Dear Partner,
I was able to serve on staff with this gentleman in my late teenage years. His heart for ministry was huge and evident back then and time has only made his love for ministry grow. While his determination for sharing the good news of Jesus love to some would say an unreachable part of the world has led him thousands of miles from Hiawatha, the decisions he made as a camper and staff member there, helped start a work in ministry that Mark and his wife Holly continue today. I hope you enjoy this month’s “WHERE ARE THEY NOW” letter.
Memories on staff and Hiawatha Youth Camp
I have loads of memories of playing sports, having fun in the snack shop, being forced to sing in the choir (wasn’t my best moment of Hiawatha but it was fun after we finally learned all the songs), cleaning the Miracle Building and being a counselor. But my very favorite memory was after I had graduated from college and I had been on a short term mission trip to Papua New Guinea. I was on staff for the summer and then headed to a Bible school to get more Bible training. I needed $400 for my down payment to start school. That tells you how long ago it was (1992 I think it was!). So I went to work for Hiawatha for the summer thinking and praying, “Lord, I don’t have $400 right now and working at Hiawatha is not going to pay me only $20 a week. That would be $80 at the end of the summer. Lord, is there any way that you could move so that Billy would somehow offer me $100 a week, just because I have worked there many summers in the past?” And then I drove up to camp and worked for the first two weeks but did not get a check. On the third week Billy called me into his office and said, “Mark, why haven’t you come into my office to see me?” I said, “To see you about what?” He said, “Have you gotten a pay check from me yet?” I said, “No sir, I have not...and I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that.” He said, “Well, I’ve been praying about maybe taking up and offering for you this week as I know that you will need money to start Bible school this fall.” I said, “You don’t have to do that.” He said, “Lets just let the Holy Spirit decide that one.” He took up and offering at one of the night meetings and gave me a check for $400.
Years I worked at Hiawatha
Who knows! That was a LONG time ago… but I’m guessing that I worked 3 or 4 years during the years of 1987 to 1992. I worked on cleaning the Miracle Building and being a cabin counselor.
My wife and I are currently missionaries with Ethnos360
We first went to Papua New Guinea as school teachers and taught in a international missionary school. It was very rewarding! But we felt the Lord opening the door for us to plant churches in the remote parts of Papua New Guinea. We moved to village in the jungle 7 years into our marriage with two kids and learned their language and culture and started to teach them the Bible. After years of training and discipling folks there in two villages, we saw God raise up elders and deacons in the village churches there. What an amazing miracle it was to watch God work among our tribal friends there in PNG. Over the years we have continued to translate, train and teach in both villages and then slowly move out to give them space to do it on their own. Our goal was to work ourselves out of a job there in the village and that is exactly what God helped us do. We finished our full time job there in those two villages and started a little Village Christian School were we hire 9 teachers and over 300 students attend these days from church planting in that area until there were elders and deacons in both church plants in the villages of Mariama and Anganamai.
Today, the Word of God is being taught and going down from generation to generation in both village. Holly and I our 4 kids moved back to the USA in 2018 to work at raising up and sending out the next generation of missionaries. We still work full time with Ethnos360. I am the Director of Mobilization which means that we travel to many college campuses in the USA and raise the awareness of God's heart for the nations. We are also the directors of a short-term trip program called Interface. We take 30 college age students to PNG every summer for a missions program and discipleship. We are still supported as missionaries by friends and family and are still blown away at how God has continued to provide for us every single month for the last 27 years.
We are so very grateful!! We love our job and today that means that we are in the USA for about 8 to 9 month and in Papua New Guinea for 3 to 4 months. Click here to find information about giving. For more information about giving to the Mariama Village Christian School email us at mark_woodard@ntm.org or call/text at (615) 416-1205.
— Mark Woodard
