NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Hello again from Canada. That’s right, we’re safely back!

Wednesday night Angie’s parents picked us up in Toronto. Boy, were we ever tired!

God granted us a really good trip to Indonesia. We left Canada on a Tuesday, and it wasn’t till Friday that we arrived at Tim and Kathy Whatley’s home.

Orientation complete

Part of their ministry is helping new missionaries get orientated. This allowed us to see some of what new families go through their first year as they learn the Indonesian culture and language. People were joking that since we are done the orientation program now, we could stay and be missionaries in Indonesia, and not return to Canada.

Field leadership committee meetings

After about a week in Central Java, I went with Tim to the Indonesian Missionary Training Center for some meetings. Angie and Delena stayed with Kathy the 12 days we were gone.

I know that few people would jump at the chance to sit through day after day of committee meetings, some of it even in an unknown language, but God wired me to enjoy that sort of thing. I know, I am weird. Being at the Field Leadership meetings allowed me to see the big picture of all that is involved in planting tribal churches in remote and isolated places in Indonesia. Things like missionary aviation, tribal churches dependency on western support, and how best to take care of and help missionaries were some of the big things being discussed.

Tribal trek into Lauje land

We left those meetings early to go visit the Lauje tribe. This was the highlight of my entire trip to Indonesia. It was a whirlwind. 24 hours to get there, 24 hours in the tribe, and then 24 hours to get home. The worst of it was the 19 hour drive one way. Then we got motorcycle taxis into the interior as far as they could go, and they we had to hoof it.

We got to be there for a Sunday morning with the believers and met a number of people from the church. The Lauje tribe is where Tim Whatley’s parents were missionaries, so Tim was the perfect guide. He had so many stories from his childhood—carrying the airplane out of the jungle by hand, building airstrips, an encounter with a wild boar, etc.

Photos from my trip into Lauje land can be seen here

The heart of the training

Once back at the missionary school for Indonesians, I got to spend some more time with the students there—many of them from tribes—and hear about what God has done in their lives. While there, two other missionaries from other fields were visiting and sharing with the teaching staff some things that are being learned around the world in other missionary training centers. I really enjoyed sitting in on that teaching. Two things that I took away were that what is taught formally and informally in the training has to be directly related to our goal of planting mature tribal churches, and secondly, that our ministry of planting mature tribal churches has to been seen in the light of who God is, His character.

Family time at the beach

Having been away from our families for almost two weeks, we went to the beach for a couple of nights to reconnect with them. This was a great time spent with all the Whatley’s—Tim and Kathy, Shane and Karen, and Alan and Rachel (all kids included). Our simple, yet sufficient, rooms were right on a beautiful beach.

A week in Europe

From there we started our travels home, stopping in Germany and Switzerland to visit family for a week. In Germany we were with my brother and his family. I got to see where he works, and the home they are buying (as well as castles and other great stuff). In Switzerland we were with Angie’s Aunt Flo and her family. I really enjoyed their home, as it is in the foothills of the Alps, surrounded by vineyards. Thanks family for your wonderful hospitality.

Photos from our trip to Germany can be seen here
Photos from our trip to Switzerland can be seen here

Thank you

We thank those of you that have decided to get involved in helping us in financing this trip so that we could see what God is doing in Indonesia! Your involvement in seeing this trip take place directly helps us to minister better from Canada as part of the team expanding the reach of the gospel.

We really appreciate all of your prayers as well. While only being in Indonesia 4 weeks, we still felt some culture shock. It was great to be reminded to look only to God for comfort when our emotions and thoughts needed improvements.

And praise God for our physical safely. The driving style in Indonesia is more aggressive than here in Canada (that is an understatement).

New Ministry starting next week

This coming week I will be starting to learn the ropes in the head office in Durham. Angie will be helping out in child care as she is able to. I would appreciate your prayers as we get settled into a new home, a new routine, and a new ministry.

Please keep in touch with us. If there something we can be praying with you about, please let us know.

—Jason for the three of us

Going to Indonesia, we wanted to see firsthand what we were involved in as missionaries with New Tribes Mission. While there, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit what is the goal of all our work. I was able to visit a tribal church—a self governing, self propagating, and self supporting tribal church. I went into the land of the Lauje people.

Our time in Indonesia has been primarily with Tim and Kathy Whatley. Tim’s parents were missionaries on the team that pioneered the work amongst the Lauje people. Because Tim grew up in this tribe, he was the perfect guide.

Three others went along with us. Tim’s son, Tyler, Cody Cassel (a friend of Tyler’s whose parents teach at the missionary training school in Indonesia), and Doug Robitaille, a fellow missionary that wanted to see this tribal work first hand.

Our trip was a quick one. We only had about 24 hours in the tribe, and it took about 24 hours get there from where we were having meetings. And 24 hours to get back.
Friday afternoon we started out at 3pm. We loaded into a rented SUV that came with 2 drivers. We made pretty good time—we made it to the town on the edge of Lauje Land in less than 20 hours! That’s right, we drove all evening, all night, and all morning.

Rustic grilled fish

Along the way we stopped for supper at a roadside restaurant. It was rustic. It had a dirt floor and the family’s communal bed was right there in the corner. Their living room/bed room/dining room was our dining room. We picked some fish out of a cooler, and they cleaned and grilled them over an open fire for us. You can never be sure what makes a person sick, but Doug wasn’t right after this meal.

Ojek ride

After letting the local police know we were in the area, our rental drove us up the first leg of our trek in. Tim says that saved us about an hour of walking. Where the SUV could go no more, we transferred to motorcycle taxis—ojeks.

This ‘taxi’ service hasn’t always been available. When Tim’s parent’s, Bonard and May, first started living with the Lauje people, there were 30 river crossings. Since then, the government has bulldozed a ‘road’ down the side of the river that the bikes ‘manage’ to drive on.

While riding the ojek, twice the bike couldn’t make it to the top. The first time we backed down safely. The second time, I got off when it quick climbing, and the driver went back down, backwards. Only he didn’t keep it steady, and laid it down against the side of the mountain, breaking the rear light.

Hoofing it

After we got as far as the bikes could go, we started walking. With the hike’s only river crossing quickly navigated, it was another 1.5 hours before we got to Tim’s parent’s home. The trail that we hiked in on had sentimental value to Tim. He related how he was ‘volunteered’ by his dad to help carve it out of the side of the mountain. Hour after hour, Saturday after Saturday, week after week, month after month, Tim, his dad, and others, would head back out with pickaxe in hand. Even today, when you get to the side of the trail, there is nothing but a 400 foot drop to the river.

History

Tim’s reminiscing about his childhood didn’t end there. I thoroughly enjoyed all that he had to share. As we continued walking, he pointed out the hill top where his brother almost died from heat exhaustion.

Further on, Tim pointed out the three initial locations that Bible teaching have taken place over the years.

Tim also showed us where the first and then second, better, airstrips where built in the valley, explaining how the SuperCub airplane had to approach and turn at the last minute before touch down, and then rev the engine to get to the top of the steep airstrip. There it would turn around and wait to roll down the side of the mountain, turning at the bottom before hitting the other side of the valley.

Tim also shared about the time the plane did crash on takeoff.

As we approached Tim’s childhood home, the stories kept coming. He showed us the hydro-electric generator. He explained how his dad got the flush toilet and shower working in the middle of the jungle. He shared about all the fruit trees and animals that his dad had introduced to the tribal people.

Church in the Tribe

After having tried to sleep in the car the night before, we were all ready for bed that Saturday night. Sunday morning brought with it the joy of seeing first hand tribal believers gathered together unto the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

After a time of singing, of which the kids had a special part, Tim and Doug shared some greetings. They spoke in Indonesian, and one of the church elders translated into Lauje.

Their style of teaching was not the typical sermon from the platform. One of the young men that is being disciple into a teaching ministry sat behind a desk and taught from chronological curriculum that the missionaries had developed for them. At the end of each point, a number of the men (mostly elders) would add their 2-cents as well.

There are around 40 places in the tribe where teaching is going on by the believers (there are no missionaries living in the tribe right now). In all of these locations, the teaching is from the same portion of Scripture. When I was visiting, they were studying through Luke’s Gospel.

Meeting the People

As we were hiking in, we met Poneng. She is the first lady who placed her trust in Christ. She was Tim’s mom’s helper.

When we got to Tim’s parent’s home, we met Rindu Malu and his family. He is one of the elders, and is house-sitting for Tim’s parents.

As we were leaving, we got to say good bye to Malu Cinta.

Return trip

Sunday afternoon we headed back the missionary training center. We retraced out steps, hiking to the ojeks, and then meeting up with the car. Before getting to the car for our 19 hour return drive, we all jumped into the river and washed up. Half the local population came to watch us. I guess they don’t get to see a bunch of westerners bathing in the river every day.

Part way through the night we were stopped by some government officers at a check point. I think they were bored. After 5 minutes of chatting with them, we were free to go.

Did I mention I like Gravol? The very first drive I had in Indonesia, I was sick to my stomach. After that, I took some anti-motion-sickness medicine. This was especially great, as it puts me to sleep. So the 19 hours passed pretty easy.

For all the pics from my trip into Lauje land, visit: http://www.ntm.org/jason-bechtel/photos.php?img_id=44526&category=Jason%27s+trip+into+the+Lauje+Tribe