Ukarumpa: Meeting the people behind the mission
by Ange Smith
Chief Personnel Officer
My journey into Ukarumpa began in a small Kodiak aircraft, winding through the mountain ranges of Papua New Guinea’s Eastern Highlands Province and descending toward a remote airstrip nestled in the valleys below. It was my first time there, arriving as the new Chief Personnel Officer with Wycliffe Australia. I felt the honour of stepping into a place I had often heard about from those with a deep love for this place.
Our group flew with a young pilot who proudly announced to us that this was his second solo flight. While we joked that we would rather not know that, there was such a sense of joy and focus about his awareness that he was doing something he loved, and serving God through it.
The purpose for this trip was to join our partners at SIL-PNG in celebrating 70 years of Bible translation work in Papua New Guinea, and to spend time with our Wycliffe Australia members living and serving in that community. I also wanted to better understand Ukarumpa itself – not just as a field location, but as a lived reality for those who call it home. What I encountered was both deeply moving and quietly confronting.
The most striking impression was the lifelong commitment of those serving there. Many have given not just years, but decades, to this work. Their passion is steady and enduring, marked by resilience shaped over time rather than intensity in the moment.
Equally powerful was the way expatriate and Papua New Guinean colleagues work together. There is genuine friendship, shared purpose, and a sense of family that has formed through years of living and serving side by side. At the same time, life in such a close-knit community carries complexity. It requires patience, humility, and ongoing care to live well together over the long term.
One of the clearest insights I brought home is that Bible translation is sustained by far more than translators alone. It depends on a wide network of people – administrators, educators, pilots, IT specialists, finance staff, and maintenance teams – each playing a vital role.
This trip reinforced to me that caring for people is not separate from mission; it is central to it. The sustainability of this work depends on the health and wellbeing of those who serve in every role. Spiritually, I return with a strengthened conviction that God’s work is often carried forward through faithful people over long periods of time – quietly, consistently, and often unseen.
As you read this, I invite you to stay engaged with this work. Please pray for those serving in places like PNG to be sustained, encouraged, and strengthened for the long term. And please remember the many workers who make Bible translation possible in ways that are often unseen but absolutely essential.
Behind every translated page of Scripture is a community of people who have given their lives to make it possible. And they are still there, faithfully serving.
Thanks for your patience...