Caleb & Melissa Gibello
March - May 2026 quick prayer points
currently Stateside visiting partnering churches
officially checking the book of Jonah
Moka airstrip to stay open/serviceable
Holy Spirit to work in the Moka people while we are away
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Overview
Our Pioneer Gospel Mission in Papua New Guinea
Our family serves as pioneer Gospel missionaries in Moka village, located along the Turama River in the Gulf Province of Papua New Guinea. This is a remote and previously unreached region where, before our arrival in early 2018, there was no evangelical presence, no biblical churches, and no one faithfully preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We came here intentionally.
Our desire has been to take the Gospel to a people who had not yet heard the name of Christ, seeking to follow the pattern of the Apostle Paul:
“I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named…” (Romans 15:20)
Our Mission
Our mission is simple and clear:
To preach the Gospel among the unreached and to see Christ establish His church through His Word and Spirit.
What We Are Doing
Evangelistic Gospel Proclamation
At the center of our work is the regular and intentional preaching of God’s Word. We are proclaiming the Gospel among people who have had little to no exposure to its message.
We are teaching foundational truths of Scripture, explaining who God is, who man is, and what Christ has accomplished, and calling people to repentance and faith in Him. This is the core of everything we do.
Itinerant Village Ministry
Following the pattern we see in the New Testament, we are not working in only one place. We regularly travel to surrounding villages, bringing the Gospel to those who would otherwise not hear.
There are seven villages in our area, and we move between them, holding meetings, preaching the Word, and building relationships so that the message of Christ can spread throughout the region.
We are not waiting for people to come to us—we are going to them.
Language Learning and Translation
The people here speak their own distinct language, one of the many languages of Papua New Guinea. This language is unwritten, which makes our work both challenging and foundational.
We are learning the language so that we can communicate the Gospel clearly and faithfully. At the same time, we are working toward translating Scripture so that people can hear and eventually read God’s Word in their own heart language.
This is slow and demanding work, but it is essential for lasting Gospel impact.
Church Planting
Our goal is not only to see individuals respond to the Gospel, but to see biblical churches established among these people.
As the Lord saves, we are seeking to gather believers together, teach them what the church is, and help them function according to the teaching of Scripture. We are not bringing in an outside structure—we are laboring to see Christ build His church from within this people.
Leadership Development
For this work to endure, there must be local leadership.
We are committed to training men from among the people to serve as elders and deacons. We are teaching them the Scriptures, helping them grow in character and understanding, and preparing them to shepherd their own people faithfully.
This is essential for the long-term strength and health of the church.
Our Long-Term Vision
Our desire is to see Christ accomplish His work through the means He has ordained:
That He would save His people through the preaching of the Gospel
That His Word would be translated into the local language
That biblical churches would be established and strengthened
That qualified local leaders would shepherd those churches
We are convinced that this work does not depend on us, but on the power of God.
It is the Holy Spirit who gives life. It is the Word of God that accomplishes His purposes.
Our role is to be faithful—to preach, to teach, to labor—and to trust that Christ will build His church.
