NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Travels This Semester

We trust that all of you have been doing well. It has been an interesting Spring so far. Up to this point, our travels have takes us to Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas & Missouri. We still have to travel to Wyoming, Oklahoma, Missouri, Wisconsin, Chicago, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kansas, Florida & Alaska. As you can imagine, the cars have put on a lot of miles but there have been some good results.

Travels Through Life

Busier than a one-armed paper hanger!

I (Doug) just had my 62nd birthday so I am now officially eligible for Social Security but I sure don’t feel like it. I am so excited to talk to college kids, young folks, young married couples, families and Perspectives classes about the opportunities the Lord has in ministering to tribal people around the world. It is thrilling to share with them thinking that one day, some of them will be coming back from the field sharing their stories with me. It is worth investing in their lives.

Our family is doing fine. Leah is still managing an On the Border Restaurant, Daniel and Jane are raising our granddaughter to be a mature Christian. Daniel is working at a heavy equipment company and Jane works a bit at their home church. Joel changed jobs a few months ago. He is a showroom manager at a local company that happens to be the second largest in the U.S. Katie works as a pharmacy tech. We are very proud to have them as our children.

Travels Through Papua New Guinea

Up we go!

Amazing that we did it!

Just recently, I was in my basement going through some barrels where we store “stuff” and I came across several thousand film slides from the time that we became believers in 1978 until digital came into being. I started scanning some of those and there were some from a hike the family and I went on in Papua New Guinea. We went in to visit some friends, the McIlwains, and it was a two day hike over the mountains of PNG. As I started looking at them, my admiration for my wife just kept increasing. Cheryl will tell you that she is the most non-adventurous woman there is. She doesn’t care for camping or fishing or anything that is rougher than a Holiday Inn and yet here she is, hiking for two days over the mountains. Let me tell you how this hike went.

Resting along the way!

Holiday Inn of PNG

We started out by hiking along a riverbed for a couple of hours and then started up a trail which was almost so steep that you had to put your hand against the hill. We went up like this for three hours and then we had to come down the other side for another three hours. Then we spent the night in a hut along a river bank. The next morning, we waded across a mountain river to a bank on the other side that went up for about 25 feet. It had sticks stuck in the side of the bank that were used like a ladder to get up to the other side. Then we hiked up another three hours and down another several hours. The men had to carry Cheryl for the last hour of the hike. Now if you think this was amazing, I am going to let you in on another little secret: She was 40 years old with three children at this time.

Leah taking pictures

Cheryl and Leah with the ladies

She hadn’t trained for this, she just did it. My admiration for her soared and then I thought about how she used to travel to our island for a couple of hours on the ocean. She couldn’t swim and so she would tough it out until we arrived at where we were heading. The things that she did for Christ just continue to amaze me. She says she can’t believe that she did all those things. Her testimony is, “If I can do it, anybody can!” Anyway, my testimony is; “Thanks, Cheryl. The Lord will not forget your work and labor of love.” – Heb. 6:10

Traveling Mercies

Please pray for us as we travel down the road. We are starting to get to the point where we need to start thinking about another vehicle. I have put a lot of miles on one of them and so things will start to go out. I don’t mind it when I am home but it can be downright unhandy while traveling.

Robert Moffat

Thanks for all you do for us. We do appreciate your prayers and fellowship. A special thanks to those who support and provide housing when we are out on the road. It is a privilege to work with you and also for those who read these letters and pray for us. We will never know how much your prayers have affected the lives of those we meet and give their lives to reach tribal people. I will end with a couple of quotes from Robert Moffatt, missionary to Africa in the 1800′s.

“In the vast plain to the north, I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been.”

“We have all eternity to celebrate our victories, but only one short hour before sunset in which to win them.”

Thankful that we are on His Team,

Doug & Cheryl

Nearly 2,010 years ago an event took place which could never be repeated.  The Son of God became the Son of Man.  The Lord decided to enter the human race and identify with us all and one of the first evidences of this identification was that He cried, just like we all did when we were born.

So many firsts took place on that day.  God cried, He breathed, He ate, He slept, He was given birth to and many other things that we all do out of necessity but in His case He chose to do those, not out of necessity for Himself, but for us.  What humility!  To become like us in order to redeem us.  May we always be grateful for His sacrifice and care for us.

Cheryl and I have had a good year.  We are very grateful for all He has allowed us to do in ministry and life.  Many students are getting ready to be trained as missionaries, others are getting closer to finishing their training and moving to another country to reach tribal people and so we are very thankful that we were able to be a part in some of their lives.  Also, many tribal people have not only come to realize the significance of Christ’s birth and death but they themselves are carrying this message to other villages in their area.  Thank you for your part in reaching the most unreached.

Our family has been a blessing to be around.

Leah is still managing an On The Border restaurant and in a Bible study with our daughter-in-law, Jane.

Daniel and Jane are busy with life and involved in different kinds of ministry in their church.  Daniel is working two jobs right now and looking for a third, part-time job and Jane is working at 1st E Free as a secretary a couple of days a week.  Maddie, their daughter and our granddaughter started school this year.  The other night, I was reading to her about Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey God and in trying to explain how sin separates us from God, I used a leaf as an example of what happens when it is cut off from the source of its life.  Maddie said that it gets “crunchy.”  Then she asked me, “When we die, do we get “crunchy?”  I had to laugh.

Joel and Katie are doing well.  They have been married for a little over a year now.  Katie works as a pharmacy tech at Dillons, a regional store chain.  This is where Joel and Katie met.  Joel just changed jobs and is working at Walton’s, a meat-processing and equipment supplier.  The second largest in the U.S.
They are all doing fine and we enjoy having them close by where we are able to see them often.

Cheryl and I want to thank all of you for your love, prayers, hospitality and financial support in the past year. Without you, many young folks would not know that there are tribal people around the world who have yet to hear the wonderful news that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.

We wish you all a wonderful Christmas and even though the new year looks like it will be a real challenge for all of us, we have the LORD.  He alone knows what our futures hold and will never bring anything into our lives that is not for our benefit, that is, ultimately He will use events in each of our lives to bring us to Him.  Let’s remember that whatever He is, He is all of the time to an infinite degree.  That is something that we can all rest in.  Amen!

Keep the faith, everyone.  Jesus Christ IS the Lord!

Your Servants,

Doug & Cheryl Schaible

Thanks To My Wife

A Real Woman

I just want to say thanks to my wife who has been with me for over 40 years now.  She has been in the most unfriendly environments you could imagine, like out on an ocean in an open 19 foot dinghy while a storm was going on.  She lived on an island where malaria was always present, though she never contracted that sickness.  She lived in one room apartments while in the training and moving up to a two room apartment while we were waiting to move into a tribe in Papua New Guinea.  For two years she showered in an outdoor shower which our family shared with another family.  Scheduling was interesting between 10 people.

So Cheryl, I just want to say thanks for allowing yourself to be used this way so that some tribal people could hear the gospel of the grace of God.

Ron & I

St. Mary's Lake

Mountain Goats

Our 40th Anniversary Trip

Cheryl and I decided to go to Glacier National Park in Montana.  We last visited the park after we became believers and so thought it was fitting to revisit it one more time in our life.  It was beautiful but it was a long drive.  Six of the eight day trip was just driving to get there and back.

On the way, we stopped to visit an old friend from our church.  Ron Frank moved up to Billings, MT in 2001 and I was one of the men who helped him move up there.  On the way back, we stopped into a service station to refuel.  It was the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.  We went inside just before the second plane hit the Twin Towers.  It is not a day I will forget.

From Ron’s house, we traveled on up to Glacier Park and took in the beauty of the place.  It is simply one of the most beautiful places in the States.  The grandeur of the park is something that you have to see for yourself.

Hidden Lake - Going To the Sun Road

Back To Ministry

Van Scyocs & Richards

After driving 3,500 miles, I left two days later for Little Rock, AR to take a youth pastor and his wife up to our Missionary Training Center.  Cody & Melissa Van Scyoc, from Cornerstone Bible Fellowship in Sherwood, AR wanted to go and visit a couple of students, the Richards, to let them know that they cared for them and wanted to see the training that their members are involved in.  It was a great time and we were able to start building a relationship between the home church and our mission agency.

I took them back to Arkansas and then drove back to the training center in Missouri for meetings with some men from another mission organization to discuss a partnership between them and NTM.  That encounter was even better than could be imagined.

In the Future  BMAA Leadership & Hambrices This Fall is going to be so busy, I don’t know how it all can be done but that is the nature of rep work.  Cheryl and I will be in southeast Kansas for a speaking engagement, then I will head to NTBI in Waukesha, WI.  Leaving there, I will head to Chicago for Moody Bible Institutes annual mission conference.  From there, well, I will put the schedule on the next page.  No need to bore you with the details. Closing thoughts Cheryl and I thank you for all you have done for us in prayers, finances and especially housing when we am on the road.  Many of you have opened up your homes for us to stay when we are in your areas.  Thanks for all you do. None of us knows whether the Lord will return before we leave this world but whether in the body or out, we are the Lord’s.  Thanks for your partnership in the gospel from the first day till now. As I said before, this Fall will be filled with a lot of driving to visit colleges, Bible schools, seminaries, Perspective classes and churches. Fall Schedule   Sept. 30 – Mt Orum Baptist Church – Redfield, KS Oct. 6-8 – NTBI Waukesha, WI Oct. 9-12 – Moody Bible Inst. Oct. 15 – Perspectives Tulsa Oct. 18-21 – Grace Baptist Church – Whitewater, KS Oct. 27-28 – Perspectives KC Oct. 29-31 – NTBI Jackson, MI Nov. 1-2 – Cedarville Univ. Ohio Nov. 6-9 – Grace University Indiana Nov. 12-17 – Rep Conf.    Jersey Shore, PA Nov. 18-21 – Visit supporters We find it a privilege to see folks, young and old, who are willing to be a part of the Lord’s work in whatever way that the Lord sees fit.  There is so much work to be done and only as we are obedient to Him and trust in His goodness, grace and knowledge of how we should approach His work will the task be done well. One More Thing Imany of you are already partners of our ministry through this prayer letter.  If you know of someone else who would like to be informed of what we do, have them contact us through email, Facebook, Twitter and our blog site.  The links to each of those will be listed below. Thanks so much.  We appreciate you all and trust that the Lord will bless you as you labor for him.  Keep the faith.   Schaible Links: Email:  doug_schaible@ntm.org Facebook: tribalschaible Twitter: tribalschaible Blog Site: http://blogs.ntm.org/doug-schaible/ Schaible Prayer Requests: 1.  The Lord to provide finances for our travels 2.  Safety as we travel to meet students 3.  Wisdom in presenting real career options in missions 4.  Build good relationships between local churches and NTM 5.  Good health for us   Yours for the sake of the lost, Doug & Cheryl

Thank you all for being a blessing.

Opportunities Galore

As you can see by the travel schedule in the left column, we were quite busy this semester. I think we drove more miles than ever but it was great to meet a lot of new folks and some of those whom we interacted with have made the decision to be involved in reaching tribal people. We do thank the Lord for this answer to prayer.

A Note of Thanks

Cheryl and I want to express our gratitude to all those who have been a blessing to us over the years. Many of you have given towards our support, others have prayed for us and encouraged us along the way but we thought we would like to give a special thank-you to a group of folks whom we have not been so public in thanking.

As you can see by the travels we have had this semester, we have driven many miles. When I started as a mobilizer for New Tribes Mission, gas was about $1.00/gal so you can see that it doesn’t get any cheaper to be a rep but the price of one thing has not increased for us and that is the cost of staying with friends when we are out on the road.

I first started mobilizing at the beginning of 2000 and I can only remember one or two times that I have not been able to stay with friends while I was traveling. (Actually, I spent one of those nights in my car in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I will have to tell you all that story sometime) In every other instance, friends, supporters, people involved in hospitality ministries and others have been very gracious to allow us to stay in their homes. This has saved us an enormous amount of money and we have been able to use that for fuel instead. We appreciate your ministry of hospitality so much and it reminds me of 3 John 5-8 which says, “Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brethren and for strangers, who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.”

Q&A

Questions we thought you might want to ask!

Doug & Cheryl

Cheryl and I are grateful to be busy and at the same time to have bit of a rest this summer. We have some significant meetings going on and we thank you for being involved in them. We will travel to Arkansas, Missouri and Texas and catch up on some home repair. A group of men andyoung men will be coming to help us replace the roof on our house on June 29,30. If you want to be involved in that, please be our guest. It will probably take us one full day and maybe a little of the next to finish it up.

Leah & Maddie

How has our daughter, Leah been doing?

Leah continues to manage an On the Border restaurant here in Wichita. She has been involved in a Bible study with our daughter-in-law and is a blessing to us. We are so thankful for the children we have. You can see her here with our granddaughter, Maddie. We really like this picture.

As with all of our children, please pray for their spiritual growth and to be a blessing to the people whom they work with.

How has our son, Daniel and his wife, Jane and their daughter, Maddie been doing?

Daniel, Jane & Maddie

Daniel just finished up the school-year teaching his fourth-grade class and has decided to make a career change. He is going to be working at a car dealership selling cars. It is the #1 Suzuki dealership in the country and the owner is a neat believer who wants the Christian lifestyle to be evident in the workplace. I think that it will be a good move for him at this time. Jane, his wife, is having bible studies and just being a great wife and mom.

How has our other son, Joel been doing?

Joel & Katie

Joel will be getting married on October 1 to his girlfriend, Katie. They have been dating for over three years now and we couldn’t be happier to have her as a daughter- in-law. Joel and Katie finished up college this past year and are now getting ready to think about their future as husband and wife. Joel is still working as a pharmacy technician and Katie is working is a physical therapist for those who have had strokes and injuries.

Final thought!

I have been reading 3 John lately and it has been such a blessing to me. Gaius and Demetrius was such a blessing to the folks in their fellowship and we will forever remember them for their faithfulness to the Truth and for ministering to the saints. Let’s keep pressing on regardless of the condition of this lost and dying world. He is worth it.

Each one of you have been an integral part of this ministry and we pray that you realize that your ministry of hospitality has helped us to find people to go to those who have never heard. Without your help, where would some of these tribal people be today or in the future. Cheryl and I want to thank you sincerely from the bottom of our hearts.

We pray that the Lord will allow you to prosper and be in health, even as your souls prosper. – 3 Jn. 2.

Your friends and grateful co-workers,

Doug & Cheryl Schaible