He wanted to escape the violence and killing that existed in his Paiela tribe, but Sunday he became a victim of it. Tomas was murdered in a court argument that went bad.
Missionaries Jonathan and Susan Kopf heard some heated discussion in the village court, but it was all in another language they couldn't understand.
Then, out of nowhere a teenage boy got up and ran to where Tomas was sitting on the lawn and killed him with his machete.
"Our dear friend Tomas is gone. This is devastating," the Kopfs wrote.
Tomas was featured in the November 2005 issue of NTM @ work. He had been living with his Hewa neighbors because he wanted to hear the missionaries' message, and because he wanted to be in a safer area.
No one seems safe today. Fighting between the Paielans and the Hewas escalated after the murder. The two groups have been shooting at each other across the airstrip.
The Kopfs planned on evacuating at first light Monday morning to keep from getting caught in the crossfire of war that is going on.
"Please pray that no one else will be killed," they wrote.
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