NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

I’ll be honest…when I have a machete in my hand mothers grab their children and everyone starts running for the hills.   The Nagi on the other hand grow up playing with machetes from the time they are about two years old. 

It’s not just the tool they for cutting grass or chopping down trees.    They will use them  to prepare a meal, cut a fingernail and a 101 things I wouldn’t dare attempt with a big, sharp knife.   So living here with our Nagi friends I am having to develop some machete skills.  And make up for all those years of not being allowed to play with knives. Despite all the help I receive…I have yet to progress far enough to eliminate the fear factor when they see this crazy white girl swinging her machete.   Maybe in another 10 years.

There was drama in the village this past week when one of the young men was found out to be having an affair with his sister-in-law. We all gathered one afternoon for a village meeting or “court case” to address the issue. “You crossed my nose!” the husband gestured angrily dragging his finger across his nose. This was the first time I’d heard that expression. I knew they weren’t talking about noses. What exactly did it mean? But by now there were five other conversations going on and my head was spinning. Who to listen to? Some order was established and the meeting proceeded. For three hours we all sat and discussed this issue as a village…there was marriage advice offered, warnings expounded to the rest of the village, an accounting of the events given and a penalty decided upon. And at the end ….the offense of the “crossed nose”….the affair that was done “right under my nose without me knowing” was “forgiven” was settled. Everyone said their “stomachs were good” as they shook hands and parted ways. However, the fears are still there and being talked about how they maybe didn’t do everything “quite right” and that someone is going to get sick from sorcery as a result of the mistakes they made….Keep praying for the Nagi and that these events will be preparing them for truth in the future.

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance – I Cor 13:7

Church planting consultants were here this week spending time with our team. We were reminded how our consultant friends are also an part of our team that is here working with the Nagi. We were able to look back at history since we have been here, address discouragement and challenges going on now and these guys also helped remind us of our focus and strength in the Lord to see how GOD WILL DO IT and see a church in the future here with the Nagi. We are thankful for our consultants and the sacrifices they make to travel and be away from their families so that the Lord can use them in these ways.

One of the things that I miss the most living in the tribe is FAMILY…mother, father, brother, sister, nieces, nephews….etc, etc. However, our co-workers have great kids living on either side of our house. They seem very “normal” to me. Of course seeing this picture I guess you MIGHT question my definition of normal.

For you fish lovers and fishermen & women – fishing here with the Nagi would challenge your tall tales for sure! You would be forced to tame down those those tall fish tales to telling about the big one incher that got away. Yesterday my little buddy Eden came back from the creek with a leaf preciously wrapped around about 10 slimy little tadpoles. She was quite proud of her fishing trip and cooked these little dudes up over the fire for her supper. To show the Nagi a picture of a salmon has their mouths drooling and their eyes popping out of their head in amazement!!:) Such differences here in the jungle do help me to keep my perspective and open my eyes to see the appreciation that can be had for something as small and insignificant as a tadpole.

Ahhh at times language learning seems as overwhelming and as over-sized as this here gargantuan sweet potato! But the only way to make it smaller is to dig in! As we put together our culture files, attempt to analyze things going on in the grammar and memorize so many different forms for just one verb……it’s a matter of keep digging in and reminding ourselves that only the Lord that can enable us for this seemingly gargantuan task!!

“How in the world are we ever going to get enough gravel to cover the 350 meters on the airstrip ?” has been the question on our minds a lot this past year as we have tried to brainstorm how to finalize the airstrip here in the village. Even the most “hard core” of the village workers can only carry so many heavy loads a day before the necks and shoulders start to “wobble” . So we were are very blessed thru the many ways the Lord provided so that we now have an ATV for the gravel project. SO MANY played a part in this project for our team …those that prayed, gave gifts, town folks that dealt with paperwork issues, the JAARS pilots that helped bring the ATV from Australia and then again into the village. Man, we wish we could do free ATV rides or something as a big THANK-YOU to everyone. However, I hope it is an encouragement knowing what a blessing it will be to the Nagi people to have their airstrip finished and for the pilots that land here as well!! Stay tuned down the road for celebrating with more pictures when the airstrip is fully graveled!

This picture makes me chuckle! This is the effect we often have on little babies and children that are traumatized at our white faces. Eventually they are convinced that we aren’t QUITE as scary as we look.

“His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ…” Ephesians 1:3

Much has happened since my last email. After much visiting and talking, the parents were still determined that they would not keep both baby girls. Even though the word had spread that this baby was going to die if someone didn’t take her there were no nursing mothers that would agree to help nurse or raise the child as their own. It felt like options were running out for this little baby. We then suggested to the village that baby formula was available so that anyone could take this baby and raise it. The people still kept saying that the baby would just die. We reminded them how a lot of their babies die – not just twins. It was a long, stressful day but filled with many opportunities to share new perspectives with our tribal friends. Together we waited and prayed to see if anyone would step forward or what our other options might be. And then one of the guys, Obet, who had said several times earlier that he would not take the baby came up with his wife and said he wanted to talk about the formula for the baby. “Ok, we are going to talk to the parents about taking the baby!” he said. Wow, what wonderful news! Obet and Olipa, who you see with the baby in this picture had decided they would take and raise her as their child and the parents agreed. Obet and Olipa have been learning how to feed a baby with a bottle and plan to raise her as their own. “We still don’t know if she will live or not” they say…”but if she does, she will call us mother and father.” I know you will be praising the Lord and rejoicing with us that this baby’s life has been spared. And what an even more exciting day if one day she will believe that Jesus Christ has made it possible for her to be adopted as God’s child into His family!

Thanks to each of you for your prayers, your encouragement and support during these days.

“My wife gave birth last night!” A man came up and told us early this morning.  “Twins!” 

The something “new” in the village today is not just the start of a new life …but just a small crack in some “new” thinking. The Nagi have never kept twins before.  They throw the 2nd born away. 

The parents and the village are still trying to decide the fate of this 2nd born baby.  They are hearing us as missionaries challenge their thinking and beliefs,  however their old ways are still stronger in their minds. 

The Nagi don’t yet have God’s Word to change their thoughts and direct them in decisions like these.  We are praying that this baby girl’s life might be spared. 

The mother did not go out and immediately throw her baby away as they would have in the past.  However, they still think that is what they should do and we don’t know how this will end. 

Pray for this baby girl and for wisdom for our team in this situation.  We don’t know the Lord’s plans and how He might use the birth of these twins to prepare hearts and lives for hearing His truth.