The Path to Kudjip At age 14, the communion-bread-stealing pastor’s kid that would one day become my husband, found himself sitting in yet another missionary service, with no idea about the story God was about to begin in his life. After listening to Dr. Joe Harvey speak of his medical missions work in Congo, Matt … More There and Back Again: The Woodleys’ Tale
In late 2019, High School Musical star turned Bear Grylls wannabe, Zac Efron, attempted filming of a new survival TV show ironically titled, “Killing Zac Efron.” The premise of the show was to follow Efron while he went “off the grid” for three weeks in an island nation with only basic survival gear and a … More Glimpses
We will soon be headed your way for home assignment. This is the time when we go back to the US for three months every two years to visit with churches, family, and friends. It is also the time when we raise support for the next two year term. Below is our schedule of speaking … More Home Assignment Schedule 2023
Since my last visit in 2019, Bana Health Center’s staff and buildings have changed, but otherwise life moves on, in many ways the same as it has for thousands of years. Gardens are planted, houses are built, and the main staple food, sago, is painstakingly harvested from the core of a tree. To read more … More Bana Health Center – 2022
(Written by Tammy) I try to go with Matt to the hospital whenever I get a chance because it helps me to get some perspective and reminds me of why we are here in PNG. Frequently while shadowing Dr. Matt, I end up searching for a chair, bench, or even an entirely different room, lest … More 2 Worlds, 2 Cancers, 1 Hope
The problem is there is no universal definition of what makes a sock unwearable. How big of a hole in the bottom before it needs to be thrown away? How many holes? What if you are attached to that particular sock? In Papua New Guinea, most people do not have the luxury of socks. Socks … More Socks
The ER was packed with people, but one stood out. She met my eyes right when I entered. Sitting on a corner bed, she was being supported by two women with her, both with smart phones (an uncommon sight in our part of the world). She was thin, wearing stylish clothes that seemed two sizes … More Being Made New
I remember when I held my first child. It was in the early morning hours of a clear, spring day in 2012. After undergoing a grueling marathon of two hours of pushing, a vacuum, forceps, and ultimately an episiotomy, my wife birthed a slimy, seven-pound one-ounce shrieking creature – our daughter. When I held her, … More The Nursery Mothers
It was the song that got to me. This story starts in a grass hut, on a bush trail far from the main road, late on a Wednesday night. While most of Jiwaka Province sleeps, a young man, drunk, enters his aunt’s house with a knife. He intends to stab her. In his drunken stupor, … More The Worry Song
When 18-year-old Maria brought her tiny, limp newborn boy to our hospital, my first thought was: This child is dead. Three days before she had delivered her baby at home premature (eight months gestation). Earlier that morning, her baby stopped breastfeeding and had trouble breathing. Maria rushed the infant to a nearby health center thirty … More Baby Pack STAT!
Woodleys Around the World 