Archive for the ‘News Article’ Category

Unexpected Changes

Posted by Patrick and Dawn Eggleton on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

Unexpected Changes
Having served in Papua New Guinea, where there always seems to be many personnel needs, it is always difficult to hear of co-workers who will no longer be able to serve.  While being back on home assignment we have heard of 3 families that will  no longer be part of the team overseas for various reasons.  The most common reason people have to leave the field is due to physical reasons.  While we are very thankful for the medical staff God has provided for the PNG field, they are only able to meet so many needs.  If complex tests are needed the individual usually has to leave the country at least for those tests.  If that happens too often, the cost just becomes too much.  Some of the challenges of daily living in our remote area can also become too much for some physical issues.  We just heard this last week of the third family that is having to make this difficult change.   It is hard to believe that these key people will no longer be able to continue in their ministries as they have.  We say all this just to encourage you to continue to support any who God directs to the mission field.  If someone in your church or community is led by God to serve overseas, I pray you can be a source of encouragement for them.  There are so many needs and the time that any of us can give to serve is always unknown.

We are very thankful for the encouragement and support you have shown us to continue in serving overseas.  This week we were able to finalize our tickets to return to Papua New Guinea.  It looks like we will be leaving in early July to start our next term of service with the families there.  At this point it looks like Patrick will continue to teach some math classes while also providing leadership with MK education.  Dawn will probably continue her work with the many homeschooling families while Timothy and Elizabeth will attend the school there.  It will be hard to leave Nathan behind to attend college, but we have been so blessed by family and friends who are “adopting” him while we are gone.  We know we are all in good hands – the same hands that have led us for many years!
Winter Retreat Elizabeth and friend

We have so much appreciated our home church and the way they have reached out to us this year.  It has been a pleasure to be able to serve on staff for this part of the year.  Last week Timothy, Elizabeth and I were able to attend a student retreat with others in the youth group.  These are opportunities that Timothy and Elizabeth have not had.  We are so thankful for these experiences for them.  The church will soon be bringing in a full-time minister for the student and family ministry, so my time serving on staff will soon be over.   The last few months, though out of my normal area of service, have been a great experience.  We continue to look forward to serving alongside the ministerial staff for our last few months here in the US.

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Life for the Principal

Posted by Patrick and Dawn Eggleton on Monday, August 24th, 2009

We saw the following in one of the NTM@Work magazines recently and thought you might appreciate it.

New Believers in PNG

72 – The number of different language groups New Tribes Mission is working with in Papua New Guinea.

308 – The number of churches that have been planted by New Tribes Mission in Papua New Guinea.

20,385 – The number of believers in New Tribes Mission ministries in Papua New Guinea.

27 – Tribal language New Testaments completed in Papua New Guinea

5 – the number of tribal groups in Papua New Guinea who heard the Gospel in their own language for the very first time in 2008: Bagwido, Madak, Patpatar, Inanbimali and Dinangat.

1 – The number of ways for all these people to get to heaven!

Today I talked with one of the leaders from the Highlands region. He said they have 4 tribal groups just waiting for teams of missionaries to come and share the gospel with them – but there are no teams ready to go! It is awful to wait when so much is at stake. Please pray that workers could come to help these people come to know Christ. Many influences are coming into this country. We pray that God’s love can be that first influence for these people.

Life for the Principal

Picture of Patrick at his desk

"Dr. Eggleton" at his desk.

“I need another chair for my classroom for the extra student I am receiving on Monday. Where can we get one?”

“Cars are backing up where our children are playing. Is there something we can do to make their play area safer?”

“Something is jammed in the laminator. Can you fix it?”

“Do you have any idea when my Bible curriculum will arrive?”

These (and many more) are the typical questions that fill my day. Before school ever began God convicted me with Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. I like to think of myself as a servant of God who has been shared with NCA by his command. What I do there is in His name – the name of my master. I hope that my words and deeds will reflect my Master – and bring Him the honor He deserves! I don’t always know where to find an extra chair, how to re-route traffic, how to repair the damaged machine, or how to get mail to move more quickly, but I do hope that I can give my best effort to resolve each new question and to “give thanks” to our Master who gives me the honor of serving here in His name!

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What do you say when people say “Leave them alone?”

Posted by Patrick and Dawn Eggleton on Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

"We lived in fear...under Satan`s control...how could anyone say `they are happy the way they are`?"

As our tasks of teaching missionary children continues from day to day, it can at times seem like we are doing very little to help expand the reach of the gospel in the remote tribal villages around this country. We often have to be reminded that other missionaries would not be able to serve in their ministries if a school for their children was not available. Though our position may not be “front line,” we are thankful that we can be a part of the team that makes God’s love available to so many.

Before seeing the power of the gospel in the lives of the people here, I was often guilty of a belief that it seemed like too much trouble for people from so far away to go to the expense and trouble to share with the people here. The following story shares a response from some of the believers here to that attitude!

What would you say to someone who says, “Leave them alone. They are happy the way they are.”?

Three Lamogai tribal believers faced a team of 14 Interface students in a missionary’s living room one evening. (Interface is a New Tribes Mission program that allows those interested in tribal mission work a short opportunity to learn all that is involved in sharing the gospel in unreached tribal villages.) It was a question and answer time. The team leader explained how some people in America try to convince Christians not to bother the happy-go-lucky tribal groups nestled in jungles all over the world.

It took 10 minutes for the 3 Lamogai adults to comprehend the question. Disbelief and confusion covered their faces. They couldn’t even begin to understand why someone would suggest a thing like that. Could they be hearing the question correctly? Minutes passed as the missionaries translated again and again in different ways.

Finally, the tribal Christians turned to the students.

“We lived in fear…under Satan’s control…how could anyone say ‘they are happy the way they are’?”

Over the next few days, the Interface students experienced the love, joy, generosity, and hospitality of the Lamogai believers. They left feeling like the Lamogai Christians understand in a far deeper way than westerners do, what it means to have been ‘delivered from the power of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins’ (Col.1:13-14).

This morning I read the following from a book by Andrew Murray: We might as well attempt to see without eyes, or live without breath, as believe or draw near to God or rest in His love without an all-pervading humility and lowliness of heart.

As I have considered that thought I realize how much more I need to die to self to be able to draw closer to God and know His heart better. Hearing about the Lamogai has helped me understand God’s heart regarding these tribal people. He LOVES them, and he knows the fear and frustration they experience as they live from day to day removed from HIS presence.

Together, you and I can be tools in HIS hands to make HIS love available to these people. Thanks for partnering with us to make this possible!

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