Dave and Kim Field Training future tribal missionaries at NEW TRIBES BIBLE INSTITUTE in Waukesha, Wisconsin A bittersweet day
Today was a bittersweet day for us as it was the Senior graduation.
We are very happy for this group of 63 students as they have studied hard in these 2 years, grown in their relationship with the Lord, and are now on their way to serve the Lord wherever they go.
But at the same time it is hard to make friends and then see them go in 2 years. I think it is especially hard on Reece & Clark, who are starting to understand that friends come and go quickly here. We hope they will continue to reach out in friendship with the students even with the mindset that this community they live in is always changing.
The graduation today was very special, and God honoring. Please check out the photos below.
2 more days!
Only 2 more days until the Seniors graduate! Many parents, friends and family are already arriving from across the country and there is a lot of excitement around here! It is great eating in the dining hall and meeting many new people.
Students packing their cars
The students have been busy cleaning, packing up, and getting in their last minute fun with their friends.
Today Reece, Clark & I took care of a couple little boys whose parents needed the extra time to pack up their apartment. It was a lot of fun, and our boys loved entertaining!
Hanging with the Brazilians
One of our families favorite things to do, is getting together with the Brazilian MKs from PQQ, the boarding school where Kim grew up. It is a blast every time, and we are very thankful for the privilege of knowing them and getting to have them as friends!
Take a look at our photos page to see our fun time at the park last weekend!
Jackson vs. Waukesha
Our sister Bible School over in Jackson Michigan has as many students as we do, same classes, and same vision for taking the gospel to people groups who have never had the chance to hear it yet. But there is one time a year where our school competes with them and that is at our annual weekend for (friendly) sports competition. (We usually win 
Senior Class Project
The Senior class project this year is to help the New Tribes Bible and missions School in Columbia.
The Seniors have been so creative in finding ways to raise money to help the Columbian missionaries and the students with the building projects on that campus. Some of the Senior fundraisers have been, a pancake breakfast, selling doughnuts and NTBI shirts, putting on a conert, etc. They have already been a blessing and are looking forward to the gift they can send to their sister school in Columbia.
Check out the photos below of the recent pancake breakfast.
Senior banquet
Tonight was the Senior class banquet! This is always a hi lite for them, and also for the staff as we get to hear all of them give short testimonies of some of the things the Lord has taught them in their 2 years here, and also what their future plans are after graduation. What a huge blessing to be able to hear the AMAZINGNESS of God in their lives, and their growth in Him!!
After hearing the 70 or so testimonies, we can only say…God is at work in their lives, and what a privilege to be a small part of the students lives as they grow in their knowledge and relationship with the Lord!
After the testimony time we all got to enjoy a delicious banquet that was made for us by the kitchen staff and many underclassmen volunteers! It sure was a special evening!
New Students
For the past couple of days there were people here who are perspective students. They sat in classes, were hosted by the students and checked NTBI out to see if this may be where the Lord would have them to come as students. We all enjoyed having them here with us, and we look forward to seeing some, or all of them join us as students this Fall!!
A new video about NTBI
This a video that NTM made about New Tribes Bible Institute where our family is serving. Take a look at what the students are learning and saying about their time here.
Enjoying life
Our family gets to have lots of fun with the students, and every week is so different. Life is never dull around here!
The other night was an all-school skate night which was a blast. Dave & I hadn’t roller skated for a few decades, but it all came back!
Something else our family enjoys very much is having students over for meals!
Catch the vision
Catch the vision weekend has arrived!
There are around 20 people here who are checking out NTBI to meet new friends, stay in the dorms, attend classes, meet staff and see if they would like to come here as a student. It is always encouraging to see how many from this group return as students!
One day many of these students may be like Becky in the picture above, who studied the Word at NTBI, and now is living with the Mengen people group in Papua New Guinea, telling them the gospel!
Chicago
This weekend we changed our routine a bit and took a little road trip to see a couple of special friends! We had a great visit with our friends the Schiebles in IL, and we also went to Moody and saw our friend Nette, who was a student here with us last year. What a special time with both of them!
We also got to check out the sky deck at the tallest building in America, and Reece (our photographer) got some really neat shots. (see below)
A good start to the semester
The semester has started off with a couple orientation days for the students here at NTBI. The guest speaker was Jason Swanson. He and his wife Shannon and their 4 children are missionaries with the Siawi people group in Papua New Guinea. They are graduates from NTBI, and it was excellent for the students here to get a good look at what church planting looks like in a different culture and language.
This video below is about the translation of scripture that is being done in Siawi.
Tags: New Tribes Mission, NTM
Our new teamates have arrived!
The NTBI staff is very blessed to have the Bennett family join our team!!
John & Becki, with their children Tori, Chloe, Ellie & Derek arrived yesterday and are now unpacking boxes and settling in. We are looking forward to getting to work alongside them as we invest in the students’ lives here at NTBI!
Fall 2011 Seniors graduate
We are happy for this group of students as they go out from here walking with the Lord, and with a heart to serve HIM!
Graduation was really special as this class was really close. Dave had the honor of giving the message, and especially enjoyed his time with this great class. It is sad to see them go, but we are excited for each of them as they enjoy the great adventure of serving the Lord wherever He leads them.
catching up with you
This Fall semester is wrapping up real quick! There are only 4 more days of classes, and then graduation is on Saturday, Dec 17th!
It is super busy right now for the students as they finish the semester with tests and papers. The Seniors are packing up their apartments, and there will be a lot of transition for them as they leave here.
JUROR DUTY- This past week I (Kim) was called for juror duty. I was a juror for a civil case for 3 long days. I learned a lot about how a courtroom works, and my favorite part was when the court gave us a nice meal as we jurors figured out who was guilty or not guilty. My worst part was when we had to go back into court and tell our verdict. I couldn’t look up because I didn’t want to see the sad reactions at the one table.
RUMMAGE SALE- Last weekend the students hosted a free rummage sale here on campus. Many churches donated items which the students set out, and people in the community were invited to choose gifts for their families. There was a big turnout, and the students did a terrific job hosting everyone. There were cookies, arts & crafts, face painting, gift wrapping, and best of all Bibles were given away!
CHRISTMAS PARTY- This weekend we enjoyed a Christmas party with the married student families (30?) It was an ornament exchange party which was a lot of fun. There was great food and a very fun evening together.
OPEN HOUSE- Last night all the dorms and staff houses were opened for everyone to go around and see how everyone has decorated for the holidays. This is always a fun treat, especially for the deans who get to see all their students’ rooms spotless and shining.
An evening with the senior class
This is the 3rd Senior banquet Dave & I have been able to enjoy since we began serving here at NTBI. Out of all the things we do with the students, the banquet evening is one of our favorite things.
Before dinner is served the students each have time to share some of the things the Lord has taught them during their 2 years here, and where the Lord is leading them next. Those personal testimonies of God’s faithfulness are like fuel to remind us all as staff how privileged we are to be serving here.
connecting people to NTBI
dinner at the missions conference
Last weekend we were able to attend a missions conference down in IL ! We were there to see my (Kim’s) parents who were at that church as part of their conference. We LOVED our time at the church meeting many new people!
The boys had a great weekend with Quinn!
A wonderful family from the church hosted my folks and our family in their home. We had a super weekend and really enjoyed getting to know Don, Jessica & Quinn!
Dave was able to meet the missions’s pastor, and the youth pastor, which is a great start to a new relationship with that church. There are MANY young people in that church, and we would LOVE to be a connection between their church, NTBI, and MISSIONS!!!!
family and friends
My Aunt Pat & Uncle John came for a visit today! They have served with NTM in Brazil for MANY years, and they were “Uncle & Aunt” at the boarding school for all the Brazil Mk students here.
Everyone was super happy to see them, and we all had a nice reunion together for lunch today!
My friend Joanna
My friend Joanna & I
Our family had a special visitor last week! Joanna Jansma & I have been friends even before we lived together by the age of 7 in the New Tribes boarding school in Brazil!
A few years ago Joanna graduated from this Bible School and then the missions training, and now she is working in Papua, Indonesia! Joanna, Kubili, and 2 other families are teammates in a tribe called “Nagi” and they are learning the Nagi language!!! Their goal is to be proficient in the language in less than two years, so they can then begin teaching the gospel to the Nagi!!!
It was awesome to be able to have her with us, and hear her speak in chapel to the students, watch her DVD, and ask her ALL sorts of questions about her life with the Nagi!!
Brazil Mk's (who weren't born when Joanna & I graduated)
We invited the MK ladies who graduated from our boarding school in Brazil, and who are students here at Bible school now. We enjoyed a yummy Brazilian meal, and a great evening together!!!
Canadian Thanksgiving
Our family got to enjoy a delicious thanksgiving dinner with some of our Canadian students! We are thankful for the priviledge of having students in our home and getting to know them!
Victoria helping me prepare some yummy pies for dinner
Siars to hear Gospel Friday
The Siars had been waiting and watching for the One who would take their sins away for many years. When the Siar missionary team taught the Bible lesson on Genesis 3 they introduced the promise that God gave to sinful mankind. As the missionaries continued through the Scriptures they emphasized two major questions: “Who is the Redeemer?” and “How will He save us?”
The missionaries will be teaching on the life of Christ leading up to teaching about His death, burial and resurrection on Friday!
Please pray that the Siar people will clearly understand the Gospel and will trust in Christ by faith alone.
Meet the missionary team below, and follow their story at www.ntm.org
Chris & Erin Lujan
Jonathan & Melissa Jackson
Lane & Kerrie Sanford
is it worth it?
NTBI would never run, never mind run smoothly, if it weren’t for the incredible staff who faithfully serve the Lord in the school offices. Their service is like a critical heartbeat of this school.
They are miracle workers as they graciously meet the daily needs of the students, teachers, and everyone else.
But it isn’t just about office work…these missionaries keep their clear focus on the big picture of the unreached hearing the gospel. As they invest their lives in relationships with the students, they know that one day many of the students will be pouring their own lives into getting the gospel to the unreached….and that makes “office work” worth it ALL.
Staying up way too late!
Catrina, Steph, Lisa & I enjoyed a beautfiul bike ride
I just had an awesome weekend with my friends and co-workers at our annual ladies retreat!
Check out the photos of the weekend on the photo page, and you will be able to see that we enjoyed our time with each other very much!! We loved the visiting, eating, reading, laughing, games, biking, and of course, staying up WAY too late.
This is the best way possible to get to know each other better, and bond us better as we serve together here at NTBI.
marrieds
“Marrieds” is the nickname for NTBI married student families. We have around 30 families, who bring such a wealth of experience, hunger for the Word, eagerness to serve, and who complete our student body perfectly.
Most of these families have already left home, jobs and family and have joined NTBI for the first 2 years of their missions training. They are sold out for the Lord and for missions, and it is exciting to see how the Lord will use them for His glory!
Tim & Laurie Fyock are the staff couple who are the deans for the marrieds. They reach out to all the families in love, friendship, encouragement and counseling. The Fyocks love encouraging, and being encouraged by all our great married families.
Below are some photos from a recent potluck with the staff and married families. There was yummy food and lots of great table games.
game time
Some cute players at the game social.
It was fun hanging out with all the students in the cafeteria for game time, supper and excellent visiting!
The 96 freshmen are settling in and seem excited to dig in and study the Word. Please pray for many who are in the process of finding employment, or are finding the transition from home difficult or are needing a friend. The Lord will be enough in every one of their circumstances, and we are thankful to be able to have students in our home to encourage them in any way.
Please pray for the staff and the deans as we get the wonderful privilege of getting to know the students and build good relationships with them.
We’re so glad you are here!
“Welcome to NTBI, we’re so glad you are here” was the message on signs that were placed all the way up the road to the entrance of NTBI this weekend. The campus is buzzing with all the new Freshman and the returning students.
Our student leaders stepped up and lead well this weekend. As new students arrived, the student leaders were greeting them in the parking lot, carrying in their bags, connecting them to their RA, taking them to their room, touring them around campus and in every way making the Freshmen feel welcomed.
Today was busy as all the students registered for classes and the Freshmen and staff had a meet and greet time. In the evening was the opening chapel where we enjoyed singing, and were given a clear reason for missions by our guest speaker Steve Sanford.
The semester has begun, and the staff and students alike are super excited for what God has to teach us in this new year.
I’m so glad we went!
There were around 80 of us altogether at the group campsite up north. The students who are here having leadership training, went on a 4 day camping trip with their Dean’s and whoever of the staff who could come. Our family is SO glad we had that awesome privilege of getting to know the student leaders better, and also the staff who were there. Please click above on the photo tab to see the pictures we posted from the trip.
The days were filled with swimming, hiking, rock climbing, volley ball, team games, table games, fantastic singing and worship in the evening, TONS of visiting and eating AMAZING food made by Micheal and Staci Creech….and some sleeping.
One of Dave’s hilights of the camping trip was listening to the student’s testimonies in the evening.
My (Kim’s) favorite part was visiting, the evening we all shared communion together, and the bright stars.
Clark’s favorite was sitting by the fire.
Reece’s favorite part was sitting by the fire, swimming in the lake, and going on hikes.
We feel privileged that we got to join the students for those special days.
Food helps
This is the time of year where our table is busy with company, and our dishwasher makes itself very useful. Our family enjoys this part of our ministry…welcoming people here with a meal. The MK’s are especially on our hearts, and we want to help them out until they settle in.
Please pray for the (around) 90 Freshmen who are on their way here. Please pray for them to feel very welcomed, to settle in well, to find a friend, to find a job, and to soon feel at home.
Only one week left until all 200 students should be here!
view from my kitchen
Just before leadership training began, when the students were visitng and catching up from their summer apart.
Our apartment has windows facing the entrance to the school, so this week we have been seeing A LOT of students arriving. Leadership training has begun!
The RA’s from each room all arrive 10 days before the rest of the student body. They have a few days of classes that include topics like: our identity in Christ, living a vibrant Christian life, servant leadership, and many more super topics. Some of the other things they do are; team building events, sports, eat good food in the dining hall, and enjoy a 4 day camping trip.
These leaders are amazing, and are already doing a super job of phoning their roommates who haven’t arrived yet, and reaching out already before the semester begins. I’m sure this year will be stretching for them, but also a wonderful growing opportunity.
Baby Liam has arrived !!!
Welcome to our hearts, baby Liam
A huge CONGRATULATIONS to my sister Vicki, and her husband Jesse on the birth of their baby boy TODAY!!!
Liam is their first baby, and they live way over in South Africa, and Vicki is my (Kim’s) only sibling…so our hearts are in Africa today.
regrouping with shrimp
a few of our cute staff children
Today was the staff kick off day for the brand new semester. There are 40 families on staff, so there was a big gang at the park today.
Kick off days are special because most staff families have travelled far and wide over the summer to visit their partnering churches, friends, and family, and now finally we are all back together. It is super fun to catch up on each other’s lives, and regroup as the new semester begins.
The grilled shrimp, chicken, and everyone’s side dishes were delicious, and later we had a group meeting time. Dave shared a good reminder and encouragement for the devotional, which is a great place to start for the semester.
up in the air
Reece & Clark each won a 20 minute trip on a Cessna!
Oshkosh air museum wants young people to become interested in aviation, so they give out free airplane rides. Well, it worked! In the middle of the ride, Reece said, “Mom, I know what I want to be when I grow up!”
Dave went up with Clark, and they loved the view, and Clark loved the minutes where he got to fly the airplane. The pilot said, “Clark I think you should make the plane go down” (Clark had been pulling up) He got the hang of it real fast.
Later, when Reece & I went up, all I could think about were my experiences during my growing up years as an MK when I left my parents in the tribe and headed away to boarding school on that exact kind of plane. The smell was the same, the bouncy grassy airstrip, the sound of the engine and the sad pit in my stomach. Oh, and I was sick too…good times. On the other hand, Reece was enamored! He asked the pilot, “how do you know if the wings are straight?” The pilot said “not if it’s like this.” and he veered the plane on its left wing headed down toward the earth. “And not like this” and then the right wing went down.” Mom was NOT impressed.
The boys will never forget their great experience, and who knows? Maybe one day they will be a missionary pilot, being the lifeline to missionaries living out in the middle of nowhere, teaching the gospel to people who have never had the chance to hear!!!
God using Oshkosh to help spread the gospel…THAT’S priceless!
it’s my birthday
I sure am thankful for the 38 years the Lord has given me, and I am thankful for my 3 men who gave me the bestest birthday ever!
I am looking forward to this new year and the work the Lord will do in me and through me.
tailgate party and a good game
It was fun being at a Brewer’s game with our co-workers…eating scrumptuous hamburgers before the game, finding our group seats like the other 40,000 people, passing the peanuts and licorice, and watching the Brewers win, again!
Welcome to the NTBI team, Worleys!!!!
We are glad you are here, guys!!
We are very excited to introduce to you our new co-workers here at NTBI…Ryan & Lisa Worley, with their children Elliana, Caleb, & Samuel!!
We are super happy to have their sweet family on our team and we look forward to getting to know them real well and having many good years working together.
My Man’s birthday
Our family had a super day celebrating Dave’s birthday!!
The boys made Dave a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and coffee. We had gift time, pin the tail on the donkey, lunch while watching a fun family movie, yummy raspberry pie, many rounds of ping pong, man time in the workshop sawing wood, and just an all-around fun day.
Back home
Riding quads on my aunt and uncles farm during our trip to Canada
We are thankful for our special time in Canada, and we are glad to be back home in Waukesha, back into our regular life.
Dave is busy in his office everyday, preparing for the students to return and classes to resume in a few short weeks. The boys and I are finding fun things to do like swimming in a nearby lake, playing ping pong, and the boys are busy with a birdhouse project in their workshop.
Oh Canada
Hello from our hometown in Manitoba, Canada!
Our family is here for a couple weeks as we get to spend some super special time with Dave’s parents, brothers and their families! We have also enjoyed being back in our home church, and getting to visit with our partners and friends!
15 wonderful years!!
Dave & I got to go to a cabin in the North woods for our 15th anniversary celebration!!!
We have everything to be thankful for in that God gave us to each other as a gift, and we get to enjoy each other for the rest of our lives. God is SO very good to us!
grandparent bonding time
My parents, Dave & Laura Sharp, came all the way here to WI to take care of our boys while Dave & I went away for 2 days to celebrate our 15th Anniversary!!
Reece & Clark had a super awesome time with Grami & Papa! They went mini golfing, went to the batting cages, had a picnic, went fishing a lot, had water wars, played table games, had root beer floats…enough fun in 2 days to fill a month!!!! The 4 of them had a super time together and we are so thankful they had this bonding time!
back from camping
Our camping trip was an amazing family time, and we thank the Lord for such sweet memories we made together! (Check out the photos on the PHOTOS tab above.)
the fields go camping
Just a note to let you know we will be gone for 2 weeks (until June 22) as our family is going camping for our holiday!!!
our family flips pancakes for fun
There are still around 60 students here at NTBI because they are employed as school bus drivers until school is over on June 8th.
Today our family served a MEMORIAL DAY PANCAKE BREAKFAST to anyone who still happened to be here at NTBI. We weren’t sure how many people to expect because many left for the long weekend, but we wanted to reach out to the students who didn’t have a place to go for the weekend.
We bought 3 gallons of milk, 10 pounds of pancake mix, 4 quarts of syrup, and 4 pounds of peanut butter. We ended up using exactly half of everything, so we have enough to serve breakfast again! It was so easy and so fun for our family as we got to serve the 30+ students who came to our home. We sure enjoyed our time with them very much, and would love to do this again!!
the happy dance
Our family celebrated the last day of home school for our boys!!
Reece & Clark did so excellent in school this whole year, and Dave & I are so super proud of them.
It has been a fabulous year of having the boys home with us, and we will always look back on this year with fond memories. We are thankful the Lord gave us this gift.
touching 3000 year old history
Dave got to enjoy a day at a museum in Chicago with a couple of other teachers.
The museum had artifacts from Old Testament times, and most were in cases, but some they could actually touch!
Dave knows this visit will help him as he teaches Prophets class because he actually teaches about some of the stuff he saw!
bonding time with the staff
We always learn new and important things during our staff in-service “classes” at the end of the year, but this year there was a lot of fun team games as well. It’s always great to work together with our partners, but playing and laughing together is especially fun!
God did it again!
On our way to Sam & Brittany’s wedding, we saw an ugly storm coming. Seeing as their wedding was an outdoor wedding in the country, this was not good. I’m sure there were many praying, so our family huddled and prayed for God to keep the storm back.
I hope all 4 of us remember what happened next as a huge reminder of how powerful God is: The sky was dark, there was thunder, but when the bride appeared at the back to walk down the isle, the sun cracked through the clouds and the sun shone around her!!! Our whole family looked at each other, amazed at what God had done! It all happened within a few minutes, but I hope we remember what the Lord did for a LONG time.
It never did rain for their whole beautiful afternoon!! Maybe God wanted us at that wedding to be reminded of Him, His power, and His love.