Led by faith, couple serves others around the globe

For as long as they can remember, Kristy and Jeff Wilke have wanted to serve others.  

From medical missions to discipleship training to cross-cultural relationships, the couple has dedicated their lives to service through faith. 

On Jan. 15, the couple is set to embark on their latest adventure: serving on a medical vessel with Mercy Ships in Papa New Guinea, the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, just northwest of Australia. 

While they don’t know exactly how long they will be abroad, they anticipate at least three to four years. The pair will serve as ship directors aboard a medical vessel in Papa New Guinea, where groups of volunteers spend three-week rotations in different villages on medical missions. They also plan to orally translate the Bible into various tribal and trade languages across the region. 

“For 33 of these people groups we’re doing oral other tongue Bible translations,” Jeff said. “In a way, it’s cultural preservation too.” 

Jeff and Kristy met as children in Southern California, started dating in 1985 and married in 1992. Jeff was a public school teacher for a time and ultimately got his master’s in life coaching. Kristy got her undergraduate degree in Christian education and her master's in leadership. Together, the pair’s skills transfer well to the Christian mission's world.  

Right after they got married, they discovered Youth With A Mission, or YWAM, an international movement of Christians dedicated to presenting Jesus personally to current and future generations, according to YWAM’s website.  

Their YWAM endeavor began in 1993 with a three-month discipleship training school in Chico, California and three months on a cross-cultural trip to Mexico.   

Discipleship training school is the entry level school for Youth With A Mission members. It is a 12-week program where a different topic, cross-cultural relationships and the nature and character of God, is covered each week. 

While in Chico, the couple heard about Mercy Ships, a concept that used to be part of YWAM but became its own nonprofit in 2003. Ships of various sizes are located across the globe to provide essential healthcare and surgeries to communities that lack access.  

It was a no-brainer to join, Kristy said, and they spent the following year, 1993-1994, onboard Mercy Ships in West Africa.  

The ship could access any major port. On board was a series of shipping containers, each dedicated to being its own lab or clinic dedicated to various specialties: eye care, OBGYN and more. The Wilkes, using their background in education, spent time on board the main ship teaching at the international Christian school, where there were around 60 students. 

In 1994, a friend – who had led their discipleship training school in Chico – reached out to the Wilkes on a day when ship life was not particularly fun: a pipe burst and completely flooded their cabin and belongings. When asked to help lead a YWAM school in Lakeside, both Kristy and Jeff felt it was right.  

The Lakeside YWAM base started in 1985 after previously being used as an Air Force base. This year marks 40 years since the Wilkes started with YWAM.  

After three years, the Wilkes took over the whole discipleship training school in Lakeside, traveling once or twice a year with students on three-month outreach trips.  

“While our heart is really to serve the nations, this isn’t our only endeavor, our heart is also to train a generation to think globally,” Kristy said.  

Jeff said that the impact a person can have on one village and the chance to impact a nation were things he wanted to throw his life at. 

They held that position for 21 years, and although they no longer lead the school, they continue to stay involved. 

They went back to the ship in 2000 for six months to teach, a brief last stint before deciding to devote years serving in the southern Atlantic.  

“Ever since we lived on a ship, we’ve loved that ministry. Seeing so many people with different skills come together, the fruitfulness that comes from that is incredible,” Wilke said about Mercy Ships.  

Kristy has served with Canvas Church in Kalispell since 2016 and is now the worship pastor but is stepping away from that role in preparation for the move abroad.  

The ship will dock in Madang, part of the northeastern coast of the island of New Guinea.  

“We’ll never really need to leave the North shore, there is enough work to be done there,” Jeff said. Jeff visited Madang in April to help with some repairs on the ship. 

In a series of three-week cycles, the ship will dock offshore for two weeks, go to a few villages in the area, head back to Madang to restock and then head back out. Via these medical trips, the group hopes to build rapport with the communities to further build connections to help, specifically in the realm of spreading knowledge of the Bible.  

“Ministry often opens up doors to engage in meaningful relationships,” Kristy said.  

Most volunteers and locations have been planned out ahead of time, including multiple members from YWAM Montana.  

For the translations, a host of donated MP3 players have been donated, and volunteers will be working alongside New Guineans. The team will read a passage in pidgin English, the common language across the nation, and a tribal language speaker will help translate the passage.  “It’s an invitation, not a demand,” Jeff said, referencing the teamwork that has to occur for the translations to happen. “But if you don’t have the Bible, you can’t know what Christianity is.” 

The Papa New Guinea government is in strong support of the endeavor, granting Mercy Ships a 50-year lease on the dock in Madang. The government also waived dock fees and goods and services fees. 

“[The government] wishes they could provide these services, but they can’t, if you can't do it yourself at least you can work with others to do it,” Jeff said.  

On a medical level, common diseases the ship’s volunteers will be treating include tuberculosis and malaria. 

There is always the financial side to these sorts of projects, Jeff said, and maybe one day the local community and churches can help champion the effort by partnering with churches in Papa New Guinea or connecting with volunteers.  

It’s not about the ministry of the ship, Jeff said, but rather the potential of what it could grow into.  

“There are ways to connect and partner... what makes us better as humanity is when we extend ourselves to others,” Kristy said.  

To give to YWAM Montana and support missions like the Wilkes, visit giving.ywammontana.org/support/3335 

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or kheston@dailyinterlake.com.