The Work in Milne Bay

Many people in the Milne Bay province of Papua New Guinea want to learn about the Bible but are unable because of a lack of teachers. God has enabled Marcus and Diane Reese, together with their teammates Leslie and Loopie Williams, to help meet that need. These two families and their supporting churches are involved in a ten-year mission (2001-2010) to help Milne Bay people come to know Jesus, first through a new church in Alotau, the province's capital, and then through a broader outreach program based in Alotau.

Marcus, Diane, Hannah and Hadassah Reese.

Marcus, Diane and Hannah Reese are sponsored by the Westover Hills Church of Christ of Austin, Texas. They are also supported by the Holmes Road Church of Christ of Memphis, Tennessee. Marcus and Diane Reese met and married at Harding University in Searcy, AR. Because of their individual missions experiences in Africa and Latin America, they shared a deep desire to become full-time church planters. After graduating from Harding, they moved to Memphis, TN, where Marcus obtained a Master of Arts in Missions at the Harding University Graduate School of Religion, and where Diane worked as a church secretary at the Holmes Road Church of Christ. Hannah was born in 1999, and all agree that she is one of the best missionaries on the team with her friendly personality and cute smile.

Leslie, Loopie, Logan, Zack, Tate and Thomas Williams are sponsored by the Germantown Church of Christ near Memphis, TN. Leslie and Loopie Williams bring a wealth of talent and experience to this mission team. Leslie first worked in Papua New Guinea as a single in the early 80's. After meeting and marrying Loopie at Harding University, they returned together to plant the Hanuabada church in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea. When it became apparent that the Hanuabada church no longer needed them, they decided to move to Memphis, TN, where Leslie obtained his Master of Divinity degree. In Memphis they met the Reeses and began to share with them their dream of returning to the South Pacific as missionaries. Leslie and Loopie have four sons, all of whom were excited about returning to Papua New Guinea to help their parents. (And deep-sea fishing didn't sound bad to them either.) At the beginning of the mission effort, the oldest boy was twelve years old and the youngest was six.

The Williams Family