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Jungle Camp 2011

Posted by Jason and Angie Bechtel on Saturday, June 18th, 2011

Jungle Camp was the highlight of our two years of tribal missionary training with New Tribes Mission. So it is with fond memories we look forward to each summer when a new class of missionaries-in-training move into the bush for 4 weeks.

As staff at the home office for NTM in Canada, we got a sneak peak at how the students are doing. The actual open house isn’t until July 2-3. I encourage everyone to plan a day trip and see for yourself how resourceful and creative the students are.

Here are some photos from the current class:

Elisabeth and Yvon from Montreal

Elisabeth and Yvon from Montreal
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Here are some posts from our summer of 2007 in Jungle Camp

Round 1 of Questions about Jungle Camp

Jungle Camp 2007

Hot Water Plumbed into our Jungle Camp Home

Here are some photos from our summer in Jungle Camp:

Angie tying our counter top together

Angie tying our counter top together
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Family Photo Shoot

Posted by Jason and Angie Bechtel on Monday, May 16th, 2011

These 41 fabulous family photos were taken by Kristina Marilyn: kristinamarilynphotos.blogspot.com

The Bechtel Family

The Bechtel Family
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5-year Wedding Anniversary Off To An Expensive Start

Posted by Jason and Angie Bechtel on Sunday, May 8th, 2011

“Ms. Bechtel, you were going 85 in a 50.” Our 5-year wedding anniversary was off to an expensive start.

The police officer was kind enough to knock the offense down to 60 in a 50 km/h. It was on a fairly rural road, with homes only on one side of the road. The speed limit along there kept going from 80 km/h to 50 km/h and back, so I think he knew what he was doing, waiting for us at that particular spot.

Angie’s embarrassing moment was soon over-shadowed by one of Jason’s.

When we got to the hotel, we realized that when we had dropped Delena and Lorelei off at the sitter’s, that Jason had unpacked a little too much. Myelle’s bag was no longer with us. No clothes. No diapers. No snugli. Thankfully Angie had two outfits in Myelle’s diaper bag, which was still with us, and we were able to buy some diapers.

Embarrassing moments out of the way, we had a really relaxing two nights away in Wallaceburg, ON. Co-workers of ours, Wes and Brenda Dyck, were so kind to keep Delena and Lorelei for us.

While Angie’s favourite part about the hotel was the extremely large pool, Jason liked that our room came with supper one night, and breakfast both mornings!

On the way home to Durham, we were able to stop in and wish our mother’s a “Happy Mother’s Day” and do a little bit of shopping! Both Delena and Lorelei were thrilled to see us too! All said and done, it ended up being a very restful weekend, once we got beyond the shaky start.

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We were sure we were having a boy!

Posted by Jason and Angie Bechtel on Saturday, April 2nd, 2011

We are thrilled to announce the birth of our third daughter, Myelle Sonya Bechtel.

Myelle came into this world at 1:12pm, Wednesday, March 30th. She weighed a whopping 9 lbs 1 oz, and measured in at 21 inches long. Everyone is doing great!

As with our first two, we wanted the gender to be a surprise. But there was so much that was different with this pregnancy, we were pretty sure it wasn’t going to be another girl. In the end, Delena got her wish, another girl!

Jason, Myelle and Angie

Jason, Myelle and Angie
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What do Jason and Angie write about?

Posted by Jason and Angie Bechtel on Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

Have you ever wondered what Angie and I blog about the most? I just discovered a cool free service online at Wordle.net that created this graphic for me:

Popular-Words

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Indonesia Trip Rescheduled

Posted by Jason and Angie Bechtel on Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Traditional Lauje Home

Traditional Lauje Home

God promised that the gates of hell will not prevail against the advance of His Church. And God keeps His promises. In 2011, God is calling sinners to Himself, and saving them by His matchless grace. And He is extending His hand of opportunity, to you and to me, to join Him.

My trip to Indonesia has been rescheduled for the end of April. Since 2008, I have been helping to prepare the New Testament for the Lauje people. Being at the Bible dedication in the tribe is an exciting dream come true.

At this point, I need much prayer as there is much planning to do, funding for God to provide, and logistics to figure out. Instead of going just before our 3rd child is born, I plan on going a month after. Angie and the three kids will be staying with family, so that is taken care of. What I don’t know yet is who will travel with me. I REALLY want someone to go with me.

Salvation is free, but bringing the message to the unreached can be very expensive, especially when the people who need to hear live in hard-to-reach places. This trip into the Lauje tribe will cost each person more than $2,500. It is exciting to see how God has already started to provide the funds for my expenses!

It is a privilege to see God at work and to join Him as His message of salvation is brought to all Nations, Tribes and Tongues! Above all, I really need prayer support for this fast approaching trip! There is much to do. As I join God in His work, I am eternally thankful for all those that partner with me, however God leads!

If you are able to commit to prayer support, or if you feel called to help with the needed finances, please let me know. Angie and I want to keep you updated on how God provides!

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Lorelei in Transition

Posted by Jason and Angie Bechtel on Wednesday, February 9th, 2011
Lorelei moved around alot when sleeping!

Not losing any sleep over upgrading from a crib to a bed.

With the new baby coming, we thought we’d better step it up a notch in Lorelei’s growing up process.

First, get rid of the soother

Three weeks ago we decided it was time for the soother to go. I think we would have gotten rid of it regardless of the baby coming because this is about the time when Delena’s went in the garbage! I kept putting off the process because I knew she was pretty attached to it, but Delena helped me get it over with. I had told Delena that we would probably be getting rid of the soother once we came back from Nana’s (after our trip to Florida) and I hadn’t done it yet, so she kept asking me about it. Finally, I decided I would make it happen on a Thursday so that if crying ensued, we wouldn’t have to get up the next morning for preschool.

Well, it didn’t quite happen that way! On Wednesday, after Lorelei woke up from her nap, Delena asked Lorelei if she wanted to put her soother in the garbage. The answer, of course, was a firm shake of the head. A few minutes later, snack was mentioned, so the girls hurried towards the kitchen. Delena asked Lorelei again, while holding open the garbage lid, and this time, I’m sure with snack being on her mind, Lorelei quickly popped out her soother and in it went. Easy as pie! :) Of course, 15 min later, Lorelei was poking her head back in the garbage, but there was no soother to be found as I had quickly hid it while the girls ate their snack! There were a few days of tears, but she has moved on now.

Then get rid of the crib

This past weekend we decided it was time for the next transition –into the toddler bed! This one definitely would not even have been attempted yet if it weren’t for the baby coming, but we thought we’d see how it went. The first night went great! She laid down without a fuss. The next afternoon was a different story! It was Saturday afternoon, so Jason offered to listen while I had a nap. I went into the bedroom where the dehumidifier was running so I heard nothing! Jason fell asleep in the living room, so when he heard noises, he just got Lorelei up from her “nap”. It wasn’t until later that he realized that not enough time had passed for her to have had a nap! I also noticed, when I got up, that her bottom clothes drawer was totally emptied!

Bedtimes have continued to go fairly well, probably because it’s dark, but nap times seem to be more of a struggle. I think we may have to hide the diaper pail because we’ve caught her carrying around diapers in her room. I even discovered a diaper hidden under the covers at bedtime – a diaper I had already put back in the pail after I’d caught her with it in the first place! :) But, all in all, she’s doing quite well growing up!

What next? Potty training!

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Driving to Florida and Back

Posted by Jason and Angie Bechtel on Sunday, January 23rd, 2011

The only alligator brave enough to be out on such a cold day As you all know, we fled to Florida for some warmer weather and a relaxing vacation earlier this month. Well, we had relaxing, but it definitely wasn’t as warm as we had hoped! We left on Friday, Jan. 7th in the evening after dropping off the girls at Jason’s mom’s house. We drove the 5 hours to Ohio where we spent the night at my cousin’s, once again! :)

In the morning we hoped to drive out of the snow, but no, it stayed with us all the way to Virginia –sometimes in the air and sometimes just on the ground. Jason had thought about just leaving his coat at home, but boy was he glad he brought it! Especially when he needed it in the car while I, the pregnant one, sat in my t-shirt! LOL

We had a bit of an interesting arrival in Virginia. Just as we turned into the town where our friends live and the gas pedal didn’t respond when Jason pressed it. He stomped on it and away we went until we had to stop at the lights. The car sputtered and Jason had to restart it before it would go. We turned onto our friends’ street where it the GPS told us that we had arrived just as the car stalled again. We didn’t see their house yet, so we tried to start the car again. It did start after a couple tries and we made it into their driveway. PHEW! We were so glad that God allowed us to make it there with our broken car! We tumbled out of the car and shared our driving adventure with our friends to which they replied, “Are you out of gas?” To our credit, our gas gauged doesn’t work and yes, that was the problem, PRAISE THE LORD! We usually keep track with the trip meter, but, for some reason we didn’t that day –probably because we don’t usually drive 800+ kilometers in a day!  Needless to say, the next day we filled up at every stop we made! :D

The next day we also finally got out of snow in North Carolina and we made it to Sanford, FL around 7:30 pm. Jason spent the next few days in meetings with his American co-workers. I relaxed in our guest apartment, reading, doing puzzles and shopping. Okay, so why was I indoors in Florida? Well, it rained most of our first day and the sun came out the next day, but it was still quite chilly. It was still relaxing though!

On Wednesday we left Sanford for our real vacation destination –Okeechobee, Florida – to stay with Jason’s grandparents. They have a nice little winter-home on a river. We thoroughly enjoyed our time down there and it was the first time where Jason actual set aside work for a few days. He even put an automatic vacation responder on his email which he has NEVER done before! The sun was out our few days there, but it was still quite cold unless you could get out of the wind. It was the last day when I actually got a bit of a tan! :D We had a good time doing next to nothing! We did get in a boat ride where we saw an 8 foot-long alligator and lots of different birds.

We ended up heading home two days early as the weather predictions weren’t very good for most of the USA and, as much as we would’ve loved to extend our vacation, I don’t think the grandparents or our girls would have appreciated it! :) Our drive home was quite uneventful. We made it to the Georgia/Tennessee border the first night and then were back at my parents a little before 8pm on Monday night. Delena was super excited to see us and well, Lorelei’s eyes got as big as saucers when she saw us in the morning! :)

Thank you for your prayers!

Angie at the NTM USA home office

Angie at the NTM USA home office
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Lauje Tribal Bible Dedication Postponed

Posted by Jason and Angie Bechtel on Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

lauje baptismWe were getting down to the wire. The excitement was building. Financial gifts for my trip to Indonesia were beginning to come in. Even with our third child due to arrive the end of March, I was going ahead with my plans to be in Indonesia for two weeks the end of February. It hadn’t sunk in yet for Delena that I would be missing her birthday, the one that she has been talking about since forever — she is going to start school after she turns four, don’t you know!

As much as I wanted to go to Indonesia, as much as I wanted to be there for the Bible dedication, for a Bible I have helped prepare for the last two years, I didn’t have a peace that passes all understanding. I just didn’t have a peace.

So I put a condition on my trip. I wouldn’t travel alone. If the Lord didn’t provide someone to travel with me, I wouldn’t go. I approached one of my best friends. He wanted to come. His wife was okay with it. His work was okay with it. It was just a matter of the finances, for him and for myself.

While salvation is free, bringing the gospel to the unreached can be very expensive, especially when the people who need to hear live in hard-to-reach places. Our trip into the Lauje tribe will cost each of us more than $2,500. Not only do we have international flights to Jakarta, but domestic flights, and then renting a helicopter to fly into the tribe.

As we got down to the wire, needing to make some decisions and commitments, neither of us had a peace, but we pressed on. Why wouldn’t God want us to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime celebration?

Then I got the call. An email actually. The decision to go or stay was not actually ours to make. The Bible translator learned from the printer that the Bibles won’t be ready in time. The Bible dedication has been postponed till April or May.

The relief I felt was quickly followed by regret and dread.

I was relieved that I didn’t have to say no. That I wouldn’t be seen as unwilling to trust God for the money. I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to make a hard choice between going and staying. But I also realized that I was very close to making a bad choice. Actually, I was very close to being disobedient. I didn’t have a peace with going, and I knew it.

So why didn’t I have a peace? Was it simply that the timing was off, and the Lord knew it? Was I just being told not to buy the tickets for February? Or am I not to go at all? I don’t know.

While the pressure is currently off, my friend and I still have to decide if we should move ahead with going to Indonesia in April. For both of us, the deciding factors will have changed. There will be no risk of me missing the birth of my 3rd child, but I will be leaving Angie with two preschoolers and a 4-week-old.

I covet your prayers. Not only that I would have a sense of the Lord’s leading, but that I would have the boldness to listen.

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Missouri and back

Posted by Jason and Angie Bechtel on Sunday, December 12th, 2010

We made it back safely from our 1.5 week trip to Missouri. We had lots of stops along with way and back which made it nice for the girls. Our longest day on the road was 10 hours and I think the girls might have done the best that day, but I’ll explain that later.

Our first stop, after crossing the border on Friday, was lunch with my Uncle and cousins for a yummy lunch and leg stretch. Then on to his daughter’s house, in Ohio, where we stayed for the weekend. We celebrated a very late Canadian/early American Thanksgiving! Delena and Lorelei had fun playing with their two boys as they are all fairly close in age.

Sunday found us in the car and heading downtown St. Louis, MO. Jason has a couple cousins here so we stopped in for supper to see everyone and stayed overnight. On Monday we went with Jason’s cousin and her 3 girls to the St. Louis Zoo. It was a blast. With the cooler weather –quite warm for us Canadians –the animals were pretty active. Jason’s cousin goes there all the time and she kept commenting on all the things we were seeing that she had never seen. I think my favourite was the hippo that we could see through the glass –above and below the water. He kept swimming in circles for us. Another favourite was the orangutans that were sitting RIGHT beside the glass. Delena leaned in closer to see them and they leaned towards her. Boy, did she jump! LOL

When the girls were good and tired, we hopped in the car for our last drive to the Missionary Training Center in Camdenton, MO. We arrived for just in time for a delicious supper with our good friend, Sherry, who was in missionary training with us. We spent the next four days with her and she really spoiled us! Jason was able to sit in on some partnership development classes and bounce ideas off the staff down there. I did some shopping and Jason even watched the girls for a full day while Sherry and I headed to the city!

The only low point of our stay there was waking up to find ‘bites’ on my hands and feet one morning! I had felt a couple in the night, but they were all over my hands and feet when I got up for breakfast. By the end of breakfast they had spread all up my arms and legs and even on the insides of my hands and feet! I realized then, that these were NOT bites, but some sort of allergic reaction. None of us could think what it might be, so Sherry called her nurse friend, who asked me a lot of questions and we finally figured things out. The week before our trip I’d had a chest infection and was put on antibiotics. It was day 9 (of 10) for taking those, but apparently that’s when a reaction will show up your first time. I’m now allergic to penicillin! I’m pretty sure I’ve been on it before, but strange things happen when you’re pregnant! So I was itchy for a few days, but it didn’t stop me from shopping!!!

We left MO on Saturday morning by 8am. The girls weren’t ready for breakfast before we left for our 10 hour drive, so I let them bring their breakfast in the car. We were maybe 10 minutes down the road when Lorelei threw up! I should mention that the roads leaving the training center are VERY curvy! So we stopped and cleaned her up. About 15-20 minutes later, Delena announced that she was going to be sick. Thankfully she’s done this a few times in the car before so we were prepared for her and she got it all neatly in a bag!!! YEAH! Note to self: don’t eat on the curvy roads! You’re probably wondering why, in my first paragraph I said that this was the best travelling day. Well, I gave them both Gravol after that and they slept until 11:30! We made a pit stop for the toilet and then ate snacks in the car. They played and were quite content until 3:30, which turned out to be 4:30 when we decided to actually stop for supper, because of the time change. After supper they watched a movie in the car (thanks to my cousin’s DVD player) and before we knew it, we’d arrived back in OH at my cousin’s once again!

We spent our second weekend with my cousin and her family and then left early Monday morning to head to ON! We had NO problem and no wait at the border which was wonderful so we were able to head straight to a friend’s place in St. Catharines for supper. Then we spent the next two days visiting friends in Port Colborne, our first home as a couple. We finally made it back home on the Wednesday and I spent Thursday, no, not putting stuff away, but putting up Christmas decorations!!!

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