NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Although we primarily function as a support role for tribal missionaries, we have the opportunity to develop friendships here with our neighbors, the Bena Bena and Ungai people groups.  The two national ladies (Margret & Amo) who help us with laundry, dishes, cooking, gardening, and cleaning are a vital part of the dorm ministry.  We could not do this without them.  We work beside them, pray with them, and eat breakfast together 4 days a week. Our kids love them! However, times of miscommunication in “Pidgin” do occur (and can be stressful) as we think through different cultural views. We’ve had to learn how to work those things out and adjust to others being in our house ALL the time! Pray we can live our lives in such a way to show Christ’s love and truth to them.

While the dorm is functioning, we are not able to spend much time with other national friends.  However, we continue to stay in touch with Aute and Jogina and their extended family who live across the river. Jogina commented that there was something different about us and how we live as a family.  She thought the difference must be God and His Word.  Praise the Lord for that! She could give us no greater compliment!!! This term, their nephew was diagnosed with Appendicitis—a very dangerous thing for them if you’ve seen their “hospital”.  We were able to be a blessing to them in many ways through that difficult time, and the Lord answered prayer for healing without him having surgery!  Pray it does not reoccur.  Pray for these precious friends and their families to learn God’s truth clearly—in a way that cuts beneath the cultural chains of darkness or work based religions.

We were given the opportunity to “dorm sit” over Easter weekend.  Our whole family moved into a dorm for four nights while the current dorm parents went on a much needed family vacation.  We really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know these youth!  Due to various situations this year, the dorm was down to 3 girls and 3 guys from an original 10. However, their 6 plus our 4 made 10 kids for the weekend! 

Easter Egg Hunt

 Special activities we enjoyed:

• Thursday night we hung out late playing card games and getting to know them.
• Friday night pizza and the movie, “Tangled”.
• Saturday evening “get-to-know-you” games.
• Sunday after church we enjoyed a big Easter dinner.
• Ellaina and Katie hid Easter Eggs for the “big kids” who had a blast looking for them!
• Then the teens hid the eggs for our kids.  I’m not sure who had more fun!
• Sunday evening we enjoyed doing worship and dorm devotions.
• We also ate a lot of cake, ice cream, and chocolate chip cookies!
• Monday morning we went with half the teens on a hike up a nearby little mountain with our language helper.  This was a good opportunity for them to get out of the fence and see the community around the center. The scenery was beautiful!
• We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the top of a grassy hillside at one of the nationals’ house and a swim in the large river after we crossed it on the way back!
  

  Hiking

We were extremely tired by Tuesday when we had to start back into our 7^th week of language learning!  However, our whole family really enjoyed getting to know these teenagers and spending time with them.  Seeing the potential for lifelong relationships and the need to challenge them spiritually and prepare them for life after high school gave us a renewed passion for this ministry.  We were encouraged and grew more excited as we look forward to dorm parenting full time when school starts again in July.  Even though they are Missionary Kids (MK’s), they are just like teenagers you would find at your church and what an opportunity to disciple as you live along side them!

 Praise the Lord with us for:

• Recovered sleep and health! 
• Our container arriving this week!!! 
• Language learning going well.
• Relationships being built with nationals, fellow missionaries, and MK’s.

 Prayer Requests:

• To grow in our ability to communicate in Pidgin.
• Our family may spend 2 weeks in a tribe in June.  Parents of a future dorm kid work in this tribe.  Pray we will be able to build a good relationship with them.
• Tim and Kerri Shepherd (Her back has kept her down for the past 2 months. They are needed for the other dorm in July!  Pray the Lord strengthens and heals her back and directs them for the future. We’d love to work with them, Lord willing!)
• Wisdom as we continue with dorm orientation.
• For the Lord to place the individuals HE would like in our dorm next year.
• Pray we will have intimate time with the Lord and that He will make us into the parents and people He wants us to be.
• Time for Jon and I as it is hard to “get out” together in this kind of setting.

 THANK YOU all for your prayers, encouragement, and support!  We truly saw God’s hand on our weekend! YOU are a vital part of this ministry and we praise God for you!!

Passim Lo Banana

 

Drying Coffee

 Last week Katie, Ben, and I crossed the river by Gumi (intertube) after lunch and helped out in our language helpers garden.

Katie & Ben on Gumi

Brukim Giraun

We have really enjoyed getting to know our language helper Aute and his wife, Georgina.  We are excited to be able to learn the language to the point of really being able to talk with them about life.  They have been married 10 years (like us), but have been unable to have children.  While working with Georgina in her garden, she shared with Katie their struggle with that.  Aute’s mom pressured him to get another wife (making 2 wives which is very common), but much to Georgina’s relief he did not want to.  They would talk and talk about wanting kids when Georgina decided to talk to God about her desire.  Now she says that, “God knows everything.  We do not.  I do not need to keep talking about wanting a baby, I have already asked God.”  Katie tried to explain (as best she could) that she could trust God and that He hears her. She seemed to understand and agree.

Classtime With Aute'

“Em wanem (What is it)?”  It is the national language of Papua New Guinea casually now as Pidgin English. 

Village Exposure

We have completed two weeks of learning Pidgin.  It has been very busy but also quite fun!  Thankfully, we have progressed faster than expected.  Right now Katie and I spend Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings in class from 8:30-12:00am.  Our teacher is a missionary from Michigan.  His wife graciously watches our kids while we are in class.   During our class time we learn a lot of vocabulary through repetition, interaction, and discussion with Aute’ (national language helper).  We also practice putting sentences together to describe things or events.  We usually have homework to review and practice what we learned in class. 

Crossing the Bridge

After class and a quick lunch either I (or Katie) head out with the other students (6 of us) to visit a local village for exposure, practicing what we’ve learned, and meeting people.  This usually takes around 2 hours.  My favorite so far was wading across the river and walking past giant “Mambu” (Bamboo) trees.  We also crosssed a mini suspension bridge over the river to a different village.  That was very cool!  Their are usually many people out and about, pigs wandering around in and out of the “bus” (bush), and tons of plants, flowers, gardens, etc.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays I spend most of the morning at a village learning about “daily routines” and new vocabulary so we can practice them later.

After next week our days will switch.  We will spend more time in the village (M,W,F) and less time in class (T,R).  We will begin working on

Crossing River

 projects like learning each step in pidgin for “mekin copi” (harvesting coffee), “wokim haus” (building a house), “kukim mumu” (preparing and cooking a special social dinner), etc.  We’d appreciate prayer as we juggle class, homework, kids, chores, and everyday life here.

Thanks for your prayers! Now you have learned a little pidgin too!

“Lukim yu” (See ya!)