Andy and Fonda Kline Ministry news and information for you... 
I was with some friends recently when Ron, a tribal church planter with NTM received a cell phone call. We listened as he began responding in a language none of us recognized.
A tribal man had called Ron from his village in the jungles of South America. The man had cancer and was trying to get treatment. Ron and his co-worker had left a cell phone & antenna in the village that was capable of connecting with the nearest town and now Ron was able to help this tribal man receive the treatment he needed.
Things have changed in our world, but this is a real- time example of how this change has impacted every area of our lives and ministries over the last few decades. Technology is creating opportunities we never could have imagined.
As awesome as technology is, it will never do away with the need for face to face cross cultural evangelism. The tribal people Ron worked with are linguistically and culturally isolated. Ron would never have learned the language and culture over a cell phone, a regular phone or even via video conferencing. He was able to converse at this level because of the years he spent living among the tribal people.
Ron’s language helper said to him recently: “When you know our language well enough to give us the message, I will believe it because of the way you live.” Technology will never become a substitute for building relationships with people. There are no shortcuts to cross-cultural church planting.
Due to political upheaval, Ron and his family had to move out of the tribal village. This tribe and thousands of other tribal groups around the world are starting to experience change due to the proliferation of technology, but when it comes to the truth of the Gospel they are still isolated as ever due to their language, culture and unique worldview.
Things are also changing in NTM’s US training program. We have integrated our Missions Institute course with our Language Institute course and we have consolidated all our facilities and staff on the campus of our former Language Institute in Camdenton, Missouri.
We have not changed our commitment to tribal church planting, the clear message of the Gospel of Grace and the power of the Word of God.
Fonda and I have been a part of NTM’s training program for over 14 years and through your faithful support and prayers we have seen church planters prepared and sent out to over 20 countries. We are looking forward to seeing how God continues to use the Missionary Training Center to spread the unchanging Gospel to the unreached people of the world.
