From Emergency Call to Miracle

How God Built a Dorm in 2.5 Weeks

8 people. 2 countries. 16 boys. One story of impossible odds and faithful partnership

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The Emergency Call

Imagine getting a call from a missionary who says: “The construction team backed out, and we need to build a dorm quickly.. Can you help?”

That’s exactly what happened last spring.

A mission center in Papua New Guinea desperately needed a dorm building for their Interface program—where college students learn about missions in the jungle. Without it, 16 boys would be split up across various houses sleeping on couches, hampering their community and education.

The missionaries had a need and no construction team. No backup plan. And time was running out.

*The mission center in Papua New Guinea*

This is why Projects 4 Missions exists.

Missionaries shouldn’t have to choose between physical building projects and their calling to share the Gospel. That’s where we come in—as the “Handyman to missionaries.”

The Real cost of Emergencies

When a missionary has to stop language learning to figure out construction logistics, the Gospel waits.

When they spend weeks sourcing building materials instead of discipling new believers, relationships suffer.

When they’re on the phone coordinating contractors instead of translating Scripture, the work slows down.

This is the hidden cost of construction emergencies.

We’ve watched talented, called, equipped missionaries lose months of ministry time because they had no one to call for help.

An empty construction site, below a house on stilts — *The site in Papua New Guinea where we had 2.5 weeks to build a complete dorm*

Last spring in Papua New Guinea, the stakes were even higher. The Interface program is designed to immerse college students in missions training in the jungle. They learn together. Pray together. Process what God is teaching them—together.

In missions, community isn’t just a nice add-on. It’s essential.

Without a dorm, the program wouldn’t be canceled—but it would be fundamentally different. Weaker. Less transformative.

Young men praying — *The young men of a past Interface program, praying for the nations*

This missionary needed someone who could respond fast.

The Impossible Prayer

God, we need experienced construction workers who can leave the country for three weeks….

Here’s what we needed for Papua New Guinea:

✓ People with serious construction skills (not just willing volunteers)
✓ People who could miss THREE WEEKS of work
✓ People over 20 (due to safety concerns in a remote jungle location)
✓ People willing to fly to one of the most isolated places on earth
✓ People available within TWO MONTHS

Oh, and we needed at least 5-6 of them.

I remember thinking, “This is impossible.”

Most people we knew with real construction experience had full-time jobs they couldn’t just leave. The few who had flexibility didn’t have the skills we would need. And the timeline? Forget it.

But we’ve learned something about God over the years:

He loves impossible situations.

So we prayed.

And then our pastor introduced us to a family we’d never met before. They lived in Canada. They ran a construction business with their two sons and were just finishing up a large project, so might be available.

This family had a 20-year-old story from Papua New Guinea that had never been finished.

God wasn’t just answering our prayer for a construction team. He was about to answer a prayer that this family didn’t even know how to pray.

An Unfinished Story

Twenty years ago, Fred and Deanna McEntarffer were missionaries in Papua New Guinea with their young family. They’d been there two years. They were learning the language. Building relationships. Settling into long-term ministry.

Then one day, they got word that Fred’s father had been killed in a motorcycle accident and everything changed.

The McEntarffers left PNG immediately for the funeral, planning to return in a few weeks. They left behind a house full of possessions—photos, clothes, mementos, years of investment in ministry and relationships—everything.

But they never went back.

Life moved on in Canada and healing for the unexpected loss of Fred’s father was slow. But the aching loss of suddenly leaving PNG was an unfinished chapter.

For 20 years, they lived with the weight of an incomplete story. A house full of belongings they never saw again. Relationships that ended mid-sentence. A calling that was interrupted by tragedy.

*The McEntarffer Family in Papua New Guinea, circa 2006*

Last spring we were desperately praying for a construction team to help with the need in PNG and our pastor introduced us to Fred and Deanna – As we got to know some of the pieces of their story we also learned that they had construction experience and availability.

It is so great watching how God brings things together.

We were all surprised to learn that Deanna’s parents had served as missionaries at the exact same center where we were headed.

God wasn’t just answering our prayers for workers. He was writing a redemption story that would cross international borders.

The Complete Team

After the McEntarffers said yes, God opened doors for David and Robin Watters (the missionaries requesting the project) to join us too. Suddenly we had five men with construction experience and three wives to handle cooking and cleaning (trust me, it took all three of us, and we needed more help!).

The McEntarffers would fly directly from Canada, Watters from Michigan, and us from Nebraska. We would all meet in PNG.

The PNG Team - 8 adults — *The crew from Canada, Michigan and Nebraska*

But before we even arrived, God was already at work on the ground.

Young men from the mission’s Christian school had been preparing the foundation—learning to lay rebar, mix cement, and pour concrete. They’d never done construction work before, but they were eager to learn and contribute.

When we arrived, we discovered something beautiful:

This project was not us swooping in to save the day, this was a story of partnership for God’s kingdom.

This was going to be partnership.

Local workers would dig trenches for the septic system and excavate the tank. Our team from Nebraska and Canada would construct a dorm on the foundation poured by the students. Local women were on hand to help the American women cook.

Together—across cultures, languages, and continents—we’d build something that would serve the community for years to come.

Here’s what I want you to notice:

God provided exactly the right people:

A family from Canada returning after 20 years
Workers from Nebraska ready to serve
Local young men eager to learn skills
Community members ready to contribute

This is what missions should look like: Working with people, not just for them. Investing in communities. Creating dignity through employment. Teaching skills that last beyond the project.

First Steps Back – After 20 years

When we arrived at the airport, the missionaries (David and Robin Watters) picked McEntarffers and us up, and we drove to the mission center.

When we dropped them off at the house we’d be staying, Deanna soaked it in. Her parents had lived at this center years ago, and Fred and Deanna had visited them here with their then young kids.

She hadn’t been back in 20 years.

As we walked toward the house where we’d be staying, everything was familiar and foreign at the same time. She remembered the playground her kids played at, and the service center where her dad worked.

And then she realized: This is the house where her parents had lived.

*Deanna returns to the house where her parents lived*

Soon, she started meeting people who knew her parents.

“You look just like your mom – I remember her!”

Our fellow cook, Rosewita had been a teenager when she started working at this center, and had helped her mom learn to cook in PNG.

Other missionaries stopped by who knew the place where McEntarffers had lived.

With every conversation, you could see the healing happen. Something heavy lifting.

*eanna, Robin and Amy with Rosewitha and Kovina – two women who knew Deanna’s mother.*

The next morning, we met with the team and surveyed the project. We were excited. Ready to get to work.

But then the missionary showed us the full scope of the project.

And it was way bigger than we expected.

The Challenges

Day two in Papua New Guinea. Standing at the construction site in 90-degree heat, 100% humidity.

Here’s what we discovered:

❌ Septic system needed to be designed and installed (not in the original plan)
❌ Windows weren’t pre-made—we’d have to build them from scratch
❌ Electricity only sometimes worked
❌ Everything would take twice as long in the heat

Two and a half weeks to build an entire dorm suddenly felt impossible.

But we’d come this far. The team was ready to work. Sixteen boys needed this dorm so they could live and learn together. The missionaries needed us.

men working digging and framing — *The initial framing of the new dorm*

End of week one:

The framing was in. The siding was started. Most of the windows were built. It was too rainy to get a machine in to start digging the septic system. And almost all of us were sick with jungle bugs.

We sat on the porch one evening, exhausted, doing the math. We had 9 days left. The dorm didn’t have siding yet. We still had plumbing, doors, electrical, septic, finishing work…

It felt impossible.

Have you ever been in that place? Where you stepped out in faith, and now you’re in the middle of the storm wondering if you made a terrible mistake?

Then David suggested our team verse – one we’ll never forget:

“As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me strength. Psalm 138:3”

So we prayed for strength. We prayed to finish. We prayed for it to stop raining so that the local crew could dig for the septic tank.

And God answered. The rain let up for two days – the local team dug the septic tank. We framed the walls. We built the windows. We installed showers and sinks. We worked through the sickness. We trusted God with the timeline.

And slowly, faithfully, the dorm took shape.

The Final Push

Three days before we had to leave Papua New Guinea, here’s what was left:

Windows need installing
Doors need hanging
Electrical needs completing
Toilets, showers and sinks need to be installed
Wallboard needs hanging, then sealed and painted
Everything needs cleaning

Oh, and 16 boys were arriving the week after we left.

No pressure.

*A late night painting party on our last night together.*

But something had shifted in our team.

We’d been through the discouragement together. We’d pushed through sickness. We’d done the impossible work—working side by side.

We’d seen God provide every single day.

And now, in the final 72 hours, everyone worked like we’d never worked before.

Sunrise to sunset. Everyone doing multiple jobs. The five guys on construction. The three wives doing everything else to keep the team going, and even joining in to finish the caulking and painting.

It wasn’t about proving ourselves. It was about finishing what God started.

And you know what?

God was faithful.

Every piece fell into place. The windows went in. The siding covered the exterior walls. The doors hung. The electrical worked. The toilets flushed.

On our last night, we walked through the almost-completed dorm with the missionary and the local team of teachers.

They turned to all of us with tears in their eyes: “I can’t believe we did it. I didn’t think it was possible.”

But it wasn’t us. It was God. And it was partners like you who made it possible for this collaboration to happen.

The Impact

One week after we left Papua New Guinea, we got photos.

Sixteen teenage boys. Big smiles. On the mission center – living in the dorm we’d had the honor to build.

They were there for the Interface program—weeks of intensive training about missions, ministry, and following God’s call.

And they were living together as a community.

Late-night conversations about calling. Shared meals and prayer times. Accountability and friendship. The discipleship that happens in everyday moments.

This is what would have been lost if they’d been scattered across multiple houses.

Some of these boys will go home completely changed. Some will become pastors. Some will become missionaries themselves, reaching people groups who’ve never heard about Jesus.

And it all started with a dorm that almost didn’t get built.

But here’s what makes this even better:

The young men from the Christian school? They learned construction skills they’ll use for the rest of their lives. Skills that will help them provide for their families. Skills that will help them serve their community.

The local workers? They earned income that supported their families during those weeks.

The McEntarffers? They found healing after 20 years.

This is what dignified, collaborative missions looks like.

This is why Projects 4 Missions exists.

Because when missionaries don’t have to worry about construction emergencies, ministry moves forward.

When physical needs are met through partnership, spiritual work can happen.

When local communities are empowered and employed, everyone wins.

When people from Nebraska, Michigan, Canada, and Papua New Guinea work together, College students can learn about missions in true community.

Your partnership creates this ripple effect that continues well beyond the specific project.

Mission Complete

We went to PNG to build a dorm.

We discovered that God was also building healing into a family that desperately needed it.

We went to help missionaries.

We discovered that God was helping us.

We thought we were assembling a construction team.

We discovered that God was creating an international collaboration that would bless everyone involved.

*The team riding in a “people moving vehicle”*

This is what happens when you step into God’s work.

You think you’re just funding construction. But you’re actually participating in redemption stories you can’t even imagine.

The McEntarffers flew from Canada and found closure. Sixteen boys learned about missions in community. Young men learned construction skills. Local workers earned dignified income. Missionaries got back to ministry.

And it all happened because partners like you believed in the vision:

Missionaries should have the freedom to focus on the Gospel instead of worrying about buildings or equipment.

Be Part of the Next Story

Right now—today—there are missionaries facing emergencies:

A roof that’s leaking onto medical supplies
Electrical systems that are failing
Buildings that can’t properly house students or create community
Missionaries that have no one to call

We want to be available when missionaries call.

But we can only say “yes” when we have partners like you standing with us.

Partners who believe missionaries should focus on ministry, not construction. Partners who value dignified, collaborative missions work. Partners who trust God with impossible projects. Partners who want to be part of redemption stories that ripple into eternity.

Whether you give $5, $50 or $5,000, you’re saying:

“Yes, I believe in this mission.”
“Yes, I want to free missionaries to focus on the Gospel.”
“Yes, I want to support work that empowers local communities.”
“Yes, I want to be part of what God does in 2026.”

God was faithful in Papua New Guinea.

Sixteen boys learned about missions. Young men learned construction skills. A family from Canada found healing after 20 years. Local workers earned dignified income. Missionaries got back to ministry.

Let’s trust Him together for what’s next.

Make your year-end gift now

We love helping missionaries so they can focus on doing ministry. Our favorite way to do this is by hosting work parties and short-term projects that are easy for busy Christians to join.

Based in Omaha, Nebraska, we mobilize skilled volunteers from across the country (and beyond!) to respond to construction emergencies on mission fields worldwide.

You don’t have to be from Omaha to partner with us. Our donors and volunteers come from everywhere—just like our PNG team!

*A few favorite photos from 2025 projects*

Learn more at: Projects4Missions.com

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