“It’s hard to be a Christian in Masa. We live among people who are not interested in Jesus, who make fun of us, slander us and harm us.” What a harsh reality for the Iski people of the Masa village!

The Iski live in the swampy lowlands of Papua New Guinea, where no roads or airstrips exist. The only way in and out is the helicopter. So with the help of Ethnos360 Aviation, a church planting team brought the gospel to the Iski village of Oguru in 2017.

In 2019, the Oguru believers reached out to the Masa village of their own people group, and many believed. But for the last year, no missionary has been able to visit Masa to follow up on them.

Did that stop God’s Word? “The Lord is building His church with or without missionaries!” wrote French missionary Aurélie Tousch. Her husband visited Masa this March, “And what André  saw during his visit simply amazed him.”

“These young Christians live in the midst of the world and live the reality of these words of Jesus: ‘Do not be surprised if the world hates you,’” she wrote. “What is the reaction of [the Masa] Christians to this opposition? ‘We are trying to show the love of Jesus, to do good to those who hate us.’”

As a result, more than 60 people recently asked the church in Masa to teach them through the story of Jesus, and some of the trained believers have started the teaching.

Pray for believers to stand strong in the face of opposition.