Psalm 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him, bless His name!”

Dear Faithful Prayer Partners,
We pray that you are all doing well and have enjoyed this time of Thanksgiving. We are always reminded that this is not the only time we should be thankful; but all the time. We have so much to be thankful for. We are so thankful for the Lord’s salvation and working in our lives. We are thankful for the opportunity to serve our amazing God. We are thankful for all of you who are praying for us and who are financially supporting our ministry. Thank you all so very much.

MINISTRY UPDATE
As the verse above tells us to come into His courts with Praise, that is what we are going to do now. We are praising the Lord for rising up another financial partner for us. Thank you to Tioga Center Baptist Church for joining the team. This now brings us up to about 48%. We are getting close to 50%; which means we will be able to purchase our tickets for Paraguay. Please continue to pray that the Lord would rise up financial partners for our ministry. Please also be praying for our support raising as the recommended support level has raised and so has our start up costs. This means that 70% for us is going to be $3750.00 per month. This is a big number, but we know that our God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He will provide!!!! How about you? Would you like to be part of something bigger than yourself? Why not be a part of reaching the lost of Paraguay for Christ. We are looking for Missions Minded Christians to partner with us financially. If you are interested in coming beside us to reach Paraguayans, we would love to talk with you more about how you can be involved. Feel free to contact us to set up a time to meet with us.

WAYUMI
At the beginning of the month, Colton had the opportunity to attend a WAYUMI retreat. It was an amazing time. We had many different sessions and even had the opportunity to visit the tribal village. When we were in the village we got to try to figure out what certain things were called. The sessions were on what it takes to learn a language and a culture different from your own and eventually how to plant a church in that culture. Praise the Lord for a good refresher for Colton and a good opportunity to meet new people. Everyone who is interested in missions should give this a try. It will open your eyes to what Tribal Missions is about. The website is www.wayumi.com.

PARAGUAY NEWS

Who is to Blame?
The village was immobilized by fear. An 8-year-old girl died and everyone was looking for someone to blame. They were sure it was witchcraft but didn’t know who put the curse on the girl. Missionary Elijah Hall had just arrived and asked what happened. “Oh, it’s a very serious charge,” the missionary in the tribe replied. “If they think there is enough evidence, the person could be put to death. Usually the person they blame is old, or a woman, someone who cannot do much to defend themselves.”
In the midst of this darkness and suspicion the chief of the village stood for truth. He is a Christian and one of the elders in the church. This small, built older man is leading the believers to a new awareness of Christ’s power. “I am always amazed at how the Lord gives him so much wisdom to deal with these situations. First he will ask if she was taken to the doctor, and what the autopsy said, and then he will tell the other we have no proof of witchcraft” the missionary told Elijah.
“What wonderful things the Lord is doing in the lives of the people here,” wrote Elijah. “There is a church packed full every Sunday, five elders to shepherd the flock, and a room full of materials for the believers who teach their neighbors, once a week to read and write and share the truth with them from beginning to end of the Scriptures.” Praise God with us for this brave believer who is standing in the gap against those who are involved in practicing witchcraft and those who are fearful of the results. The people are growing in their knowledge of the Lord, but pray that they will have the courage to witness of God’s saving grace to those who are still in the clutch of Satan.

We want to thank you so much for PRAYING for us. We are so encouraged; knowing that you are behind us and bringing us before the Lord. Just like we mentioned earlier, we would love to have you PARTNER with us financially and prayerfully. If you are interested in knowing more about us and our future ministry in Paraguay, feel free to contact us. We would love to talk with you more and would also like to know how we can be praying for you.

Serving the KING together,
Colton, Tanja, Malachi, Noah, Gideon, and Jehiah Twigg

Dear Faithful Prayer Partners,

We are so thankful for you all.  We are so blessed to have you behind us in this ministry.  We want to thank you so much for reading our newsletters and for bringing us before the Lord.  This month went by a little slower for us and we spent a lot of family time together.  So thank you again for all your prayers and financial support.

MINISTRY UPDATE

This month we had the opportunity to be involved in two Missions Conferences.  The first one was at Summer Hill Baptist Church in Cortland New York.  The theme was Rescue the Perishing.  While there Tanja had the opportunity to share her testimony with the ladies of the church at a ladies breakfast.  We guys had a nice time of fellowship at the church with some amazing breakfast casserole.  The other was at Draper Baptist Church in Wellsboro Pennsylvania.  We also had the opportunity to set up our table at a Missions Dinner at Braintrim Baptist Church in Laceyville Pennsylvania.  We were able to meet new folks and we are so thankful that we could share our hearts for Paraguay with them all.

In the way of financial support we have had two individuals join our team.  This now brings our support up to about 46% ($2163.00), all Praise to the Lord. That leaves us with 24% ($1129.00) more to gain in financial support. Please pray as we try to set up appointments, we are finding it very hard during these rough economic times. So this is not a time to become discouraged but a time to lean ever so much more on the Lord; knowing, by Faith, that He will provide all that we need and that He will bring the right financial partners our way. We are looking for Missions Minded Christians who would prayerfully consider helping us reach the people of Paraguay for Christ.  If you are interested in knowing more about Paraguay or even how you may join our support team, we would love to talk with you.

A NEW MEMBER OF THE FAMILY

We would like to introduce you to the newest member of the family.  No, it is not a baby, but a mini-van.  We are now driving a 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan and we are so thankful for this new vehicle.  We really enjoyed having the Expedition but our budget did not.  With the economy the way that it is, putting gas into it was costing way too much.  Please pray for a quick sale of our old vehicle.

CHANGE

The one thing that I love about this time of year is the changing of the leaves.  This time of change brings cooler weather, pumpkins, jumping in leaf piles, and the smells of apple groves.  Sometimes change is good and sometimes not enjoyable.  In May, our family will have an experience in change.  We will be changing our lives from an American point of view to a Paraguayan point of view.  When you think of all the things that will take place during that change, it can make your head spin.  I have been told that your culture is what and why you do, think, and feel the way you do.  It involves our language, beliefs, and views of life, work, economy, food, manners, and even our sleep.  Everything we do is dictated by our culture.  Culture even tells you what the norm is and the right way of doing things.  So with that said we will be changing the norm in our lives.  Starting in January we will be taking a step in the direction of changing a bit of our culture.  We will be starting to learn basic Spanish with Rosetta Stone.  Spanish is the National Language of Paraguay and we are so excited to start this new chapter on our road towards Paraguay.  Please pray for us as we start learning Spanish, learning a new language isn’t always as easy as we may think it is.  Pray that we can be diligent. Even though this is a good change it isn’t going to be the easiest.  The same is so in our walk with Christ.  There are so many changes that we make in our lives to become more like Christ and they are not always easy.  God wants us to do our best for Him in our walk with Him and that even means in all our preparations for life and ministry.

We want to thank you so much for PRAYING for us.  We are so encouraged; know that you are behind us and bringing us before the Lord.  Just like we mentioned earlier, we would love to have you PARTNER with us financially and prayerfully.  If you are interested in knowing more about us and our future ministry in Paraguay, feel free to contact us.  We would love to talk with you more and would also like to know how we can be praying for you.

Serving the KING together,

Colton, Tanja, Malachi, Noah, Gideon, and Jehiah Twigg

Acts 1:7 – He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.”

Isaiah 25:1 – O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

Dear Faithful Prayer Partners,

Wow, another month has flown by.  It seems like the days just keep getting shorter and shorter.  It just shows us how important it is for us to be doing what God asks of us.  The month was a busy one, but we are pretty sure they will not slow down from this point on.  We want to thank you so much for all your prayers, the Lord has been answering your prayers and we are so excited to see Him working on our behalf.

MINISTRY UPDATE

We have had the opportunity to share with four churches this month.  We would like to thank Pompey Community Church for joining our financial support team.  We would also like to send out a big thank you to Munising Baptist Church for your generous gift towards our start up costs.  We are so excited to be working with these guys to Expand the Reach of the Gospel in Paraguay.  In our last letter we were at 34% of our monthly recommended support level.  We are praising the Lord that we are now currently at 43%. We know that a lot needs to happen in order for this to happen.   We need at least 30% more in monthly support. We are praising the Lord for what He has provided thus far for monthly support and our start up costs.

So with that picture, of where we are at percentage wise, we are looking for people.  Not just any people, but Missions Minded Christians.  Christians who want to see the people of Paraguay come to know Christ as Savior.  For those of you who are interested we are challenging you to take on 1% of our support each month, which works out to be $50.00 per month.  If you are interested and have any questions please feel free to contact us.  We know that because the national economy that this may not be possible for everyone, but the one thing that you can do is pray.  You can be praying that the Lord will rise up financial partners for us.

Many of you have praying for the meeting that we had with our sending church on October 2^nd.  The meeting was to determine whether or not we would be leaving on November 8^th.  Well the decision has been made and we all agreed that because of the financial state of the world today that we will wait until May 2012 to leave for Paraguay.  We are not upset by this because we know that this is God’s timeline and not our own.  We trust that this news has not discouraged you because we are not.  We are praising the Lord for watching over us because He alone knows how much support we really need. Please continue to pray that the Lord will prepare our hearts for Paraguay and for the Ministry He has for us.

ADJUSTMENTS!

When we think of our life now and for the future, the word that comes to mind is adjustment.  As you just read we are adjusting right now, but are not discouraged.  We know that God has His great plan before Him, we as His followers just need to follow where He leads.  In our near future we will continue go through adjustments.  When we step foot off the plane we will be adjusting our lives to a new language, culture, people, and way of doing things.  This word can be scary to think about because of what our new life will entail, but we have the opportunity to serve our Amazing God in the country of Paraguay.  This word should not come to any surprise for us as believers.  God calls us to adjust things in our lives as we live for Him on a daily basis.   Sometimes they are not easy and other times they are, but the one thing we can be sure of is the fact that God is in complete control no matter what is before us.  This time is a time to be completely reliant on Him.  We truly believe that He allows us to go through these adjustments to teach us and to mold us for something He has for us down the road.  That is why we have chosen to be flexible in whatever God has for us and our family in Paraguay.  We are praising Him for the things that He is teaching us through raising support and preparing for the field. Please be praying with us about the adjustment that will be taking place throughout these next 8 months and beyond.

We want to thank you so much for PRAYING for us.  It encourages our hearts to know that you are bringing us before the Lord.  We would love for you to also PARTNER with us financially.  If you are interested in knowing how you can do this, please feel free to contact us.  We would love to speak with you more about the ministry and Paraguay.  We would also love to know how we can be PRAYING for you.

Serving the KING,

Colton, Tanja, Malachi, Noah, Gideon, and Jehiah Twigg

Philippians 4:19 – And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Dear Faithful Prayer Partners,

As you can see we are doing things a little different.  From this point on if you receive our newsletter via email you will receive it at the end of each month.  We want you all to know how you can be praying for us on a monthly basis instead of quarterly.  You can also check out our blog at www.ntm.org/colton_twigg, as we sometimes have other things on there.  We are so thankful for all of you who bring us before the Lord.  It is because of you praying that we will make it to the field.

Ministry Update

This month has been a busy one.  We have had many opportunities to share with churches and individuals.  We alsohad the opportunity to be at our home church, Peoples Baptist Church, for Vacation Bible School.  Colton led songs for the opening of each night and this year they chose to help us to raise funds for luggage to take to Paraguay with us.  The kids did an awesome job and raised a total of $475.00.  We are praising the Lord at how He takes care of our needs.  On Friday August 26^thwe held a Paraguay night at Colton’s Grandma’s house in Groton NY.  We had an evening of fellowship and Paraguayan and American cuisine.  We also shared our ministry presentation with about 40 people.   For those of you who attended thank you so much for coming.

We are so excited at what the Lord is doing on our behalf.  We are praising Him for the 36% He has raised for us thus far as we keep pressing toward our goal of 70% or higher by October 1^st.    We are hoping and praying that we can leave for Paraguay on November 8^th.   If the goal of 70% or higher is not met by October 1^st, then we will determine on that date whether or not we will leave on November 8^th.  You all know that we serve a great and mighty God who can reach that for us. Please keep praying with us.

A Note from Our Pastor

CROSSING the STARTING LINE
What pre-field missionaries like the Twiggs face reminds me of footraces where the crowd of participants is so huge that several minutes elapse between the sound of the “starter’s blast”, and a runner actually getting to the official starting line.  For Colton and Tanja, the “starting blast” sounded in January 2010, and for these last 20 months, they have been running hard, just to get to the “starting line” of enough regular prayer and financial support to leave for culture and language acquisition in Paraguay, SA. 

As their sending church pastor, thank you for all you have done thus far for the Twiggs.  I can tell you that they have been “running with patience the race that is set before them”, and that they are eagerly approaching “the starting line”.   By faith, we are targeting NOVEMBER 8th as their departure date.  Humanly speaking, for that to happen, we need to see their minimum monthly support level increase just over 30 percent.  What would the Lord of the harvest have you and your church do?  For the sake of eternal souls in Paraguay, please act prayerfully, generously, boldly, and quickly!  – Pastor James Depue

A Glimpse into Our Future

Many of you already know what is in store for us when we first arrive in Paraguay.  But we would like to share it with you anyway.  The national language is Spanish, but just like in any other language there are different dialects.  They also have another language that they speak called Guarani.  We are really looking forward to learning the language and the culture of Paraguay.  This is our first step of reaching Paraguayans for Christ and is very crucial.  We will be taking on this culture and language as our own.  It reminds me of Paul, when he wrote in 1 Corinthians, I become all things to all men that I by all means save some.  We are becoming Paraguayan to reach them for Christ.  Here is one example of why learning the language of a different people group is important when reaching them for Christ.  The Sanapana tribe in Paraguay now has the Word of God in their language.  Because the missionaries took the time to learn the language and the culture, the Sanapana people can read the Bible for themselves and can apply it to their lives and grow in their walk with the Lord.  We need to continue to pray for them that they will understand the word and apply it to their lives.  Pray for us as learning language will be the first thing we start with down there.  Pray that we can be diligent with studying and learn to laugh when we mess up (as it is part of learning language).

We want to thank you so much for PRAYING for us.  It encourages our hearts to know that you are bringing us before the Lord.  We would love for you to also PARTNER with us financially.  If you are interested in knowing how you can do this, please feel free to contact us.  We would love to speak with you more about the ministry and Paraguay.  We would also love to know how we can be PRAYING for you.

Serving the KING,

Colton, Tanja, Malachi, Noah, Gideon, and Jehiah Twigg

DEAR FAITHFUL PRAYER PARTNERS,

Thank you so much for praying for us.  We appreciate it so much.  We are so excited; the countdown to Paraguay is getting shorter.  Novermber 8th is not that far away.  There has been progress in our monthly support and our start up costs.  We are praising the Lord for all the ways that He has provided for us and can’t wait to see what He is going to do in the future.

MALACHI TURNS 6

May was a busy birthday month for our family.  One special birthday we celebrated, was Malachi’s.  This year was his 6th birthday.  We cannot believe that six years has alreacy gone by, it just seems like yesterday taht we were bringing him home from the hospital.  Malachi was so excited to see his cake, which was decorated by the Incredibles.  He received many gifts and was really excited when he saw all the Legos he recieved.

MICHIGAN 2011

The beginning of July we headed out to Munising Michigan, Tanja’s hometown.  We went out to spend time with Tanja’s family and spend some time together as a family.  We had a great time going to the beach, spending the weekend in Greenbay with great friends, a day at Mackinac Island, and just the times visiting with family and friends.  While up there Colton gave a ministry update and devotional for Munising Baptist’s prayer meeting and then sang special music on Sunday morning.  We had such a great time relaxing and seeing people that it made it hard to leave.  Knowing that it would be our last time there for a long time made our time there more special.  On the way home we stopped and visitied with Tanja’s Uncle Rick and Aunt Kathy in the Jackson Michigan area.  Then we headed to Miracle Mountain Ranch, in Pennsylvania, to see Colton’s brother Curtis.  We can’t wait to do it again.

ANNIVERSARY

At the beginning of the month, on July 10th to be exact, we celebrated 7 years of marriage.  We were able to spend it in Munising and Greenbay.  We shared the day with our children and some great friends.  We have had so many great memories and can’t wait to make some more for many years to come.

MINISTRY UPDATE

We are praising the Lord for the many ways that He has been providing for us.  We are currently at 36% of our Recommended Support Level($4700.) and need to be at 50%($2350.) to leave for Paraguay.  We have all the finances to purchase the airline tickets we have been looking at and have started on our start up costs.  We are so excited about leaving for the field in November 8th.  On August 8th it will be 3 months away and it doesn’t even seem real.  We have tons of packing to do, many projects to complete, and lots of family and friends to spend time with.

PRAISES

- GOD’S PROVISION FOR OUR MONTHLY SUPPORT AND START UP COSTS.

- WE HAVE FILLED OUR SCHEDULE WITH CHURCHES TO SHARE WITH.

- WE HAD A VERY NICE TIME OF REST AND CATCHING UP WITH FAMILY IN MICHIGAN.

PRAYER

- WE NEED TO REACH 50% SO WE CAN LEAVE ON NOVEMBER 8TH.

- WE ARE STILL SEEKING FINANCES FOR OUR START UP COSTS.

- FOR MALACHI AND TANJA AS THEY CONTINUE TO HOMESCHOOL THROUGH THE SUMMER AND FALL.

- THAT THE LORD WOULD CONTINUE TO PREPARE OUR HEARTS FOR PARAGUAY.

We want to thank you so much for PRAYING for us.  It encourages our hearts to know that you are bringing us before the Lord.  We would also love for you to PARTNER with us financially, if the Lord leads.  If you are interested in knowing how you can do this, please feel free to contact us.  We would love to speak with you more about the ministry and Paraguay.  We would also love to know how we can be PRAYING for you.

SERVING THE KING

The Twigg Family

Colton Tanja Malachi Noah Gideon and Jehiah

TWIGG FAMILY UPDATES

Dear Friends and Family,

The Twigg Family

How exciting have the past few months been, many thngs have happened and we can’t wait for you to hear about them.  There have been some ups and downs, but the Lord has been good.  Things were pretty busy around here with Christmas and New Years.  We enjoyed the time we had with family and friends.  As this will be our last year here in the states for a while the Holidays were extra special.  We are so thankful for this past year and the way the Lord has provided for us.  We pray that you and yours have a blessed and prosperous New Year.

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On our way back home from Missouri last week we stopped to see my brother Curtis.  Curtis works as Programming Director for Miracle

Gideon

Noah

Mountain Ranch.  The boys were really excited to see him.  Camp was going on while we were there and so

Malachi

 we got to eat up in the dining hall, which brought back many memories for me.  The Ranch is one of my favorite places in the world and I enjoy the chances I get to go up there.  While we were there the boys got to ride some horses.  Words cannot express how excited the boys were to be riding a horse.  They had been asking all day and all day the day before that.  Malachi was all excited about it until the helmet came out and he saw the size of his horse,  I think he was thinking that it was going to be a mini horse or pony.  He eventually stopped freaking out and enjoyed the ride.