Dave and Carolyn Meyers Training Students for Tribal Church Planting Leadership That Changes The World!
This past week was one of our greatest weeks in many years. God brought a team of leaders together to pray, think, equip and visioneer together future ministry opportunities. It was a time of great training, relaxation and refreshment. Pray for our leadership teams as we all continue to seek God’s leading in our life, family and ministries.
Check out how God is using our training program to equip the next generation of cross-cultural church planters: www.NTM.org/train
Your partnership with us at the Missionary Training Center is changing people.
In fact, your partnership is TRANSFORMING LIVES!
The Moi church in Indonesia has increased greatly after our NTM Missionaries (who are training center graduates) heard testimonies from more than 80 Moi’s who declared their faith in Christ. The life transforming Gospel message was presented to their village the end of September. The total number of believers now consists of more than half of the adult and teenage population. They all live within a days hike from the village that first heard God’s Word. For seven weeks, people came from more than 20 hamlets, leaving their homes and gardens so they could hear this new message. Eight Moi Bible teachers along with missionary Rich Brown and his co-missionaries presented the Creator’s Talk. One week after hearing the message of salvation, the people gathered for a feast and celebrated their new life in Christ by singing and dancing. Apabo, who had adamantly opposed the Gospel, now praises the Creator with tear-filled eyes! He is now able to worship His creator and celebrate the Christmas season knowing why the Savior of the world came! Please thank God with us for these new followers of Jesus as they begin to grow in their understanding of their Creator God.
Hebrews 1:1-2 “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. “
On Dec. 22 our next class will graduate from the missionary training center. Most students are planning to take the Gospel to remote people groups around the world. God is using you to help train this next generation of cross-cultural church planters world-wide. Continue to follow the training expansion at: www.ntm.org/mtc and friend us on Facebook and Twitter too.
From our family to yours…we pray you will have a blessed Christmas with family and friends celebrating the Savior of the world! Thank you for your prayer and financial support this year!
Pathway Prayers and more…
Thanks for your faithful prayers and support these past few weeks during a lot of travel and ministry across the country! God has brought many people across my path who have needed hope, comfort, healing and prayer. As I got up each day this week and asked God to bring people across my path, HE answered in so many unique ways. On my flight Monday to FL God put a young mom next to me with her young 5 month old baby girl who needed some extra care and prayer all the way to Orlando.
In the middle of the week I got a phone call from a family friend asking for prayer as their daughter, Sonja has been battling cancer and treatments and was fearful of her check up that day. I had the privilege to pray for Sheri the mom and Sonja the daughter via phone in the middle of the desert and asked many others to pray for them too. (Update today: Thank you for your prayers as I just got word early today that Sonja is now cancer free! Praise God for great doctors, current medical treatment and HIS healing pathway prayers.)
Just today on the MO pathway flight, God allowed me to bump into a young disabled lady in line who was in tears as she missed her early flight and needed some special care. Then in line, I met some adult daughters helping their mother who is sight disabled who needed care through the line and to the gate. The daughters were relieved and called me their moms guardian angel! Funny…I have been called a lot of things in my life but never an angel. What was even more amazing was that of all the gates in the entire area…mom needed to go to mine. As I stepped off the tram with my new travel mom, I stopped to get some fresh Joe. After paying a ridiculous amount for such a small cup, I met up with mom and heard her say on the phone, “I better go as my guardian angel is here to take me to my gate!” 
As we got to the gate and parted ways I sat down and began to drink my coffee. I looked up and she (mom) found me and then began to ask me about my family. I told her about my great family and then she began to tell me about her daughters and her granddaughter who is in the emergency room in Orlando with a very high fever. Their entire family had been on a FL vacation and just yesterday had to rush her to the hospital, did a spinal tap and still don’t know what is wrong. I am praying for her on my flight right now. Would you pray with me for 2 year old Addison who is very sick today at Orlando Reg. Med. Center?
I hope to get some sleep on this flight home….yet God might have other plans.
Carolyn drives back from WI today with her mom and Megan arrives home from school this afternoon. I wonder what Pathway Prayer stories they will have to share with me?
Oh no…I must go…my flight is ready to leave… : )
Sent from my iPhone
Developing in the Desert…
Fear and caution have moved to faith and hope for so many! This week my development team is training staff at our NTM Aviation campus in S AZ how to develop their ministry partnership team. It has been a thrilling time together to see God answer prayer in our midst as many are being equipped for their ministries. It is exciting to see God move in hearts and minds!
Pray for our team as we finish up a great week with some wonderful people who desire to see their lives count for the cause of Christ around the world.
Pray for Carolyn too as she finishes up child protection strategy meetings at our FL office and travels back home on Friday. Thank you for your prayers and financial support that allow Carolyn and I to train others to become greater disciples.
Another great benefit of being here in AZ this week is to spend some time with our oldest son Kevin and his new lovely wife Haily! We are so thankful for both of them and grateful for our new “daughter” God has blessed us with this month.
Sent from my iPhone
Fresh Start in many ways…
Kickoff of new semester!
Over the past few weeks all of the new students have arrived and classes have begun for a group of church planting world-changers! Pray for all the great families God has brought our way…many who have overcome much to follow Christ and His leading in their lives.
There is so much happening on campus that it is hard to keep up with all of the expansion changes. Our construction team has worked hard this past summer to prepare the foundation for the new multi-purpose building coming this fall. We are thankful for your prayers and support that has made it possible to keep this project moving forward so more students can be trained to serve others around the world.
Two families to be united as one on Oct. 9th!
Carolyn and I just returned from a quick weekend away as we worked with our son Kevin and his fiancee, Haily and her family to finalize all the wedding plans for the upcoming Oct. 9th wedding in Phoenix. To say the least, we can’t wait and look forward to Haily joining our family in 4 short weeks. God has blessed us so abundantly and Kevin and Haily are a fruit of His love and grace in our lives.
Brian working at his internship at Shepherds College!
Brian continues to prosper at Shepherds College in Union Grove, WI. He is loving his 3rd year internship and we were just interviewed last month by Christianity Today who is doing a feature story on Brian and his college in the future issue. He is loving his dorm life as he works with the college resident life staff mentoring the first year students. It is amazing to see how God has continued to mature Brian and see Him become the very special Godly young man that he has become. Praise be to God.
Megan and her marching band perform this Friday night at the first football game of the season! She can’t wait and of course mom is almost beside herself with excitement and she is totally engaged with the band!
Thanks for your love, prayers and financial support that allows us to serve the Lord in training students to reach out to some of the least reached people groups around the world!
This is a GROUP Project…
First semester students...
Fear…it can be crippling for any one of us. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of the uncomfortable. Fear of talking to people face-to-face. One of the toughest things to do for new missionary candidates is to trust God daily and walk towards their fear and see God raise up their partnership team! This week we completed the initial training to a great group of first semester students.
3 of our great students
Each one comes from a different background, different set of beliefs and pre-conceived ideas of how to trust God to raise their partnership team. One thing that comes to light quickly is that the student cannot do this themselves. If a student decides to go “solo” in this area of support raising…usually they are in for a quick dose of discouragement and times a great frustration. You see…it takes a large team of the body of Christ to come alongside these students and pray for them, encourage them and give financially so the Gospel can go out around the world. Yes the Gospel is free…but it takes a large team and a ton of money to get our missionaries overseas and keep them their fully funded! Raising their partnership team is impossible to do “solo” as it is a GROUP project.
After 3 weeks of teaching, over 21 hours in the classroom and much time outside of the classroom, preparing, praying and pondering…their partnership journey has just begun. Our students consider what the Bible says about how God communicates with His people and funds His work. A new strategy is developed, practice and much more practice takes place in how to share their “calling and vision” for ministry.
Demonstrating how to show and tell a story!
How to effectively use multi-media is demonstrated and the great task of cultivating and maintaining their partnership team is taught. Our goal for this training is to provide the right training with the right accountability.
I love what Andy Stanley says, “You are invited to tap into the inexhaustible resources of God.” I tell our students that I know each of them are passionate about reaching unreached people groups with the Gospel. Yet, as much as they are passionate about it…God just the more! He is on their side and desires to see His name go out around the world. So…pray for these students that God would be glorified in their efforts. Pray for Carolyn and I as we take on this task of helping to equip this generations of students at our Missionary Training Center. We need your prayers and financial support so the “least” of these around the world can hear. Click here to find out how you can be a part of our GROUP. This is a GROUP project!
Melissa’s Story…
The Williamson Family reaching the Arimtap people group
Born into a tumultuous family, to addictive parents, Melissa learned early that ‘home life’ was not like that for other kids. Certain drugs grew openly, drug use, verbal and physical abuse were her ‘teachers’. In spite of the lack of attention at home, Melissa excelled in school and was placed in the gifted program. At age eight, her biological father committed suicide but Melissa felt little remorse, since he was rarely part of her life. Her home life continued to spin out of control. There were many situations she witnessed or experienced, that no child should have to see or live. By the age of twelve, Melissa was already acting out her frustration and inner turmoil. She had no place in her heart for morality, conscience or authority.
By God’s intervention, Melissa’s mom got clean and began a new life free from addiction. She divorced the addictive step-dad and brought in a new man who was also on the road to recovery. But while these ‘new’ parents were in love and happy, Melissa’s anger boiled over. At thirteen, she was out of control to the point that Melissa’s mother found a Christian boarding school for children from broken homes with needs that a family is not able to meet. In the course of the next two years, Melissa was kicked out of boarding school, lived with an Aunt who also couldn’t control her, and placed back in the Christian boarding school.
It was through the love and grace of her dorm parents that Melissa accepted Christ at age 16. All was changing for the better, but a trip back home with her old friends caused her to relapse into her old patterns and even end up in jail. By 17, Melissa’s mom let her go, and Melissa found herself on her own. She began following the Deadheads a group of hippies who followed the concert tours of the ‘Grateful Dead’ rock band. Melissa jumped in with both feet. Drug use, immoral lifestyle, living from hand to mouth, Melissa eventually, wound up homeless in San Francisco with the realization that the peace she sought could not be found in this lifestyle. Miserable, broken and penniless, Melissa called her Mom for bus fare home. She boarded the bus with the determination that she wanted to find her way back to God. She mended her relationship with her mother and step-dad. She began to be discipled in Christian community and she grew in her faith in Christ.
A Christian friend introduced Melissa to missionary candidates at an NTM training facility, nearby. Melissa was enthralled that these missionaries in training were living a simple, faith filled life with eternal purpose! Melissa relates, “It was at that moment that I knew my life was not my own and that God may want to use me in some kind of full time ministry—fulfilling His desire to make His name known all over the world.”
That year, Melissa attended NTBI (NTM Bible Institute). Melissa said, “ It was the the most enriching two years of my life. I learned so much from God’s love letter to me, His Word. He changed me from the inside out. It was an investment that has/will have eternal results and rewards.”
Today, Melissa and her missionary husband live among the Arimtap people group. They are studying the Arimtap language and culture, and hope to soon plant a believing, faithful church among these people.
From Melissa:
“The biggest lesson I have learned on this journey of walking with God by faith, is to be crazy enough to take God at His Word. Sometimes it is easy to doubt what God is leading us to do, just based on the mere circumstances. But God doesn’t necessarily work or lead us in ways that we can explain or that even seem reasonable. I truly believe that , if God says something in His Word to me, i.e, promises to me, then it can be counted on! He is able to do exceedingly more than all we ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) The beauty of the way that God works is that He delights in using me, ‘Just As I Am’, if I am yeilding myself to Him to use my life as He sees fit. With God all things are possible!” (Mathew 19:26)
From Dave and Carolyn:
Thank you for your ministry care and support that allows us together with you to continue to train the next generation of tribal church planters like Melissa and her family! Find out more about the Williamson family and their ministry by clicking here: >>>Williamson. We appreciate YOU and count it a privilege to be a small part of God’s great plan. Find our more about our training center by clicking here: Training
Coming this June…
A unique MISSIONS and MUSIC festival right here on our NTM Campus at the Lake of the Ozarks. We are partnering with Crossover Music Festival this year. Our campus will be open for campers to come and set up their tents for rustic camping starting June 10th and camp until the 13th.
June 10th hang out all day at the our NTM campus campground and enjoy great Music, Speakers – our very own Gracia Burnham and Tina Marie Griffin, Tribal Village Scenes (find out how God can use you to reach remote people groups around the world), Campus Talks and Tours, Scripture Tower, Wacky Olympics and more. What a way to bond with your Youth Group!
June 10th, 11th & 12th enjoy all the above during the day and at 3pm head over to Lake Ozark Amphitheater for Crossover Music Festival. Artists will be Mandisa, Decemeradio, SanctusReal, Fireflight, Grits and more.
Register soon at: www.crossoverfestival.org and experience a life-changing event this June!
“I’m very worried…”
Missionary Chris Walker teaching Mibu believers.
The elderly tribesman furrowed his brow and slowly shook his head from side to side. He was a proud member of the Ngaing people. But right now he was envious of his neighbors, the Mibu. He had heard that the Word of God had come to the Mibu, and he thought about visiting them so he could learn what God wanted him to know. But he understood only a few words of t
heir language. “Some day, someone may bring this message to my people so we too can understand.”
“But,” he wondered, “what if I die before then? What will happen to me?”
It’s a question shared by countless people across the globe. “What will happen to me when I die?” Tragically, for this tribesman — and millions among the unreached peoples of Papua New Guinea and elsewhere — the answer is still out of reach!
In fact, more than 100 people groups have asked New Tribes Mission for help. You see, they have a desperate desire to learn the message of God’s Word…
“Please! Send a team to live among us …to learn our ways and our language. To bring us the message of God and help us understand!”
Their hearts cry out for help but we don’t yet have the people to send.
Our family.
That’s why I’m talking with you today, during this season of Thanksgiving, this season of Christmas. Since you’ve been an interested friend with us over the years, I know you would want to know more about how you can be a part of the lives of those who have yet to hear the Gospel message. And I want you to know how honored Carolyn and I would be for your partnership together in our ministry by praying for us, encouraging us along and supporting us financially so we can meet our monthly budget and faithfully train the next generation of tribal church planters around the world.
Without your partnership, our ministry would surely take so much longer and be so much more difficult. Your encouragement through prayer and financial support would be like “rocket fuel” to us as we serve the Lord here at the Missionary Training Center – equipping the next generation of tribal church planters.
Thank you so much for your partnership together with us as we celebrate this holiday season, yet, knowing that some of the remote tribes are still lost, and hurting…still needing to discover Jesus!
AWAYO – From Fear to Faith…
In the remote corners of the world, people groups have existed for generations.
They live in fear of the spirits.
They die without hope.
This is Awayo’s story.
This story is the result of God working through the lives of some of our training graduates…fellow co-workers in our ministry with NTM!
