The Nakui-Iteri Story

Two separate tribes with distinct languages and cultures, the Nakuis and Iteris build their small villages only a few miles apart along the Arai River in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. Shared history has been anything but peaceful for these communities. Generations of land disputes, competition for food, and fear of sorcery has kept them isolated from one another, with tensions often boiling over into conflict and warfare.

 

At the invitation of the Iteris, a pioneer church planting team moved into the area in the late 1970's, which began a long work by cross-cultural missionaries establishing an indigenous and self-sustaining church. In 1991 a team moved into Nakui, and by 2001 churches were established in both language groups. Literacy courses were developed bringing about the first readers of these previously unwritten languages. The Bible has been translated, and Bible-teaching curriculum and other books have been published. A local volunteer medical worker serves the community's basic health needs. In 2010 the last expat workers moved out of the area.

 

These huge steps not only brought spiritual hope but have, in time, brought healing to these estranged communities. Once enemies, they now share a common Christian faith and vision for a better future for their children as they work to support a government-sponsored school. 

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