Elizabeth Thomas - Church Engagement Office Secretary and Port Moresby Finance

I am Elizabeth Thomas, and I am from Enga Province. I am the first-born of nine siblings. My family was Catholic and my mother had big Christian influence in the early years of my life. I also had positively influence by Catholic brothers and nuns in my primary school and junior high school years. During grade 6 (in 1975), I prayed and told God that I would be a missionary (specifically a Catholic nun with the Mercy Sisters) if He would help me go to high school. Sure enough, I was selected to go to high school, and later, even to college.

In my final year of college (1984), I met a handsome young university student in Port Moresby, our nation’s capital, and we became friends. I graduated from college with a certificate in Library Science. After a year of work, I married that same young man I had met the year before on December 27, 1985,

Steve shared with me about Bible translation work and SIL. Three months later we were in Ukarumpa working with SIL PNG branch. The more I was exposed to Bible translation, the more I saw the need and the importance of this ministry. One day I prayed to the Lord to give me peace if this was where He planned for us to serve for a longer period of time. He answered my prayer by reminding me of the prayer I had prayed back in grade 6. Interestingly, I discovered Steven had prayed a very similar kind of prayer when he was in grade 6 (in 1973).

Now, Steven and I have four children and adopted two more. Our three daughters are Dawn, Karol, and Sonya. Samuel is our only son. Our adopted daughters, Mina, who is now a seasoned missionary, herself and Alice is now a TV news reporter.

Though it is a basic management work, I see my bookkeeping work as one way I can serve BTA, the Lord, and the people of PNG. We need to care for this major resource (money) the Lord has blessed us with, and use it wisely for the purpose of providing the written word of God in the mother tongues of the people of PNG.