My name is Ninau Herenie Ephraim and I am forty-six years old. I am from Mebu village of the Karo language in the Raicoast area of Saidor District in Madang Province. I was raised in a Christian home. My parents were missionaries who worked with the Lutheran Mission. My father was a carpenter at the mission station in Biliau, Raicoast. I am the fourth child born into the family. I have two brothers and six sisters. In April 1985, God sent me to work with SIL-PNG through two Australian Bible translator missionaries. I see now that God had called me to this ministry because I was not looking for employment. Papa God called me to this ministry and it is His business, not mine.
I met my husband in Ukarumpa. He was working as a Lithographic Printer at SIL Printing Shop. He was from Tunggak language, Lavonggai in New Hanover Island in New Ireland Province. We got married in 1989. Our first son Jeremiah was 10 months old when he passed away after being ill in 1990. Afterwards my husband also became very sick (with hepatitis B) and passed away in April of 1991, when our daughter Sheerah was only two months, two weeks old. She is now 21 years old. I adopted two other children: Marie Kaiyo Ephraim as of birth from a sister friend (not my blood family) who is now 16 years old and Fitzgerald Advent (Eddie) Ephraim was adopted from my younger sister who died in childbirth.
Since April 1985, I have served SIL-PNG in the Directors Office, the Construction Department, and the Language Department. I resigned from SIL on 2nd March 2012 and joined PNG Bible Translation Association (PNG BTA).
God has strengthened and provided for my needs spiritually and physically to raise up my children on my own after my husband passed away.
Today I serve as an Office Manager in BTA’s Northern Area Office in Madang. My children and I moved to Madang on Monday, 5 March 2012. We all continue to pray and we see God extending borders of the ministry that we are involved in here in Madang. My profession (Secretary/Administration) is keeping me in the office but my vision and dream lie in doing Bible Translation Awareness and engaging the PNG Church to be engaged in Bible Translation in whatever way they can.
My children and I have taken up this role with PNG BTA and are walking on this road in faith because of Romans 10:14 that motivated us, and to see Revelation 7:9-10 fulfilled.
I love what I do because of what Christ Jesus has done for me some 2000 years ago on a rugged cross. He died and rose again to life and said; "I'm going to heaven to be with my Father and to prepare a room for you. I will come back and take those who believe in me to that place I have prepared.” I know and understand that Christ Jesus is in heaven now and I am on this earth. It is my duty to tell every person so that they can know and understand what God's Word says.
We have JESUS, we have everything!
