NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Thanks so much for your prayers this past week as we drove out to California from Belleville, Illinois. We arrived safely Friday morning. We left Illinois Monday evening driving through the night and arriving in Denver, Colorado around noon Tuesday and after 880 miles! We were able to check in early to the motel and take advantage of the nice facilities including indoor swimming pool and fitness. After a good night’s sleep, we drove 530 miles to Salt Lake City where we enjoyed another restful night at a motel. We slept in and after breakfast headed west again leaving around 10 a.m. The kids all enjoyed running around at the Bonneville Salt flats and taking in the “lunar landscape.” We arrived in Reno, Nevada around 7 p.m. and enjoyed our “last supper” before heading up towards Donner Summit. We hit snow at around 5,000 feet elevation and were told that all vehicles needed chains to get over the summit. We had to turn back and buy chains at a local gas station (probably ripped off) and after chaining up we made another assault on the mountain! It took us around 2 hours to get up and over the 7900 foot summit and after taking the chains off, everybody bedded down for the night while I drove on. We had to bypass the shortest route on Highway 20 as it was covered in snow and no vehicles were heading that way, however part way down the Sierra’s we found a small road that took us back to Highway 20 at Grass Valley. We drove through the night meeting hardly any other cars and after I rested for an hour around Richardson’s Grove on Highway 101 we drove on arriving around 8 a.m. at “Grandmother’s house in the woods.”

It was nice being in our home church this morning after 2 months in the Midwest. Our youth pastor Kiyle Decker is still preaching as our church looks for a new pastor. Please pray for the right man to step in as full-time pastor in the Lord’s timing. This afternoon Anna and the kids are all sorting out in the cold game room while I rest and watch football. I will be speaking to the AWANA kids next week and that is my only scheduled speaking before we leave for Indonesia again January 6th.

An answer to prayer is that the kids’ passports all arrived safely at my mom’s house. Please pray that their old passports and original birth certificates arrive soon as we need them for reentry into Indonesia in January.

Thanks again for your prayers and we wish you all a Happy Holiday Season,

In this work together,

John, Anna, KT, Grace, Paula and Kurt

Dear Friends,

After two months in the Midwest we are heading out west to Eureka, California for our final month here before moving back to Indonesia on January 6th. We will be staying up on the hill with my mom (ph. 707-443-6038). We had a great two months visiting with Anna’s folks as well as her brother Tony and the week before Thanksgiving we got to see Anna’s sister Laura and her family. We just arrived back safely from Thanksgiving weekend in Texarkana where we visited more of Anna’s relatives and spoke at the Fellowship Bible Church of Texarkana both for worship service and elementary and high school Sunday school classes. During our time in the St. Louis area we have been able to hike a few times in local State parks, enjoy the beautiful fall colors, spend quality time with Anna’s folks eating and visiting, travel to and speak at 5 churches in Missouri and Texas, visit the St. Louis zoo, and tour Anna’s dad’s work. The kids got to go trick-or-treating for first time in at least five years as well. I was also able to travel to a week-long international congress on language-learning in Colorado Springs and travel up to the Wheaton Eye Clinic to have my Uveitis checked out. Praise the Lord that my Uveitis is “quiet” now and the Uveitis specialist said that I received good and adequate care in Singapore the past couple of years.

Please pray for us as we head out this Monday afternoon driving west. The roads can be treacherous this time of year so please pray for safety as well as for all of our sanity. Anna’s folks Ernie and Gail graciously lent us their Suburban SUV for our time out here as well as for the trip west. They will take the train out to Eureka and see us off at the airport in January before they drive the car back to St. Louis.

As we enter our last month in the U.S., please be praying for the following:

1. For all of us to be excited about returning to ministry in Indonesia. Katie and Grace, especially, have really felt more comfortable in the States than in Indonesia. Actually, all of us do to varying degrees as this is our home culture.

2. Our financial support has fallen off some upon our return home and we have some outstanding medical, dental and travel bills to pay off before our return, if possible. We are presently at around 83% of recommended monthly support.

3. For safe travel west and a wonderful time visiting relatives and our sending church body.

4. For sanity as we shop for final supplies that we can’t purchase in Indonesia as well as the busyness of the Holiday season.

5. That we would be able to turn our focus back to Christ and all He has done for us during this time of year.

6. For Anna as she continues to home school even in all this transition and not having our own home to work out of.

7. That our children’s passports will arrive safely before our departure date of January 6th.

8. Our eldest daughter Katie is in eleventh grade and not sure of plans for when she finishes high school. Please pray that the Lord would give her clear direction and for direction for Anna and I too as we give her guidance. Please pray that she would desire to serve the Lord no matter what she chooses to do.

Praises:

1. A great experience in the Midwest.

2. For faithful supporting friends and churches.

3. For our health including my positive eye report from the Wheaton eye clinic. The Uveitis is presently “quiet.”

4. Anna has been able to keep up for the most part with home schooling. We were also able to join the YMCA here giving us an outlet for exercise and swimming.

5. The weather held up enough for me to finish painting Ernie and Gail’s house.

6. For vehicles to use and places to stay during our 6-month furlough.

7. For great coworkers to work with back in Indonesia as well as our relationships with Indonesian friends.

8. For continued “open doors” to Indonesia.

9. For our various freedoms here in America.

Thanks again for your part in our ministry. May the Lord grant you peace and strength in these days and during the Holiday season,

In this together,

John

As we enter our last month in the U.S., please be praying for the following:

1. For all of us to be excited about returning to ministry in Indonesia. Katie and Grace, especially, have really felt more comfortable in the States than in Indonesia. Actually, all of us do to varying degrees as this is our home culture.

2. Our financial support has fallen off some upon our return home and we have some outstanding medical, dental and travel bills to pay off before our return, if possible. We are presently at around 83% of recommended monthly support.

3. For safe travel west and a wonderful time visiting relatives and our sending church body.

4. For sanity as we shop for final supplies that we can’t purchase in Indonesia as well as the busyness of the Holiday season.

5. That we would be able to turn our focus back to Christ and all He has done for us during this time of year.

6. For Anna as she continues to home school even in all this transition and not having our own home to work out of.

7. That our children’s passports will arrive safely before our departure date of January 6th.

8. Our eldest daughter Katie is in eleventh grade and not sure of plans for when she finishes high school. Please pray that the Lord would give her clear direction and for direction for Anna and I too as we give her guidance. Please pray that she would desire to serve the Lord no matter what she chooses to do.

Praises:

1. A great experience in the Midwest.

2. For faithful supporting friends and churches.

3. For our health including my positive eye report from the Wheaton eye clinic. The Uveitis is presently “quiet.”

4. Anna has been able to keep up for the most part with home schooling. We were also able to join the YMCA here giving us an outlet for exercise and swimming.

5. The weather held up enough for me to finish painting Ernie and Gail’s house.

6. For vehicles to use and places to stay during our 6-month furlough.

7. For great coworkers to work with back in Indonesia as well as our relationships with Indonesian friends.

8. For continued “open doors” to Indonesia.

9. For our various freedoms here in America.

Thanks again for your part in our ministry. May the Lord grant you peace and strength in these days and during the Holiday season,

John, Anna Marie, Katie, Grace, Paula and Kurt