1. Who are you & What’s this website about?
We are Andrew and Donna Williams, from Brisbane, Australia.  Since early 2006 we have been living and working in the Indonesian province of Papua.  We have a daughter and a son - Kate is five years old, and Benjamin is nearly two years.  We are working with a mission organisation called WorldTeam.

The main purpose of this web site is to provide a means of communicating with our family, friends and supporters.  We aim to provide information, photos and multimedia which we hope will be interesting and useful, and will help you get a better idea of what life is like living and working here.


2. What do you do in Papua?
Andrew is teaching high school computer classes at Hillcrest International School, looking after the network at school and training local people in computer skills.  He is also providing much needed computer support to other ministries in Papua.  Donna's primary ministry is as a wife and mother.  She is also building relationships with the local people and helping with other ministry opportunities.  We hope that our children will continue to be a bridge between us and the national people.


3. What is Hillcrest International School’s purpose?
Hillcrest International School (HIS) provides the children of Christian workers and other expatriate children with a quality Biblically-based western education, from Kindergarten to Year 12.  There are approximately 170 students and around 25 teachers from many different countries.  Expatriate teachers at HIS are not paid by the school.  Rather, teachers are required to be supported by their home churches in order to keep schooling costs as low as possible.  Christian workers in Papua want their children’s educational needs to be met, and HIS provides this to allow them to focus on their frontline work.
 

4. How did you decide to work in Papua?
Andrew and his family lived in Papua for 11 years while his parents were working there.  Andrew is a former student of Hillcrest International School.  Donna had heard and read stories from those who previously worked there and already had a love for the people and the island.  It wasn’t a hard decision to go to Papua, God made it clear that this was His will for us.


5. Have you been to Papua before?
Yes.  We spent a year and a half there in 2002–2003, both of us teaching at Hillcrest International School, and we loved it!


6. Have you worked anywhere else outside Australia?
Yes.  Andrew worked for MAF for 14 months in Papua New Guinea (PNG) when he finished university, and Donna taught in PNG for two years when she finished university.  We actually met in PNG through a mutual friend. 


7. How long will you be there?
Terms of service are usually each three years long, with a furlough in between.  We arrived in Indonesia in mid-2005, and we plan to continue as long as God wants us to.


8. Can visitors come?
Yes!  We welcome visitors, it is an encouragement to us and we are also keen to introduce people to such an unusual part of the world, with its many needs.  You could make it a unique holiday, and/or there could be opportunities for helping out with whatever skills you bring.  Some people come for short term projects, others for “vision trips” to see whether it could be a future place for them to work.  Please contact us if you are thinking of visiting so that we can answer questions and help with travel advice.


9. How can I help support you and your work?
There are a few ways you can support us being here.  You can contact us and/or WorldTeam Australia and ask to be part of our financial or prayer support team - either yourself, your church or home group.  We have put a response sheet here on our web site (PDF format, 150Kb).  If you print it and fill it out and send it to World Team's head office you can indicate on there your prayer or financial support.

We always appreciate communication such as email, letters or parcels from home.  Or you could consider coming for a visit to a unique part of the world!  If you would like to make a donation to a specific type of project, please contact us.  We have a ministry account which is used to fund various types of special projects.


10. How can I find out more about the needs in Papua, or about the work of WorldTeam?
There is a WorldTeam website with some information.  If you want to contact the Australian offices, their contact details are listed here, and they would be happy to answer your questions.  Also, please feel free to contact us with specific questions.

Have you thought whether or not God may be leading you into working overseas in a field such as Papua? There are many needs here, both for full-time and short-term workers. Please contact us if you would like more information about the needs in Papua.  We have put up a list of current staff needs at Hillcrest International School if that area of service interests you.


11. What is Papua like?
A land of geographical contrasts, Papua has hot, humid swamp lands, rugged mountains, beautiful beaches and even a glacier, covered in ice and snow!  It is one of the last frontiers on earth, and its many people groups were unknown to the outside world until the middle of the twentieth century.  For more details you can read our Facts and Figures page, and also see our Maps section for a look at the mountain range sweeping through the middle of the island like its spine.


12. What is it like where you are living?
We are living in a town called Sentani on the north coast of Papua, about an hour’s drive from the coast.   We estimate Sentani’s population at about 70,000 people.  It has an airport which services the surrounding region, including Jayapura, the capital of Papua (see our Maps page).  Sentani is next to a large freshwater lake with an unusual shape.  There is a high mountain between Sentani and the coast.  Mt Cyclops is about 7000 feet high (nearly as high as Mt Kosciusko in Australia) and dominates the scenery/skyline and climate of the region.

The climate is very hot and humid, and varies little with no real seasons except the rainy and “less-rainy”.  Days are about 34 degrees Celsius, nights are about 27 degrees, with humidity frequently over 80%.  It's about a 10 minute drive to the shops in the town.  Actually it's about a 10 minute drive to everywhere in town!

We get asked this question fairly often, as it is a bit confusing.  Basically, Papua is the western half of the island of New Guinea and it is a province of Indonesia.  Papua New Guinea is a separate country, and it is the eastern half of the island.  Since it is the one island, obviously the land looks a lot the same, and the people look a lot alike.  However, since they are separate countries and have had quite a different political history, they actually have a lot of differences too.  For example, the western half was a Dutch colony and now has a strong Indonesian/Asian influence.  The eastern half had both German and British colonies and was then administered by Australia after World War I, it has more of a Pacific/South Sea islands/Australian influence.  You can get more information on our Facts and Figures page.

14. I thought that part of the world was called “Irian Jaya”?
That was its name for many years, you can read our Facts and Figures page for more information about its history and name changes.


15. Can I get any of your information materials?
Yes, we have several types of materials, including regular newsletters, a slideshow and a video.  We would prefer you to introduce yourself to us and let us know if you’d like any of these materials.


16. I have a question not answered on this page.
Please feel free to contact us, we would be happy to answer it.  Email is the easiest way to contact us.