"We would NEVER do that!" An Update from Buzz & Myrna
- Apr 28
- 5 min read
Written by Buzz, long-term International Worker with The Alliance Canada
One thing we’ve learned over 38 years in International ministry is that we seldom can anticipate where the Lord is going to lead us. When my wife Myrna and I first came into this work, we never intended to start soccer teams. We never planned to start a craft project or produce a health booklet. We certainly didn’t imagine we would be involved in HIV and AIDS training initiatives, or even prison ministry. But repeatedly, the Lord has opened doors and has taken us to places of ministry we never intended to go, to do what only He could design.
These days, one of those unexpected ministries is inside the local prison. Each week we walk through those gates, and by God’s grace we’ve gained the trust of the guards and always have an open door there. Ministry at the prison is never quite the same from week to week, and often the things we do are very practical. We’ve helped provide seeds for a garden, and we’ve encouraged a handicraft project among the women, making small purses.
Recently, we brought dates for all the Muslims to open their evening fast and prayed with 6 women and 2 men. We’ve also taught about preventative health and distributed worm medicine, toothbrushes, and toothpaste. At the same time, we’ve been deeply encouraged by the opportunities to minister to spiritual needs. We’re able to share Scripture and the Gospel with rapists, drug dealers, thieves, and murderers, emphasizing Jesus' love for them.
Recently, I watched something that deeply moved me. Myrna was sitting with a woman who had killed her husband. She took the woman’s hands and said, “I love you, but God loves you even more. And He can forgive all your sins.” As she shared, tears began to stream down the woman’s face. Several of the Muslim women gathered around, and before long they too were crying, listening intently as we shared passages of Scripture with them.
Moments like this remind us why we’re here. Often while I’m speaking with some of the men, Myrna is listening to the women's stories, loving them and then praying for their specific needs. What continues to strike us is this: prison ministry was never something we planned to do. But over the years, we’ve learned an important lesson. We now never say, “I would never do that.” Because sometimes the very place we never expected to go is exactly where Jesus wanted us to join Him the most.
Prison is not the only place where God has surprised us.
It had rained all night. I woke early on a Sunday morning, not really looking forward to sloshing through the mud to the village church. Still, I put on my boots, crossed the bridge, climbed the hill, and made my way along the wet path until I reached the simple wooden building. As I walked in, I noticed mouldy bread and dirty cups. Somehow, the contrast from a month ago with shiny communion ware, crisp wafers, and grape juice didn’t seem to matter.
To my surprise, one of the women, Lemina, was teaching a Sunday school class using local language materials Myrna helped develop many years ago. Lemina shared how they had just returned from a ministry trip to the next valley. Men, women, boys, and girls from 5 villages had gathered, and they taught them how to use solar Proclaimers with the New Testament recording. They then led us in a worship chant they had just written.
Soon the main service began, and people continued to arrive. My heart was warmed as they sang traditional chants in worship to the Lord, the beautiful harmony and unique blend of voices, so familiar to this area, was a true blessing. Then Gopi, a local elder we’ve known for years, stood and encouraged the people to remain faithful. After that, a widow named Wedalien, who had come to our home a year ago to pray for me when she heard I was sick, stood and challenged the youth not to be swayed by the world and its temptations.
I was struck again by the role of the women. Years ago, many of these same women endured beatings and abuse from their husbands and had almost no voice, especially in the church. I remember one woman once saying, “We women must be quiet because we don’t know anything.” But their lives have been completely renewed by the Gospel! Now they are teaching, sharing testimonies, and participating openly.
After I preached on Nehemiah, the offering was taken. Two large nets were filled with sweet potatoes as people gave out of the little they had. When the communion elements were passed around, I held a small, rather dirty cup. The yellow cake tasted moldy, like something saved for months, but somehow the red juice helped wash it down.
As I walked home again along the muddy trail, down the hill, across the bridge, and up the airstrip, I couldn’t stop thinking, What a great service we just had. Moldy bread. Dirty cups. But it was our friends and their humble commitment to Christ that mattered. My heart was incredibly warmed.
In recent days, we’ve also seen Jesus at work in other unexpected ways. One morning, our good friend Pak Ismael, his son Uria, and two Bible school students arrived at our home. We shared a meal together and heard how God was blessing their village, but also about outbreaks of scabies and tuberculosis. We prayed with them before they began their 6-hour walk home.
After returning to Wamena, we were able to arrange a helicopter flight. Within 3 days, a doctor and nurse flew into Badok and began treating many children with severe skin infections. They also transported several patients back for further care, including those with TB and malaria.
Please pray for this situation and especially for Uria, who has been coughing almost non-stop. As we reflect on all of this, we are reminded again: it is not that these ministries are conflicting, but rather that they are contrasting. And in each one, God is at work.
We no longer say, “We would never do that.” Because again and again, the places we would never expect are the very places where God chooses to bring renewal. Through your prayers and support, you are also joining Jesus in these unexpected opportunities He continues to open for us.
What unusual or unexpected ways has Jesus invited you to join Him in recent weeks?
With our love and respect,
Buzz and Myrna
Here at First Alliance Church, we’re all about joining Jesus in the renewal of all things. Discover how you can support and stay connected with International Workers like Buzz and Myrna through FAC!
