NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

We would appreciate your prayers for us in the coming weeks as we visit churches, supporters, and friends! I’ve included a photo of our “home” for the coming weeks.

Pray, too, that Koleman would adjust well to spending so much time in a car.

Howe Newsletter Winter 2011-2012.pdf

We work with the Ash tribal people but also interact a lot with local Brazilian nationals that live up and down the rivers in our area. We hear some pretty bizarre things at times from our Brazilian friends! Below is an excerpt from my brother Kris’ email that we recently received.

-Brad

“Tanta’s (a local Brazilian national) dad was telling me that someone in the nearby Brazilian community had cut his hand in the table saw and one finger had been completely cut off. Someone there at the accident took the finger and buried it in the local cemetery and even put up a cross that said “Here Lies Part of ‘So-And-So’.” Ha! Someone told the guy that had buried the finger that he should dig it up because by burying the finger he would cause the person to die. So they unburied it and I guess Herbert, the nurse, sewed it back on. Herbert says that is shows signs of taking and it is pink. Something smells rotten, I just can’t put a finger on it!!”

My brother and his family (our coworkers with the Ash) keep us in the loop with some of their daily challenges in the village as they continue to learn the Ash language and build relationships with the Ash people. Pray for daily strength for Kris and his family! A big part of Ash culture involves weekly drunken parties. Below is an excerpt from one of Kris’ emails telling about these heart-wrenching events.

-Brad

“This weekend was big time partying as usual but it did seem that more people were inebriated this time around. Even Little Finger, a nine-year-old girl, was staggering here and there. It is so sad, and just rips your heart out to see the kids intoxicated. Lord, have mercy on their parents and their souls and may the day come soon when they can hear the healing, satisfying, and wonderful Gospel message! It is all I can do to not jump in and be paternalistic and tell them that they “CANNOT” let kids get intoxicated and that it is just flat out wrong!! But someday soon, Lord willing, we will be able to show them that based on God’s authority and Word!

I also had to play bouncer and peacemaker again. Pompo came back from drinking and was all angry about something and was animatedly talking with his wife Sofia. They live right next to us here so we could not help but hear. He kept yelling at her and talking for quite a while. Ko-Man, who was also inebriated, came over to try to calm Pompo down but he just kept getting louder and louder. I had one eye on the situation as Sofia has a one- to two-year-old boy that was there in the mix. Pombo finally did fly off the handle and was wrestling Sofia. Ko-Man, who is maybe 115 lbs sopping wet, was trying to pull him off of her and that was not working. So I ran over and grabbed Pompo and held him. He tried for a while to get out of my grip and go after Sofia, who at this time grabbed her boy and ran. Once I thought he had calmed down some, I let go of him and I sat there and listened for quite a while to him talk about his village, etc. It was funny as he talked about all these strange things and never did once mention Sofia or what they were fighting about. Pombo seems to be a hothead-type when intoxicated. He is nice as can be when he is sober.”

*photo is of a canoe-ful of the Ash’s local, homemade brew

Please continue to pray for Brad’s brother Kris and his family as they go it alone in the Ash village. Although, just to live in the village means lots of work getting water to the house, controlling the growth of jungle and weeds around the house, etc. they are continuing to try to learn more of the Ash language and culture. Below are some excerpts from one of Kris’ emails.

Kris writes: “All is pretty quiet around here. The Ash partied themselves out I guess and are all resting from the long night. There was a big barrel full of their homemade brew down the hill and a little canoe full of it up here but I think they have finished both of them now. I did hang out with them yesterday morning at the start of the party. One thing I noticed is that before they get too inebriated, these parties seem to be a place to deal with community issues. The adults were chewing out a teenager girl as she and a young man were caught in immorality while Tsiwiri (the young man’s wife) is still away taking care of paperwork in town. Twiwiri’s father was telling me that the young man never did ask to marry his daughter to begin with and how that was not good. Then he said, “He can marry this other girl and it is OK for Tsiwiri to be without as she is young and will find another husband.” So the two that were caught fooling around were in the doghouse and everyone was letting the girl have an earful. The guilty man was not around during this time.”

Pray for good weather and plenty of water in the river as next week Kris and family will have a JAARS airplane fly supplies into a community close to their Ash village.

Kris writes: “With the two days of rain the river came up a little so we have heard lots more boats going by. Our prayer is that right before the missionary airplane comes out here next week that it will rain and cause the river to come up so that we can easily boat back and forth from the airstrip with our supplies. If it is real low then there is a lot of getting out of the boat and dragging it over sandbars and logs.”

-Brad

Photo: Kris sitting next to Tsiwiri’s father.

Well, we are adjusting to being “home” again. It has been so good to see Rebecca’s side of the family here in PA and we rejoice in how God has supplied all our need as we make this transition back to America!

We thank the Lord for providing a car for us and an apartment to stay in while in the Lancaster, PA area. For these next four months we look forward to plugging in at Community Bible Church. In January 2012, Lord willing, we will move up to Allentown, PA and become involved at Faith Church for four months. Then, serious days of hitting the road will begin as we make a long trip out west to visit churches and individuals in numerous states! In August 2012 we plan to return to Brazil and our ministry among the Ash people.

These days Koleman has been enjoying getting to know his Stateside cousins again. There has been some adjustment for him with his new surroundings but he seems to be getting accustomed to his new home and meeting new faces. He loves to ride in the car and will often ask to go somewhere in the car. We know that he will be getting plenty of car time this year and wonder how long his enthusiasm for riding in the car will last!

-Brad

**photo is of Koleman and Mommy enjoying a play area in Florida!