NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

This past week our co-workers returned to the States for a year of home assignment. While they were excited to be returning home to visit friends and family after four years in Indonesia, it was also a sad time to say good-bye to friends here in the village. Here is Ember getting in one last group hug with friends before getting on the plane on Flight Day.

Check out the nice sunset!! Despite the fact that it seems to rain almost every day of the year in our mountain location, here is proof that the sun does indeed still shine! 

It was a vine gathering trip in the jungle when suddenly my friend excitedly grabbed my machete and climbed a tree to get out these ant eggs!! She did suffer many ant bites in the process.but a small price to pay for some some tasty ant eggs. And just in case you ever want to try any..these can be eaten raw or roasted over the fire. Both are equally yummy for the tummy! If ants don’t have your taste buds watering.maybe you’d rather eat a tarantula? There aren’t exactly “Junk Food” options here in these woods so one learns to adapt a little to the local tasty treats.

This young girl is one of many kids who have lost a parent and some have lost both at young ages. Living in a communal setting where everyone seems related in some crazy and often random way does bring certain advantages though. These children are never left as “orphans’ but there is a family member that will then take over the raising of these children as their own.

Something green…..ok, well the something green that is actually a critter! Quite large and in charge for a mere walking stick. After repeated warnings that I was going to get “attacked” I let the little buddy return to his habitat. I am sure walking sticks appreciate getting their picture taken every now and again and that my friends were seriously exaggerating the intentions of my delightfully green walking stick buddy.

“What a cute necklace!” you think to yourself as you start noticing that almost every baby and young child in the village wears one. And all of them decorated with frog bones. As I study the Nagi culture I learn that these frog necklaces are not really JUST for decoration but are worn to prevent sickness…..

I have found that fishing in streams while moving from rock to rock brings certain challenges. I was out with some girls the other day and I asked, “Where is the bait?” I wasn’t expecting the answer I got as she opened her mouth and took out a tadpole she had been “storing”. I guess as long I am not the one given the duties of holding the fishing bait I am ok.

The GOOD NEWS is that our airstrip project passed official inspection this May. Praise the Lord for getting that approval. The “NOT SO GOOD” NEWS is that there is still an additional “gravel” layer the pilots have requested be added for safety sake. As soon as those 2,000 or something loads of rocks have been carried in from the nearby creeks/rivers the airplane will be able to start landing. Despite the unpleasantness of the task…little by little that “gravel runway” is starting to take shape!!!

Have you ever noticed that one of the benefits of TEAMWORK is that if often brings with it opportunities for us to be “stretched”? Sort of like the Nagi men stretching the vine string over their bows…hoping the string doesn’t snap. For our team right now we have approximately a month together to make decisions/work on group projects/reconnect before we are separated again. This brings a certain amount of stress/urgency to see a lot accomplished in a short amount of time. Please pray with us as that we would still have good team unity and allow ourselves to be stretched during this time instead of snapping!