We Christ followers eagerly help others find their new life in Christ. None of us knows what the day holds, so our perspective is the sooner the better. After all, Scripture tells us “now is the day of salvation.” But some branches require the sower to take a longer view to bear fruit. In 2008, MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) missionary Wally Wiley started Papua Hopes school in Jayapura, Papua, Indonesia. He was looking for ways to empower the local people, especially those from the remote highland jungle villages where MAF flew. The first class of eight students included kindergartner, Maria Weya. During Christmas of that year, Wally’s daughter, Jacinda, came from the US to visit her parents. While there, she also met Maria. Jacinda returned to America after the holidays, but then in 2013, she and her husband, Matt Basinger, moved to Jayapura as Paraclete missionaries. As a school counselor and administrator, Jacinda saw Maria almost every day. She says, “From the moment I met her, I saw Maria had a special way of engaging and connecting with people. Her smile was exceptional. She has a heart to connect resources with people who are really struggling.”
Maria received a government scholarship to study overseas. After high school graduation, she attended Seattle Pacific University and earned a BA in Sustainable Development. She is now doing her year of experience. I caught up with Maria a few days ago as she came off her shift. Here’s a summary of our conversation, slightly edited for clarity and length.
Where are you from?
I am from the village of Titigi, in the Sugapa Regency of Papua, Indonesia. It’s a small village in the remote highlands.
What was your early life like?
In the village, our main transportation was just the airplane or walk. MAF flew there to bring stuff in or take people out. I lived in the village until I was around five years old. Then Wally Wiley, an MAF missionary, started a school in Jayapura for children from the remote highlands. When I was 7 years old, a team came to recruit students to start the school that they had in the city. I was one of the students who passed the test, myself and three other students. There were five more from a different, nearby village. Eight of us were flown to Jayapura.
We studied there from elementary school all the way to high school. We stayed there in the dorm, and it was amazing. We could go and visit our family twice a year. That was very good because we were not completely separated from the family. We came originally knowing only our mother tongue, the Moni language, and a bit of Bahasa, the Indonesian language. In school, we were taught in Bahasa and English. So, we learned more Indonesian language and a bit of English.
The school started with the eight of us and it grew. I don’t know how many people we have right now in the school. Then in 2020 we graduated from high school. That’s where we started to go different ways. Some of us came to the US, some stayed in Indonesia. We all went to college.
I understand you just graduated from Seattle Pacific University. What did you study?
Global Development, but they changed the name a couple of times. Now it’s called International Sustainable Development. It mostly about the UN’s developmental goals but the focus was sustainable practices towards business and environment.
How did you meet Jesus?
It’s an interesting journey. It started when I was in the village dorm when I was in kindergarten. My view of Jesus was very basic. I was away from the family, and I felt like Jesus was the one who was always there. I had this idea that God was somewhere out there and was looking over me, was protecting me and things like that. When I went to the city of Jayapura, it was in a Christian school. They taught us more about Jesus and I received him as my Lord and Savior. But then during my high school, I started to challenge some of those ideas. When I was in the dorm, I was kind of following what other people believed. I was taught to do this or to believe in this, or to think this way. And so that’s what I did. But once I was finished high school and I came to the US, that’s when I realized I needed to own this faith. That’s when my faith became deeper with God.
English is not an easy language to learn. Where did you learn to speak it so well?
In Papua, in the Papua Harapan school where Jacinda Basinger (Paraclete Mission Group associate) taught. They were very good at helping us to learn English. They didn’t only teach in the Indonesian language but also in English. We met lots of English teachers as well and people from America. We had to speak in English. I learned more when I had an English teacher that I still remember. Her name is Stephanie Bonn . She’s very special. She was also called to serve in Papua when she heard about our stories. She sold everything that she had, moved to Indonesia for a couple years, and dedicated her life to just teach us English. She made it very fun and was very productive in the way she taught. Then when I moved to the US for college I was forced to speak in English.
It’s called sink or swim.
Yeah, no option at all. But it was very effective.
Not everybody from a village in the Papuan highlands or anywhere like that gets to have a university education, especially in another country. What sort of obstacles did the Lord help you overcome?
When I first moved to the US, the culture was a big deal. [I had to learn] how to greet others, about boundaries, about how we spend time with each other. It was very difficult. I had to deal with it. And the weather was also a struggle for me. I remember after two months, I called Jacinda and said “I cannot stay here. I want to move somewhere else.” She said, “OK, you can move to California. But people usually spend some more time. In the next few months, if you want to move, we can move you.” Then, after I stayed for another three months, I was like, OK, I don’t think I’m going to move out of this place.
Technology was also a struggle when I went to school, especially when we had the COVID and had to rely on it for school. Then, I found that some churches supported things that I personally didn’t agree with, things contrary to what the Bible teaches. Also just living by myself. When I was back home, I had all of these people who supported me, who told me what to do. I was just following them. Here, no one was telling me what to do. I had to basically be independent and self-advocate. For example, when I was job hunting and going to interviews, finding apartments, deciding who to spend time with, what to do on my free time, and so on.
I see you’re wearing a staff lanyard. What kind of job are you doing now?
I just finished work a couple minutes ago. I’m working with Seattle Union Gospel Mission. It’s a women and childrens shelter in Seattle. I’m working as a child and youth associate .
What do you feel like the Lord is leading you to do?
I think my ultimate goal of life is to give back to the Papuan people. I might go to take a master’s degree, or I might do some work here in the US, or another place like in Indonesia. But my goal is to get knowledge and experience and then to go back to Papua and to help my people. I’m not sure in which area but, right now, I have like this big interest for serving children and youth. So probably in this area. Other areas that I’m very interested in are health education and local business. So, anything that relates to these interests. The goal is to give Papuans a chance for a better life. That’s what I’m thinking right now, but I’m not very sure what God will have for me in the future. I just know that I have to do something for our people. But, at the moment, I want to focus my life on doing the work that I’m doing right now, which is helping the children here.
We have an English phrase you’ve probably heard that says, “Bloom where you’re planted.”
Yes. I like that.
Last question: The teenage years can be hard. What would you advise girls just starting out?
That’s a hard question to think about at the moment. If I was to advise someone at my age who I imagine is in a similar position like I was, it would be this: [the] connections and relationships that we have with people are very important in determining who we become. Some people, if we are not careful enough, can set us to a road we do not want to be on. While others set us for growth and success. People who pray for you, who won’t’ hesitate to help you, cry and laugh when you are, who fix you when you are in the wrong, who want the best for you, those are your people. God put them in your life to set you up for success. Don’t take the connection for granted.
Also to ask for advice from those people. They know a lot in life and can save you a ton of time from making the mistakes our own and having to learn from them again. It’s wise to consult with the people that you trust and feel like God put them in your life, instead of doing things just in your own way. I’m thinking about Jacinda Basinger who has helped me so much in figuring life in general. I look up to her a lot.