Called By My Name
The Walt and Vonnie Steinkraus Story
No one comes to the mission field expecting to be buried there. At the mission center at Ukarumpa,
Papua New Guinea (PNG) – headquarters for the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL) – a small cemetery
testifies to some who gave their lives to the work of Bible translation.
They have died due to illness, in tragic accidents on the highways or in the village, or have been killed.
However, for one family serving with SIL and who died in the village, only one small memorial plaque
exists to remember this family and the seven Papua New Guinean villagers who died in March 1971.
I have written this book to give tribute to Walt and Vonnie Steinkraus, their early Christian upbringing
and their motivation for Christian service to go to the farthest regions of the world to bring the Gospel
to people who had never heard the Good News about Jesus Christ. Their lives helped bring the glory of
God to the nations.
My thanks go to these who helped make this book possible:
Dick and Phyllis Meier, Vonnie’s brother-in-law and sister. Dick died in January 2014.
William and Faith Steinkraus, Walt’s brother and sister-in-law.
Norman Steinkraus, Walt’s nephew (son of Sam Steinkraus).
Wilmur Gertz, Walt’s nephew (son of Edna Steinkraus-Gertz).
Marvin and Judy Gertz (son of Edna Steinkraus – Gertz).
Bill Wagner, Walt’s nephew (son of Esther Steinkraus-Wagner).
Alan and Phyllis Healey, Telfol Bible translators.
Al Pence, SIL PNG Branch Director in 1971.
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