***Please read the newsletter that goes with this post.***
We are writing this blog to give more details about the trip: God’s confirmation, the journey, the list of jobs Seth will be doing, our heart in this trip, and more. We apologize for this post being lengthy, but we wanted to be thorough. If you still have questions, please feel free to call or write – we would love to talk with you!
God’s Confirmation
Before we started to head in the direction of actually going on this trip, God prepared the way in several areas. Here are just a few:
- God gave us a “go-ahead” after consulting with our home church’s leadership.
- We have scheduled meetings and God has kept the month of July open as to not have a conflict and miss opportunities to share our ministry and raise potential support.
- Before notifying others about the trip publicly, about one-third of the total cost of the trip came in already!
The Journey
The short-term missions trip in which Seth will be involved in will be on the same island (Papua/Papua New Guinea) in which we intend to serve in the not too distant future. The island of Papua is divided into two countries: Papua, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Seth will fly out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 27 to Jakarta Indonesia, which by God’s grace we were able to find a ticket for $1,435! This is unheard of, you cannot do better; the tickets are normally $2,000. Seth will then have to fly to Papua and then will have to take another small plane into the tribe! Both smaller plane rides (round trip) will be about $500 each.
List of Jobs
Seth will be in the tribe known as the “Dem.” He will be in this tribe for over two weeks. Seth has performed various handyman and maintenance jobs and has also been trained by our mission to do various “special” jobs, e.g. solar power, plumbing, etc. Seth will be helping the missionary either work on/finish/build:
-Bed for the couple
-Beds for the kids
-Desks
-A lot of staining
-Plumbing
-Electrical
-Digging for septic systems
-Gathering stones for various jobs
-Hauling lumber from a distance
-Tables
-Stools/chairs
-Many other things!
Our Heart in this Trip
We were initially very hesitant about this trip. Many thoughts swirled in our head. Is this a wise decision to stop our deputation trail to go and serve another missionary on another field? But after several confirmations for this trip, we continued forward, seeing if God would stop it through giving us a speaking engagement or some other reason we could not control. We also decided we did not want to use any support anyone has given us to date. So that is why we put this awareness out there and to see what God would do through His people. We are already one-third of the way there! We know several people like giving to projects, which is why we are writing this letter. This brings us to share about the next topic. We know God will always be faithful to supply for us, and He uses His people to do His work in the supply for others, that is why we are sharing about a need/project.
This trip is close to Seth’s heart for many reasons: the missionary family Seth is going to help is his brother and his family. Jeremiah and Briana Stokes are tribal church planters (along with their children, Eden and Jericho) in the country of Indonesia, serving the Dem tribe. They are moving into the tribe, Lord willing, late this summer. Seth likens this mission trip to that of Epahroditus’s: a short-term trip to assist the main minister with hopes to encourage and relieve physical labor. The missionary (Seth’s brother) will be moving into the tribe with his wife and two children after the house is built. Then he will begin the arduous task of learning a tribal language. After that huge accomplishment, he will then (with his teammates) present the Gospel to the Dem people. Seth hopes to encourage and lessen the physical drain of his brother before that part of his journey begins.
Seth’s mother will also be going with him. Her goal is to watch the children while Seth and his brother Jeremiah are building the house. While she is supervising the children, this will give Briana (Seth’s sister-in-law), an opportunity to better adjust to the people and location and spend much-needed time with the people in order to build relationships and gather language data. This is just part of our heart in this short-term missions trip.
Breakdown ($3,000?)
God already provided approximately one-third of the cost of the trip!
-$1,435 round-trip ticket from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Jakarta,
Indonesia.
-$490 round-trip ticket from Jakarta, Indonesia to Papua, Indonesia.
-Over $500 to get in and out of the tribe (The exact number fluctuates due to
the inflation of gas.)
-If more than the requested funds come in, we will use that towards
electronic equipment (a video camera) and apparel (boots, etc.) that we
were going to purchase before we leave for Papua New Guinea anyway but
Seth will need for this trip. The camera will be used for the updates after the
trip. 🙂 We will keep everyone thoroughly updated on the numbers.
What is Nicole doing during that time?
We figured that since Seth is spending that time in Indonesia with his family, working and serving, Nicole will be in New Jersey with her family, also working and serving. 🙂 Nicole will be with her parents, serving the churches we are connected with in the area, as well as working various jobs (babysitting, secretarial, etc.).
How do I participate financially in this trip?
If you have given to our ministry before, this will be normal. Please send your check to our sending church:
Harvest Baptist Church
224 Harvest Lane
Natrona Heights, PA 15065
-Pay to the order of: Harvest Baptist Church
-In the memo section: Seth and Nicole Stokes
-***Add a post-it note to designate it “Mission Trip.”
–> This will help us keep everything accurate in regards to our support and informing those who want to participate specifically in this project.
*Remember the main goal; presenting the Gospel to people who have never heard the name of Jesus. This is one of the many cogs in a machine that connects your part of serving God to the whole machine working. This trip will affect the missionaries in Indonesia and the Dem people, and may even have an effect on the people we one day serve in Papua New Guinea. Thank you for your partnership, thank you for your friendship, and thank you for reading this lengthy update. 🙂
“Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour…
and he that ministered to my wants.…”
-Philippians 2:25
Stoking The Fires 