From 16-23 December 2024, a youth team from Aletheia Church of the Nazarene in Papua, Indonesia, led by Ranny Martha Bandaso, departed to carry out a mission in Sorong City in collaboration with the El-Shadai Church of the Nazarene in Sorong City with Agus Triyono as local pastor. 

The team was comprised of 16 young men and women from the Aletheia church. This is the second missions trip that the youth of Aletheia have carried out.

The team prepared themselves throughout 2024 with various fundraising efforts, including washing congregation members’ vehicles on Sundays and selling food. Other preparations included participating in a program from the Sealands Field that aims to introduce young people to the world of missions, allowing them to not only see but actively carry out mission actions in society while making Christlike disciples. 

The team’s destination, Sorong, is located in the northern part of Papua Island and is home to a local Church of the Nazarene. The journey to Sorong was not easy because the team had to take a ship from Sentani, Jayapura, for approximately one day.

The activities carried out during this mission trip include the service to the Sunday school Christmas at El-Shadai Church, providing teaching curriculum and kids ministry story books, providing gifts for children, providing JESUS film video material, participating in the Youth Christmas Service, and serving in worship.

Erica, one of the young women who participated in the missions trip, shared her testimony.

This year’s ministry in Sorong has blessed me. There were many obstacles and challenges before our departure to Sorong, but God proved that we could [overcome them] because of his blessings. Before our departure, God blessed me because in every process, until we boarded the ship, God continued to help. What blessed me personally was during the children’s church Christmas service. I am indeed a children’s church teacher, so when I saw the condition of the Sunday school there, I was blessed. Although they lacked facilities and infrastructure, the Sunday school children were enthusiastic; they could even worship and listen to the story of God’s word obediently and calmly. When I saw the toddlers there, they were calm and obedient, focused on listening to God’s Word, and enthusiastic about praising God. When we provided Sunday school facilities and materials there, I could see the smiles and happiness of the Sunday school teachers, and this touched me and made me very blessed. I hope that what we give can bless and be used as well as possible for God’s work.

May the Lord bless these young people and continue to strengthen their hearts for missions.

--Church of the Nazarene Asia-Pacific Region