NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

We have been enjoying the Easter break with Deborah, our daughter, over from N. Ireland and staying with us here at North Cotes. We have enjoyed trips to Scarborough, Whitby and to Chatsworth House.

When the students return, I will have three new courses to teach and would ask for your prayers for the preparation involved.  In Biblical Studies, I will be teaching 2 Corinthians and Christian Life which is an overview of what God has provided for our salvation – our justification, sanctification and glorification.  It will be a review of material that has been covered but brought together in one place before the students move on.  It promises to be an exciting course but need the Lord’s wisdom to pull it together.

Another exciting course coming up will be with our students in the Missionary Training Course.  It is called Emotional and Spiritual Health and will be devoted to teaching the students strategies so they will be able to maintain themselves emotionally and spiritually on the field.  This is important as some of them will find themselves in isolated situations with maybe only one or two other couples as co-workers.  The exciting thing is that Lisa and I get to team teach this course.  It is the first time we have ever done this and there is a certain apprehension as well as anticipation.  We have been praying that God would enable us to benefit from the material as well rather than simply prepare course notes that will gather dust.

We invite you to pray that God would be pleased to use us in the coming months as his channels of blessing as we teach these courses in dependence on the Holy Spirit our ultimate teacher and reminder.

These last two weekends we were able to attend two NTM conferences.  The first one was held in N. Irelands, the annual residential conference that is held in Newcastle by the Mountains of Mourne.  Lisa and I had opportunity to take part as did our daughter Martha who was able to report on her new ministry she was about to take up in the States at the NTM Bible Institute in Jackson, Michigan.

The second was held at North Cotes and was geared for young people.  We had just over 100 people register to come from the UK and Europe and had missionary reports, sharing from the Word and live links to missionaries on the field using Skype.  Several took applications for our summit program that is organizing trips to the Philippines, Brazil and Papua New Guinea this summer and to Thailand later on in the year.

Pray that God will raise up from among those who attend these conferences those who will want to enter training to prepare to take the gospel to tribal peoples around the world.

Our daughter, Martha, finished up her training with NTM in July 2009.  She left with the desire to go to the field and be involved in tribal work. 

On a trip to the States to visit her brothers, she was asked to consider a position on staff at the New Tribes Bible Insititute in Jackson, Michigan where we worked from 2005-2008.

She was invited to join the Dean’s department which is involved in every aspect of the students’ lives outside the classroom including building relationships with the students with a view to discipling on a one to one basis. 

All things considered, she has agreed and will be flying to the States 24 March.  We would appreciate your prayers for her as she takes this first step into vocational ministry.  Here are her latest praise and prayer points. 

•  praise  for encouraging meetings
•  praise  for purchase of tickets to USA
•  praise for provision for the car
•  pray for wisdom as I share at upcoming meetings
•  pray for all the “lasts” here in N. Ireland in the next 4
    weeks and the goodbyes to be said
•  pray for continued preparation in my heart and mind�
    for upcoming ministry at NTBI

Our son Isaac recently graduated from College of the Ozarks and has been accepted to the Ben Gurion Medical School in Beersheba to train as a doctor.  Ben Gurion specializes in preparing doctors to serve in developing countries and this is where Isaac’s heart lies.  He would like to do medical missions with a focus on the children around the world who are often exploited and abused.

Isaac graduated with a major in studio art and premed and for his senior art exhibition he presented artwork that expressed his passion to work for justice for exploited children.  Check out his work – click ‘photos’ then ‘Isaac’s Artwork’.

At the moment, he is in the States, he is working and looking into ways to fund his medical education.  Not being an American citizen he is not eligible for student loans but having not been resident in the UK he is not eligible for student loans from the UK either.  We certainly would appreciate your prayers to God on his behalf to open up a way to fund his education.  He is to begin in July.

A few months ago I purchased the Logos 4 Bible software and have been enjoying using it.  It is a great tool for preparing lessons to teach here at NTM’s Biblical Studies course at North Cotes.

I am also working on a Masters in Ministry by distance education through Bethany Divinity College and Seminary in Alabama GA.  I discovered that Logos offer a Seminary Scholarship of $1000 plus their Scholar’s level software.  The scholarship is open to any full time or part time seminary students.

You can apply for the scholarship by following this link:  seminary scholarship.

Whether you apply or not, you might want to look at the Logos software, it is quite a package.

James

May we wish you a very happy new year trusting you had an enjoyable Christmas season.

School starts tomorrow although a few of the students have been having trouble getting back with the bad weather.  Since our school is out in the middle of nowhere, the roads are not treated so are pretty slippery until you get to the main roads.

I will be teaching a couple of new subjects this term – 2 Corinthians and the Doctrine of Salvation so I get to talk about all those big words like substitution, reconciliation, propitiation and redemption.  Our son, Benjamin, who works at our Bible School in Jackson, Michigan, has taught 2 Corinthians so he has sent me his notes.  I am looking forward to learning from him.

We had Christmas in N. Ireland with our daughters Deborah and Martha and youngest son, Isaac.  No grandchildren this year.

Isaac has just finished college and graduated with a degree in studio art and pre medicine.  He was able to display some of his art at the final exhibition.  You can see some of them by looking at our photos page.

Martha will be taking up a position on staff at our Bible School in Jackson, Michigan in March.  At present she is available to come and share her ministry with anyone who would be interested.  If you or anyone you know would be interested in hearing from her you can contact her at 02890 866781, email her at marthasuepng@yahoo.com or write to her at 410 Doagh Road, Newtownabbey  BT36 6AN.

Our good friends, Phil and Fiona, at the cliffs in Bunglass, Donegal

This summer we enjoyed friends from down under and we went back over the pond to see our kids in the States.

Phil and Fiona Emery are good friends from Australia. We worked with them for many years in PNG. They were on their way to the USA for meetings so stretched their airmiles to visit us. We enjoyed showing them round and catching up on old times.

Then it was off to the States to see our kids. We had just over two weeks and enjoyed every minute with them and the grandkids. We also enjoyed renewing fellowship with our co-workers at NTBI Jackson.

Martha has now completely finished her training with NTM and is embarking on a time of partnership development. She went to the States to visit family and friends and while she was there she was asked to consider a position on staff at NTBI Jackson. She has agreed and will be starting there around springtime next year.

Deborah has started her new job as Learning Mentor and is finding it very challenging working with young girls to improve their study skills so they can resit exams. Still, she is glad to be working.

Isaac will be finishing college at the end of the year and hopes to stay on in the States for a year. He would like work experience, be near his girlfriend, Camille and work on applications for medical school.  He will need a visa, a job, accommodation and a car so we would appreciate your prayers for him.

Lisa’s mum is doing well physically although she is suffering from dementia and doesn’t recognize any of the family any more. Although so confused, she seems happy and content which is a great comfort to Lisa and her sister, Hilary.

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Biblical Studies Class

Ten years ago in September 1999, NTM opened it doors at North Cotes to their first students to go through the newly established European Bible and Missionary Training Centre. Having spent almost twenty years at Matlock which provided Biblical studies only, this was an answer to prayer to be able to offer the complete NTM training in the UK.

The search had gone on for some time before finding the North Cotes property and the day after placing an offer for 500,000, a gift for that very amount arrived the next day, giving assurance that God was in the move.

Ten years on, we have the privilege of being part of the training team, investing in the lives of 26 young people seeking to prepare them to live a life of service to God and to bring the gospel to unreached people groups around the world.

The students are from England, N. Ireland, Norway, The Netherlands, Germany and USA with ages ranging from 18-44. There are singles just out of school and a family with five children who have left their business to serve the Lord full time.

As well as teaching in the classroom, we have the opportunity to meet with six of the students on a weekly basis in a small group setting. This gives us the chance to get to know them more personally and be available to be used in their lives as the Lord leads and enables.

We were expecting 10 more students from the USA but, unfortunately, the certificate of accreditation did not come through in time to process their visas and so they were unable to enroll this year. Do pray that this process will soon come to completion so as to be open to non-EU students next year.

During the summer holidays, the classroom building was completely rewired at a cost of 36,000. Just last week, a gift of 50,000 was received for which we are so very grateful. Jehovah Jireh.

We would appreciate your prayers.