Dave and Jenny Crawford Just another weblog Crawford’s Update November 2011
November 2011
Greetings from Minnesota,
We recently returned from another long trip. The timing was just right for us to enjoy the beautiful fall colors as we traveled. This trip was to South Carolina where we were able to spend time getting to know three of our grandchildren. We had been with our daughter Jana in 2006 when her first child, a daughter – Anastasia was was born. Then we returned to the mission field. Since then Jana and her husband, Scott, have added two more girls to their to their family, Charis (now 2) and Petra (born this past August). While we were there Scott and I attended a Bible Conference in Philadelphia, PA. This trip also provided opportunity to attend several church functions, as well as visiting some of our former missionary co-workers (e.g.: Art & Donna Salatin, and Roy and Linda Milton). We were also able to visit the Creation Museum in Petersburg, KY. That was very interesting. That Museum is testimony to the inerrancy of the Word of God and presents powerful support for creation as opposed to evolution.
Since we have been back in Minneapolis, we have been attending a series of church sponsored meetings, seminars, and conferences. The main focus is on Missions. It has been refreshing and faith challenging to review so much of what God has to say about taking the gospel of Christ to the whole world. It has also been interesting to notice some of the current world trends that are having an effect on missions.
We have reached a decision for our date to return to the mission field. Our target date is to leave the States on 10 January 2012. We have ordered our tickets in faith with confidence that the Lord will provide for the price. We need close to $2,500 to cover our tickets and related travel costs. Pray with us that these funds will be available soon. Pray also that we will be able to switch into a “return-to-the-field” mode. We need to be making decisions about what to take back with us, as well as packing up things we are leaving. Our living space in our house needs to be usable by others while we are gone.
We continually marvel at the provision of the Lord. And we are thankful to each of you who have a part in those provisions through your prayers and financial support. Thank You!
Psalm 96
1 ¶ O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.
4 For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
8 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
10 ¶ Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved:
he shall judge the people righteously.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice 13 Before the LORD:
for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
Yours by His Grace,
Dave & Jenny
New Tribes Mission
Indonesia Field
HOME ASSIGNMENT – 2011 NTM HEADQUARTERS ADDRESS
Dave & Jenny Crawford NEW TRIBES MISSION
2673 77th Blvd N 1000 E First Street
Brooklyn Park, MN 55444 Sanford, FL 32771
U. S. A. U. S. A.
Cell Phone: 763-219-0314
Email: Dave_Crawford@ntm.org www.ntm.org
Crawford Update
September 2011
Greetings,
We have had a busy summer. In June we had a family gathering in Michigan with our complete immediate family attending. We had a great week together with our 6 children and 14 grandchildren. During that time Jenny and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary.
After our get-to-gether we spent a week attending the New Tribes Mission summer conference in Missouri. That was a good time catching up with fellow missionaries whom we have not seen in years as well as getting to meet a lot of new members of the mission. It was also good to receive updates from mission leaders. The most enriching part of the conference was the daily teaching we received from the Word.
Following the Mission conference we traveled to Oklahoma where we were able to reunite with many of our supporting churches, friends, and family.
The Lord’s love and faithfulness was demonstrated time and again during our travels. For example: Our car broke down on us while traveling on the Interstate. We were able to get to a safe place and work out the necessary towing and repairs, the costs being graciously provided for by the Lord’s grace. One of our supporting churches has paid for us to get a new laptop computer, as our old one was starting to have “issues”. The most precious of all was the time of sweet fellowship we shared with the folks we visited.
We were able to return to Minneapolis in time to enroll in an introductory Greek course. The intent of the course was to introduce us to the basics of biblical Greek. Upon completion of the 6 week course, we are able to tell you that it is all Greek to us. J Although Jenny and I didn’t master Greek, we did learn a lot about how to use Greek for deeper Bible Study.
In August we were “Camp Missionaries” at a young peoples’ Bible Camp held in northern Wisconsin. Later in August we were able to join our daughter and her family (Kevin & Jennifer + 6 grandkids) and spend 4 nights on Minnesota’s “North Shore” of Lake Superior. The rustic forest and lake area is truly inspirational, and it was a blessing to spend that brief time there.
On 25 August our daughter and her husband, Scott and Jana, gave us another granddaughter. They have named her: Petra Evangeline. We now have 15 grandchildren.
Recently, a friend at church asked us what real evidence of conversion were we able to see among the tribal people we work with in Indonesia. We were able to share with him several accounts that illustrate how the truth of God’s Word has changed tribal men and women.
Following is another such account that we just received from our co-workers in Borneo.
“A Testimony” by Gaeng and Kamisa-a tribal couple who recently lost their only child, a 12-year old son, Jonathan (July 2011). The boy was only sick for 2 days, and possibly died of meningitis.
Last week in church, Gaeng read I Peter 1:13-25. Verse 14 reads, “.Behave like obedient children. Don’t let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be.” Then he went on to relate this story:
“My cousin died last week of uterine cancer while we were away from the village at the believers’ conference. It’s only been three weeks since (my only child), Jonathan, died. We didn’t know of my cousin’s death until we arrived home. As we were making preparations for her funeral and making the coffin, someone asked me for my axe. I went to get it and found it was gone. Further searching revealed that everything that was sharp-knives, machetes, sharp tin, etc. was missing from my house! Then I realized what had happened. When my cousin died, my friends were fearful that our grief would overwhelm us and we would try to harm ourselves if there was anything sharp in the house. So they collected everything sharp and hid it! It’s true that we’ve cried, but we have also had opportunity to sing-praising God. Job’s example has strengthened me. My eyes are on Heaven now in a way that they weren’t before.
Many Indonesian Dayak people go to Sarawak, Malaysia, to work, hoping for a return that they can bring back home with them to the village. Kamisa and I realize that we are only “merantau” (working away from home) looking for a return that we can take home to heaven with us. We had the job of training Jonathan for 12 years. He was a believer for 5 years. And he had opportunity, even as young as he was, to make a difference in an older man’s life! He told our friend, Peter, “Don’t be wasting your time drinking-try studying God’s Word!” And Peter listened to him and studied God’s Word and now is a believer! We were thinking a lot about all the details of sending Jonathan to junior high school. Now Jonathan is at home with the Father and doesn’t need to go to junior high school. We are still here and now we are working, not for Jonathan’s needs, but so that we have more to take home to Heaven with us when we go! I Cor. 10:13 tells us that nothing happens to us that others don’t go through as well. II Cor. 1:3-4 tells us that one of God’s purposes in this tragedy is that we can help comfort others.”
Yours By His Grace, Dave & Jenny Dave & Jenny Crawford with New Tribes Mission, serving in INDONESIA
Home Assignment Address: 2673 77th Blvd N, Brooklyn Park, MN 55444, Phone 763-219-3014 Email: Dave_Crawford@ntm.org
Home office: New Tribes Mission, 1000 E. First St, Sanford, FL 32771, www.ntm.org
Crawford Update – June 2011
June 2011
Greetings in the Lord,
Things are more than well thawed out here in the North (Minneapolis, MN). Our patio thermometer (which only has markings up to 95 degrees, but goes down to minus 40) might have a heat stroke today, if such a thing were possible. The official temperature reached an all time record high of 103 degrees today. If the relative humidity had been a little higher, we might have thought we were back in Indonesia 
Our recent trip that we made out East was truly a blessing. We were aware of the Lord’s watch- care and provision all the way. The time we had with friends and family was especially encouraging, which compensated for the long hours of driving. One of the highlights of our trip was to finally be able to visit the Wooddale Bible Brethren Church and share the warm fellowship the church family extended to us. We were blessed to be able to share in a Sunday service and to be hosted for an overnight while we were there. We had gotten to know a little about this church family through correspondence and emails over the past 5 or so years. But being in their presence made it possible to connect faces with names, which made it all the more enjoyable. For us our time with them was a rich experience in the Lord.
We are about to begin another phase of traveling. We will start with a 3 day family gathering in Michigan. All of our kids plan to be there, and Jenny and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. From there we will spend a week at our Mission’s summer conference for missionaries in Missouri.. Following that we will visit Oklahoma for 3 weeks. We are looking forward to be able to visit friends, family and churches in Oklahoma City, Edmond, Guthrie, Harrah, Chandler, and Duncan areas. We are planning on arriving in Oklahoma City (actually Bethany) late on Saturday, 25 June. We will try to contact as many individuals and supporting churches as we can during those weeks. Looking forward to seeing many of you.
We have other scheduled events that necessitate our returning to Minneapolis by the last half of July.
The world’s current events can certainly tend to cause all kinds of stress and fear. However, those very things that threaten the unbeliever should be a blessing to those whose hopes are anchored in Christ.
Romans 11:33 “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?
35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.”
The psalmist encourages us in this way by writing, “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD”. Psalms 31:24
Yours by His Grace,
Dave & Jenny
Dave & Jenny Crawford
Home Assignment Address – 2011 NTM HEADQUARTERS ADDRESS
Dave & Jenny Crawford NEW TRIBES MISSION
2673 77th Blvd N. 1000 E. First Street
Brooklyn Park Sanford, FL 32771-1487
MN 55444 U. S. A
U. S. A.
Cell Phone: 763-219-0314
Email: Dave_Crawford@ntm.org
Dave & Jenny Crawford March Up-date
March 2011
Psalms 46:1-3
1 ” . God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.”
Jenny and I are thankful for God’s personal faithfulness to us these days. We are still adjusting to a lot of changes here in the American culture that have occurred during these past 4 years that we were on the field of Indonesia. Then again, what about the things that have currently been happening on the overall world scene? It might seem that world events (natural, political, economical, etc) are all but out of control. However, we are convinced that the Lord is faithful, and therefore He is very much in control. We have been finding much encouragement in the Word as we see how it relates to today’s world. God the Father, through His Son, is very much in control of current events! (see: Colossians 1:15-17). It is no wonder that the Scripture says, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!” (Ps 33:8)
On March 1, 2011 our daughter, Jennifer, gave birth to a daughter, (our 14th grandchild ), Iris Jubilee, in a home birth attended by midwives at our home here in Minnesota. Jennifer, who is number 6 in our brood, now has 6 of her own. We are glad that we were here for the birth.
We are working to set up our traveling itinerary for the upcoming months. We want to be able to make contact with as many of our supporting friends and churches as possible during our time here in the States. Please pray with us as we make decisions on schedules. The increasing high price of gasoline is also going to be challenging. If any of you would like us to visit you and/or your church, we would love to hear from you. We plan to be visiting in the Northeast during April. More specifically: Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ontario, Canada. We hope to be able to contact folks in these various areas soon so as to co-ordinate the where and when for these visits.
We want to thank each of you who have continued sharing with us financially. Your gifts and prayers are greatly appreciated.
Yours by His Grace,
Dave & Jenny
Serving in Indonesia with New Tribes Mission
Home Assignment Address – 2011 NTM HEADQUARTERS ADDRESS
Dave & Jenny Crawford NEW TRIBES MISSION
2673 77th Blvd N. 1000 E. First Street
Brooklyn Park, MN 55444 Sanford, FL 32771-1487
U. S. A
U. S. A.
www,ntm.org
Cell Phone: 763-219-0314
Email: Dave_Crawford@ntm.org
August 2010 Update
We praise the Lord for the past several months of blessing and encouragement.
We had a good visit from Wade & Deanne and Aubri (18 yrs) and Rob (16 yrs). Deanne, our daughter, and her family are missionaries in Papua New Guinea and they stopped in to visit on their way to the States for a year of home assignment.
It was also good to have our daughter, Dana, visiting with us during that time. Dana was also on her way back to the States for home assignment. During their time here we were able to get away to the beach for a few nights and also spent a little time with them in Kuching, Malaysia. It was so good being together for that little while and getting reacquainted with our grandkids.
On our way up to Kuching by bus, I fell out of the door when exiting from bus at the Malaysian border and broke a bone in my left arm near the wrist. We were able to continue on to the town of Kuching where there are good medical clinics and doctors. After the doctor confirmed with an x-ray that my arm was broken, he was able to set the bone and put a cast on it in his office.
It has now been a little more than 6 weeks since my fall, and I am now starting to adjust back to life without the cast, although my wrist is stiff and somewhat painful to use very freely. While I am able to handle shifting gears to drive our car, I am not able to ride my motorcycle yet.
The last week of July we attended a church conference interior in the area where we used to work. It was so good to spend time with many of our Punan friends, and others there from three other area tribal churches. I asked one of the cooks how many they were preparing meals for and she said “300, including the children”. We were able to meet in a newly constructed church building which was adequate for the size of the group assembling during the 3 days of meetings.
We are back in town at this time and picking up on our routine ministries. Our town group has increased recently with the addition of two new families. They will be getting orientation for this part of the country before being allocated to tribal works. We also have several of our regular town team families newly returning from home assignment.
It has been a blessing to see our national churches growing to the place where they can be given more responsibility for continuing and expanding the work of missions. This is a growing period for both them and those of us in the foreign missionary ranks. The need is great for finding God’s direction in how to proceed in these areas for ongoing church development, teaching and outreach into surrounding areas.
One big challenge for our national churches is taking the gospel cross culturally into neighboring tribal areas. It is a concern on the foreign missionaries part that we can assume more of a supportive roll, and the national churches take the greater initiative. We urge you to pray for the Lord’s direction in these endeavors.
On a note of personal need, Jenny and I are facing a critical period in our missionary career. Our current visa is due the end of this year for another 5 year renewal. We are looking to the Lord for what he has for us in that. We are also coming to the end of our current house rent contract. Our landlord prefers to sell this house and will not offer it to us for re-renting. We are needing to find another place to rent soon.
Assuming that our visa is extended, we will then be making plans to return to the States in early 2011 for our home assignment. We need you to join us in prayer for both the financial needs these items will incur, and God’s clear direction concerning our future ministry here in Indonesia. Thank you so much for your faithful support of us!
Yours by His Grace,
Dave & Jenny