On Picking a Location...

We have been thinking and praying about where our team should locate in the Madang region of Papua New Guinea. As I (Nate) personally have spent much time on my knees seeking the Lord for direction, I have been challenged in my priorities and motives. The questions that are very hard to answer in the quiet of my heart are as follows:

• As I give my life to reach a tribe, should I consider how large that tribe is? (maximum impact vs God desiring that none should perish)
  
• Should I consider how likely it is that another group will at some point attempt a church plant there? (we are willing to go remote - very remote, so should we skip over the more accessible tribes?)
  
• Should I consider a tribe to have access to the gospel if they have been given a shortened, probably garbled message? (at least one tribe on our list for research has the book of Mark, but no functioning church, only 3 possible believers (unconfirmed as they have not been personally contacted), and no mission work there for at least 3 years.)
• Should economics play into our decision? Often the most remote tribes are the hardest to access and therefore very expensive.
  
• Do I consider myself too highly? Am I expecting that if I personally don't do something that somehow God cannot?
• How can I make good decisions about these things on this side of the ocean? Although we have been in a very effective training program, we cannot know the situation well until we have experience there on the ground.

Thanks for praying for us, it is very encouraging to know that we are part of a larger team. Would you pray too for more laborers - people who are willing to invest their lives with tribal folks to the glory of God. Also, would you pray for our teammates (Mason Lockwood just got over malaria and they are planning on taking a second level language check soon.)