About Us And Our Work

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Brief Overview

Marcus, Diane, And Their Children

International Mission Team

Supporting Congregations in America

Congregations and Christians in PNG

Scholarships and Other Giving Opportunities

How To Sign Up For Short Email Updates (“Snapshots”) Or Reports

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Brief Overview

Marcus and Diane Reese moved to Alotau, PNG (Papua New Guinea) early in 2001. Together with Canadian, American, and PNG Christians, they helped to plant a church in Alotau and another in nearby Gama village–only by the grace of God! Pray that God will turn this church-planting work into a church-planting movement as the Reeses focus on that goal in 2008 and beyond.

Local Christians organized the 2008 area-wide retreat.

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Marcus, Diane, And Their Children

When Marcus and Diane first visited PNG in 1999, Hannah was still in Diane’s womb. She was born in Tennessee and moved to PNG after one year. She reads voraciously. Hadassah is the only sister born in PNG. She wins many hearts with her outgoing personality. Rochelle and Faith were both born in Texas. Rochelle is a sweet peacemaker, and we haven’t made out Faith’s personality yet, but she is a lovely baby. Diane has deep roots in Northwest Kansas where her parents, Keith and Judy Coon, are cattle ranchers and wheat farmers. Diane is an excellent writer, but she has put that aside for a while to focus on helping her family. Marcus also loves family time more than any other hobby. Secondarily, he is also interested in mission resources. Marcus’s parents, John and Beth Reese, were missionaries in South Africa until he was fifteen, when they moved to Austin, Tx, to work with World Bible School. Marcus and Diane were students at Harding University when God allowed them to meet and to fall in love with each other.

Rochelle, Marcus, Hadassah, Diane, Faith, and Hannah are happy a week after Faith’s birth.

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International Mission Team

Leslie Williams of Canada and his wife Loopie from the eastern United States had worked in other parts of PNG before meeting Marcus and Diane. Leslie and Loopie helped their teammates in innumerable ways, both physical and spiritual, and continue to do so. They have always lent great stability to the work. They were invited to be the missionaries in residence at Western Christian College in Canada 2008-2009. They originally came with four sons: Logan, Zack, Tate, and Thomas, but when they return to PNG in 2009, they will come with only their new daughter Baylee. Craig Ford, another Canadian, and his wife Jeri from the Midwest United States (pictured holding their Hannah and Caleb), joined the team in May of 2006. The Fords are incredibly responsible and likable people that are helping to move the work to the next level.

The Ford family is on the left, Reese family in the middle, and Williams family on the right.

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Supporting Congregations in America

Marcus became a part of Westover Hills Church of Christ at age 15 when he moved from South Africa to Austin, Tx, with his family. That congregation now oversees his work and provide for his family and their air travel. Some of the members have also formed a support team that prays and writes and serves in many ways. They are amazing people, an inspiration to Marcus and Diane.

From the beginning, the Support Team at Westover organized events to encourage Marcus and Diane.

Westover Hills leadership asked that we raise our work fund elsewhere, and God provided that through a couple of individuals (God bless them!) and the support of another great congregation, Holmes Road Church of Christ. Diane was secretary at Holmes Road while Marcus attended Harding University Graduate School of Religion, and an eternal bond was created at that time. There has also been a longstanding friendship between the Reeses and the Goodland Church of Christ in Diane’s hometown, and over the years they have become increasingly involved in the work in PNG.

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Congregations and Christians in PNG

The Williamses and Reeses began worshiping with one local woman and her children in Alotau in 2001. During the first three years, they continued to focus on that growing congregation while at the same time learning one of the nearby village languages, Tawala. During 2004 Marcus gained valuable experience when a local denomination called the Kwato church allowed him, for a limited time, to preach in one of their congregations. Then for the next three years Marcus focused on a local-language church plant in Gama village, working closely with a new Christian named Wesley.

Wesley has the wheelbarrow on this workday at the Gama church building.

After the Gama church was over a year old, a town member named Robert was able, with God’s help and the support of Leslie and the other congregations, to plant a new church in the village of Lautevateva. Then in 2008, he and his son in the faith, Lonsdale, helped to start a tiny new congregation in the village of Manubada, thus exemplifying the kind of church-planting movement we have been praying and working for.

Robert prays for Lonsdale at Lonsdale’s baptism.

As of mid 2008, the Alotau church had 45 members with 90 in attendance, Gama had 15 members with 30 in attendance, Lautevateva had 7 members, and Manubada had 2. Those churches are involved in evangelism and benevolence, and we praise God for their faith and love.

Marcus occasionally is guest speaker at the town church, which rents a school on Sunday mornings.

The missionaries continue to work with a number of “growth points” that are not yet congregations, strengthening new Christian workers on Normanby Island, Kiriwina Island, and in other areas. They also provide training for a locally started congregation in Lavora village. All of these locations are within the Milne Bay Province of PNG. Please pray for Christians throughout this province and nation, that they will be strong in faith and will reach the many others that God has prepared to follow Jesus Christ.

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Scholarships and Other Giving Opportunities

In 2007, Diane organized a scholarship program to show Jesus’ love to families in PNG. Americans have contributed funds and a committee of local PNG Christians led the program.

Some of the 50 kids that received help the first year (2008).

To receive more information, put your email address in a reply/comment (bottom of this page) and include the word “Scholarship.” Or if you would like to give money now, send a check to Westover Hills Church of Christ with PNG Scholarship on the memo line and also let us know at the same time.

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How To Sign Up For Short Email Updates (“Snapshots”) Or Reports

Hadassah took this picture. It represents our Snapshots.

Every few weeks we send out small Snapshots (picture, paragraph, and prayer request). If you would like to receive these Snapshots, please let us know by leaving a reply (comment) at the bottom of this page. Do the same if you would like our email addresses, or if you would like to receive our in-depth quarterly work reports. And please don’t forget to include your email address or we will not be able to respond to your request!

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