By Sarah Lipps
BannerGraphic Staff WriterThe last leg of the newly-purchased Massey Ferguson 1533 4WD's trip from John Shoffner's tractor dealership on U.S. 40 in Putnam County to the Samban village in Papua New Guinea will have to be taken by canoe.
Or rather, by two canoes strapped together.
And while straddling a giant farm implement between two long boats and floating it 15 miles down a jungle river may seem like no small feat, for mission director Jesse Pryor it may be the easiest part of the journey.
After researching dealerships in the country north of Australia, the 29-year-old head of Outreach International in Papua New Guinea, realized he would need to look stateside for a new implement to use in his construction endeavors in the village he calls home.
He returned to the U.S. in October with wife Karie, 28, and their children, Naleh, 5, and Elijah, 3, so she could give birth to their third child, Judah, at her hometown of Martinsville. While there, Pryor used the opportunity to begin his tractor search.
That's where Shoffner comes in. Through negotiations with Massey Ferguson International, the farm equipment dealer was able to bring down the cost of the tractor so Pryor was able to get an additional three attachments for less than the basic tractor would have cost him in Papua New Guinea.
Although a mutual friend introduced tractor buyer and tractor seller, it was their Christian faith which brought Pryor together with Massey Ferguson dealer Shoffner.
Active at Eminence Christian Church, Shoffner has helped with mission and service projects before with Scout troops and other organizations. However, this unique endeavor afforded him the chance to do good work abroad and make his first international sale.
"You can't out-give the Lord," Shoffner said of his effort to give back by working with Massey Ferguson to provide a discount for the tractor which he sold at cost. "We need to give, and we run this business as Christians."
Pryor's experience in Papua New Guinea began as a child. His parents, John and Bonita Pryor, brought their family to the village in the early 1970s. Since then, the two had been working as Bible translators for the ApMa People. It was a different lifestyle than most are familiar with, adapting to local culture and cuisine, although Pryor insists it is one he wouldn't give up.
"My dad said my brother and I should try out for 'Survivor'," he joked. "He said we would be the only people to gain weight eating the grubs and other things they have on the show."
Although the life sounds primitive, Pryor insists the culture is not as aboriginal as it seems.
"They are not in grass skirts and loin cloth every day," he said of the ApMa People, who do wear traditional clothing for ceremonial occasions.
Rather than Westernizing the ApMa culture and teaching English, the Pryors created an alphabet from the people's strictly spoken communication and began to translate the New Testament into the language.
Now, medical issues keep John and Bonita Pryor in the U.S. while Jesse has taken over the mission. Also, a graduate student helps to complete the Bible translation and is six New Testament books away from finishing the project.
"I always said I would never be a missionary because you always have to say goodbye to people and places you love," he said of following in his parents footsteps. "But never say never."
As he works in the village, overseeing construction for the school and other buildings, Karie, who he met at Johnson Bible College in Tennessee, leads women's ministry projects and teaches the language she has had to learn to read and write, to others.
The two also provide medical evacuation services for emergency situations, primarily bites from the poisonous snakes who inhabit the environment.
"Five of the top 10 most poisonous snakes live in Papua New Guinea," Pryor said.
In order for small planes to come into the village and take patients to hospitals as far as 50 miles away, the Pryors must keep a 773 meter landing strip open. With the tropical climate, grass and underbrush make keeping the unpaved roadway clear a constant battle.
In fact, rotting wood is such a problem, when Pryor's father John built a bridge over the river into town, he made it a covered bridge to keep the rain off the overwater roadway.
"It is the only covered bridge in Papua New Guinea," he said.
When bad weather keeps the medical units from flying, the Pryors are left to deal with life threatening situations on their own. One method of dealing with snake bites, he said, is to use an electric shock from a Taser gun.
"One mother wouldn't let us use it on her little boy," he said. "Within 30 or 40 minutes, he had died."
With nothing to cut the growth on the runway but a broken down Kuboda tractor that had to be repaired more often than not, Pryor realized a new piece of equipment was essential and began a tractor fund. Now, with the new implement from Shoffner's shop, keeping the airstrip clear as well as constructing a new medical clinic will go much smoother.
"He steered us in the right direction," Pryor said of Shoffner. "He didn't try to sell us something we didn't need."
The couple plan to return to Papua New Guinea in April. Until then, they will travel each Sunday, giving testimony about their work at churches around the Midwest.
Pryor said the tractor itself is evidence of God's work.
"The tractor we bought here will save lives," he said. "What better testimony than to know that it will save someone's life one day."Shoffner insists he doesn't have a choice when it comes to giving and hopes his contribution will only serve as a witness for the faith.
"If I can win someone over to Christ rather than sell a tractor, well than that's better than selling a tractor," he said.
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