We’re Steve and Gerdine, blessed with our son Oscar and twin girls Alice and Millie. Our journey into tribal missions began years ago, guided by a conviction to share the Gospel where it’s never been heard.
Steve, from England, joined New Tribes Mission (NTM) in 2010. A short-term trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG) had solidified his desire to return as a missionary. Gerdine, from the Netherlands, joined in 2011. Her initial goal was simply to deepen her Bible knowledge and live in England—NTM’s training center, which she found by searching “bijbel school engeland,” was the most affordable option.
We met during NTM training in England. Steve was set on PNG, but Gerdine’s path wasn’t as clear. After her first year of Biblical studies, she decided to volunteer in the training center kitchen to consolidate her learning. It was during this year that Gerdine felt a deeper call to missions, deciding to complete the full missionary training. Steve, having finished his training, chose to stay, unwilling to leave without her.
We became engaged that year, married in the summer, and then spent a year in the Netherlands for Steve to learn Dutch.
In January 2016, we arrived in PNG, eager to form a team with two other missionary families and move into an unreached tribal group. Choosing a country was hard, but picking a specific tribe in PNG proved even more challenging. With so many needs and so many places to go, how could we decide? We set a deadline, and the day before, we seemed no closer. Yet, suddenly, the Lord led us, and we became convinced: Kovol was where we wanted to be.
As we reflect on our lives, we marvel at God’s faithfulness. He has provided everything we need. At every stage, despite fears and unknowns, we’ve seen His guiding hand, and we’re convinced He will continue to lead us.
Steve was able to finish full time language study of the Kovol language in August 2024 and has been working on Kovol literacy materials and Bible translation since then.