christ to them in a visible way.