PHLI believes that knowing God, in a personal, transformative way, is the foundation for everything else at PHLI. In the same way a candle’s wick is often unseen relative to the wax and the flame, yet critically important to channeling that wax into the flame, so too is a person’s knowledge and relationship with God. A person’s character is closely related to this knowledge and relationship. It is when the wick is of poor quality that we notice the flame cannot be sustained. PHLI emphasizes discipleship practices and programs, so as to shape and grow a knowledge of God, building a strong “wick” at the core of each person at PHLI.

Once someone knows God, they can then begin to discover a deeper, more complete understanding of themselves. Jumping straight to competencies, without first developing character is like a candle made of wax with no wick. A person’s competencies can be developed, but if they are not channeled through character, they will often be misdirected, and ephemeral. Papua is a unique part of the world, with its own history, culture, strengths, and issues. PHLI invites Papuans to understand themselves, and channel their unique abilities, and address their specific issues through a relationship with Christ (God), so that the flame they produce is strong and robust. Developing personal competencies (when channeled through a relationship in Christ) then provides a fuel for action, for change, for bringing light to chase away the darkness.

Servant leadership is the core theme of PHLI’s mission. But service is the conclusion of the effort built on competencies developed through character. So too a candle’s flame is bright and strong if the the wax and wick are both of good quality. PHLI’s academic programs ultimately point toward service – throughout each program students are reminded that they have been blessed to become a blessing to others, they should excel in their studies, but their studies should bring them back to Papua to serve their brothers and sisters. PHLI believes that knowing God, in a personal, transformative way, is the foundation for everything else at PHLI.