Woodleys Around the World

(Written by Tammy)

As we travel around the States speaking in churches, we are often asked what our greatest need is. While there are numerous needs depending upon which aspect of serving in PNG is being discussed, our current greatest need in our missionary community is for teachers for our MKs (missionary kids). Please take the time to spread the word regarding this need. Post the flyer below on social media, print it out and hang it up at your church, contact the education department head from your alma mater, tell everyone you know!

You may think this is a trivial concern in the grand scheme of Kudjip’s ministry, but here is my personal list of reasons why our teachers are so VALUED and can be considered one of our GREATEST NEEDS:

*While missionaries might sacrifice a lot of things (living close to family, the joy of building a snowman, access to American food, etc.), we do our best not to sacrifice the education of our children. We attempt to provide our kids with a well-rounded quality education comparable to what they would receive in the States. Having qualified individuals who are solely dedicated to meeting this need goes a long way in ensuring our kids are meeting appropriate educational goals and standards.

*Short-term teachers also enable long-term missionaries to be involved in other areas of service. By taking on the responsibility of educating MKs, teachers allow both parents to be actively involved in ministry. If and when we don’t end up with a teacher, that responsibility rightly falls to the parents. The hours which I will spend either teaching or lesson planning will take time away from other areas of service, such as helping out in the hospital storeroom or speaking at bush churches.

*In addition, our teachers enable missionary families to live a more balanced and healthy life. Cooking meals and cleaning are a lot more demanding in PNG, not to mention the many facets of cross-cultural living and ministry which consume a missionary’s time. Last school year, when I filled in as a teacher (among other parents) for several weeks, I had a difficult time keeping up with my regular responsibilities as well. The responsibilities of hospital, home, ministry, and school inevitably put an enormous strain on our family as a whole. By taking some of the burden of educating MKs, teachers promote longevity in long-term missionary service due to a more balanced home life.

*Finally, once our teachers grow accustomed to their teaching responsibilities and schedules, they often find time to interact and build relationships with our PNG national friends. In the past, teachers have organized service projects for the MKs to do around station, participated in bush church services, served as kids’ church volunteers, and more. Not only do teachers benefit the families of the children they teach, but they also serve in the community as a whole.

What are the qualifications to be a teacher at Kudjip’s MK Schools?

*While we do require that our teachers are Christians, we do not limit this to Nazarenes.

*We ask that our teachers have had some experience teaching in some capacity.

*The ages of our teachers have ranged from recent college graduates to teachers who retired many years prior.

*While life at Kudjip is not like living in the remote bush of PNG, it is more difficult than living in the States for those who have serious medical conditions or limited mobility.

*As visas can take many months to acquire, we would ideally have teachers committed to coming no later than January. Unfortunately, this ideal is rarely a reality, as evidenced this year: it is already February and we are still searching for teachers for next school year.

Finally, our teachers typically serve for one school year. This means that we are usually looking for new teachers each year. Please keep this need in mind and help us build a network through which to quickly communicate this need each year.

As always, thank you for following our story and the stories of God’s people in PNG!