NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Lukio was up pruning trees in his field. Climbing down trees holding a machete is cumbersome, so he dropped his machete on the ground before climbing down. Unfortunately, he stepped on it when he got to the ground.

Getting cut by a machete is a fairly common occurrence here and in years past the wounds would be stuffed with grass or even hair to help the blood clot. Of course infection always sent in and it took a long time before the farmer was able to get back to work.

Customs have changed. Like Lukio, more people are coming in right away to get their wound cleaned and stitched. They get some antibiotics going right away and are back to their work in no time at all. We really praise the Lord for his provision of the clinic, medical workers, and medicine.

Carrie assists in the treatment by keep the flashlight focused on the wound.

• We are very thankful for the good results from our translation check of 16 from Genesis.
• We are thankful for our partners Robbie and Vicky and pray that they will have the strength and safety needed to carry on when we leave for furlough.
• We are thankful that we were able purchase round trip tickets.
• We are thankful for the provision of a house and vehicles for our half year furlough.
• We are thankful for the blessing the staff at Faith Academy has been to our family
• We are praying for many opportunities to encourage folks back home and we already have several engagements on the calendar including a week of being the guest speaker at a high school camp. This will be a new experience for us.
• Pray that we will do a good job of wrapping up things in the village which includes getting lesson materials printed, a couple of community development projects, and getting things set up for our partners.
• Pray that Charles and James will finish their school year well.
• Thanks for praying for us.

These three young ladies were our language assistants for the recent translation check on 16 chapters from the book of Genesis. Pearly, on the left, would read a paragraph or two and then the other two would say what they understood. Jonathan would translate what they said to English for Ginny and then Ginny would ask questions if clarification was necessary.

Here is a portion of Ginny’s report:
Evaluation of Translation: The translation seemed to communicate quite well. Most of the adjustments made were minimal.

We are really praising the Lord for this good evaluation and that even though 16 chapters is a very small start, it is a start and our Isnag neighbors are very happy to be able to read God’s Word in their own language. Lord willing, they will have more and more as time goes on.

• Pray that the 16 chapters in Genesis that we have translated will pass their final check and that if there are any errors, they would be caught and fixed.
• Pray for safety for the many visitors who will be flying in to spend time with us during the next two months. Pray they will be encouraged as many of them have had a part in our ministry there.
• Pray that we will be able to strengthen and encourage the Isnag believers and that they will desire to continue to serve God together.
• Praise the Lord that we have been able to purchase round trip tickets for our furlough. The tickets were the most expensive thing we have ever bought in our lives and we are really thankful that God blessed us with the funds necessary.
• Pray for our children as they finish up their school years and as they adapt to life in the Unites States. Charles and James hope to get jobs and Carrie would like to get babysitting jobs.
• Pray for Robbie and Vicky as they continue on in the village without us. Pray that God will give them safety and good health.
• Pray for Wanad and the other believers at the upstream village. Pray that the Holy Spirit will guide them as they study the Bible and that they will live fruitful lives.

The group upstream is really doing well and we are encouraged by their desire to worship the Lord weekly and study his Word. They are getting used to having meetings whether I am there or not and are planning on continuing when we go on our upcoming furlough this summer.

In January of 2007 an NTM translation consultant gave us the go ahead to begin translating the Bible into the Southern Isnag dialect. The translating process has a lot of stages and checks to help us make the best translation possible.

One of the final stages is the comprehension check. In this picture Heidi is with her ladies Bible study group. This group has been very helpful in comprehension checking for us. The final step is a check done by the NTM translation consultant. It is scheduled to take place soon. Please be praying that the 16 chapters of Genesis that we have translated will pass the final check so that they can be distributed to our Isnag friends before we go on furlough.

It takes years to get potential missionaries through training in their home countries, through deputation, through national language study and to the point where they are ready to move into a village and start learning the local language so that they will be able to share the Gospel so, in February, we were pretty excited to host a team of new missionaries who are looking for a ministry location. They have looked at several locations. Please pray God will direct them to the place he wants them to serve him.

We are excited about all the events that are planned for 2008 and would appreciate your prayers for us as we seek God’s will for each of the following items:

• Translating as many chapters as possible into S. Isnag before our furlough in May and getting them checked by a translation consultant.
• Charles and James completing their second year at boarding school and Charles’s graduation
• Heidi completing the teaching of grade 8 and 6 for Carrie and Thomas.
• Leading survey trips to other villages in northern Luzon for new missionaries looking for possible allocations.
• Teaching the truths of 1st Corinthians to the believers in our village.
• Preparing Wanad and possibly another fellow to continue on with leading Bible studies while I’m gone.
• Hosting a few families which are desiring to see the Isnag ministry.

After Christmas we headed for southern Luzon to attend our annual New Tribes Mission field conference. During the conference, we hear great Bible teaching, updates from other mission stations, and attend a business meeting. For the past several years, Heidi has been serving as the coordinator of the nursery conference so that the little ones feel welcomed and the young mothers have a chance to attend meetings. Her love for the children has been a great encouragement to the families with young children.

In December we picked Charles and James in Manila and took them to northern Luzon to spend Christmas vacation together as a family. We went caroling in the local barrio, picnicked at a waterfall, and enjoyed a progressive dinner with other missionary families. It was great to take time to remember our Savior’s coming as a family. If you would like to see some pictures of our kids taken at Christmas time, please visit photo album "2007 Christmas." www.ntm.org/jonathan-heidi-bamford/photos.php