How it Started
This mission to reach the Pangan People got started when Jeff and Trish lived and served as missionaries in India. Sometime after arriving in India, they realized that using books to teach discipleship wouldn’t work since Jeff and his partner, Awor, were training pastors whose churches had literacy rates of around 40%. This prompted Jeff and Awor to begin researching how to make disciples from oral learners.
They attended a training by Simply the Story and learned a new method which was later adopted. During that training (about 15 years ago), there was a section where the group was discussing Acts 1:8. As they discussed who the Samaritans were in the story, the question turned to, “Who are your Samaritans?” Jeff was overcome with the realization that he harbored hatred towards Islamic terrorists - people that God loves and sent Jesus to die for. It was a very emotional experience for Jeff.
They attended a training by Simply the Story and learned a new method which was later adopted. During that training (about 15 years ago), there was a section where the group was discussing Acts 1:8. As they discussed who the Samaritans were in the story, the question turned to, “Who are your Samaritans?” Jeff was overcome with the realization that he harbored hatred towards Islamic terrorists - people that God loves and sent Jesus to die for. It was a very emotional experience for Jeff.
Unbeknownst to Jeff, that had a big impact on his dear friend and ministry partner, Awor. Awor later was invited to speak at a conference for the denominational leaders of the association of churches he grew up in - the Southern Tangkhul Naga Baptist Association. During that meeting he challenged them to take up the call from Acts 1:8 to be witnesses to their neighbors - specifically the muslim neighbors in the villages throughout the area that their association churches were located in - the Pangan people.
Over time some of the leaders of this association have caught the vision for reaching this people who are unreached and unengaged by any known group of Christians - until now.
