NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

A transformed heart displayed in real life experience.

In 1973 Roz and I along with our first daughter, Yvonne, moved into a Fore tribal village in the highlands of Papua New Guinea.

During our ministry years with the Fore, we developed a friendship with Yani and his wife Arigopa.  Eventually they placed their faith in the Lord Jesus.  They were some of the first generation believers.

As their family grew their son Kapu also trusted in Christ.  Over the years he’s grown and today is standing faithful in the midst of opposition.

Click the link to read the exciting story of how God is faithfully speaking through Kapu and his parents as they remain faithful in their world.

http://www.ntm.org/news/tb_details.php?news_id=8233

"There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue it!"

Roz and I never thought we would see this day…..but it happened. A ministry dream has become reality – as 30 Stewardship Development mission leaders met together at our Missionary Training Center at the beginning of the month to discuss the future vision of NTM USA over the next 5 years. We had a great opportunity to talk, pray and dream together and see what God is doing in our midst.

One dynamic aspect of our week was to walk around our campus, dream of the future and pray over all that God is doing in our midst. Being a part of something that truly has captured our heart and is much bigger than us is truly inspiring.

As we talked about the 106 unreached people groups that NTM is targeting, we affirmed the great need to continue to talk with God’s people and invite them to be a part of what He is doing here and around the world.

We were able to unveil the dreams and plans for the future 50,000 sq. ft. new "Fleming Center" that is the beginning of phase 2 of our campus master-plan. This new center will house our future education, student commons and faculty offices. New student housing will continue to be built. All of phase 2 will cost around 12 million dollars. This will allow us to train up to 250 students and help reach the 106 unreached people groups that have been targeted.

Training more students will allow us to reach more people groups with the Gospel!

We would appreciate your prayers as we continue to move forward by faith on some seemingly impossible new initiatives these days. May we stay attuned to God’s leading and stay aligned with His plans.

Thank YOU for your faithful prayers and financial support that allows US together to make an impact in the lives of people groups around the world!

Blessings, Paul and Roz

P.S. I was reminded today of what Helen Keller said, "the greatest tragedy to befall a person is to have sight, but no vision."

"Vision is what you will seek to achieve within the parameters of your calling. Vision is too crucial to ignore, to squander or to misunderstand." George Barna

Jason and I along with my sister Michelle and her husband Lyle were able to visit the Fore Tribe in the Highlands of PNG while we were here. Michelle and I grew up in the Fore and we were thrilled to get the opportunity to visit.

The Lord really went before us and provided a place for the helicopter to land and the weather was perfect. We had been concerned that the rain would close in and we wouldn’t be able to land. We were so thankful that everything worked out perfectly.
It had been over 19 years since we had been there and as soon as we saw our familiar valley and mountains the tears started to flow.

I didn’t know how many people I would recognize after all those years. It was amazing as the helicopter was landing we looked out and could name so many of our dear Fore people. It was like a dream. I never thought that I would ever see those familiar faces again.

It was a wonderful trip but it only lasted 4 hours. The people had prepared a traditional meal "mu mu" for us. We had definitely come home. They had also made us beautiful string bags "bilums" and spears. They had just been through a drought yet it was amazing to see there generosity. The time just flew and before we knew it we were already leaving. So we cried as we landed seeing all those precious people and we cried as we left not knowing if we would ever see them again. We may not be able to be with them but they will definitely always be in our hearts.

There is a small church in the Fore and there are portions of scripture in there language but they don’t have a complete translation. Due to this the believers are dying for more teaching. They are baby Christians who are so hungry to know more about the Lord and His Word.

Pray for the Fore People that a missionary team would be able to go in and complete the translation work and strengthen the Fore Church.

The last picture is of the Fore Church.

Click to view photo tour>>>

Michelle Van Klompenberg and Coralee Garro, along with their husbands, Lyle and Jason, had a short visit last week with the Fore people in Papua New Guinea where their parents, Paul and Roz Wyton, worked for 15 years.  Click for Photo Tour>>>

Michelle and Coralee, who hadn’t been to the Fore village for 19 years, had the chance to show their husbands where they spent many formative years; a place they have talked so much about.

To get to the remote location, they traveled by helicopter. As they flew in they were shocked to see the old helicopter pad covered with little houses. The people had dug out a small spot in the side of a hill but it looked to be too dangerous for a landing.

The hunt was on to find a suitable area to land in the mountainous terrain. The pilot found a place on an old road that was just wide enough to set the helicopter down. While the believers were waiting for their visitors at the freshly dug pad on the other side of the ravine, unbelievers from the village next to the old road came to escort the group down the muddy, steep slope, across the ravine and up the other side to where the believers were.

The visitors only had four hours to spend with the people and with the threat of rain the pilot kept his eyes on the clouds. The weather cooperated with the groups’ plans and they were able to stay for their allotted time.

Meeting with the believers in the small church building presented an opportunity for the unbelievers to hear the Gospel. The unbelieving Fores ignored their usual practice of never entering the door of the church so they could be with their visitors.

Michelle and Coralee presented the people with a letter from their father in the Fore language. Kapu, the son of one of the early believers, who now does most of the Bible teaching in the church, read Paul’s letter to the people, stopping periodically to add comments and to take advantage of the opportunity to share the Gospel.

The hunger of the people for more Bible teaching and to have the Word of God in their own language was made clear during the visit. The people pleaded for someone to learn their language and to complete the translation of the Bible in their dialect. They said there are people all over these mountains who don’t know Jesus. "Could you please send someone to help us?" they asked.

While there are believers and a small church among the Fore, circumstances beyond their control, lead both the Wytons and their co-workers, John and Kay Tallman, into other ministries within New Tribes Mission before the Bible translation and teaching were completed.  Several Old and New Testament portions and the book of Ephesians were translated into the Fore language along with the chronological Bible lessons and other teaching materials.  Today, the believers are also using a Bible written in the trade language of the country, but it is difficult for them to understand clearly and doesn’t speak to them with the same clarity as their mother tongue.

"How I wish our bodies were younger so that we could be the ones to go back in there," wrote Roz. "Pray that God will raise up labors to go in and continue the work that we began back in 1973 with the Fore people."

Kapu, and another believer, Casper, plan to bring a letter to NTM leaders asking for missionaries.

"Seeing these dear people so hungry for God’s word has once again revitalized us and reminded us of our purpose here and the things that matter for eternity," wrote Lyle. "When God began to work in our hearts to leave our home in Michigan, we couldn’t imagine being so content on the other side of the world so far from our family and friends, however God has a way of filling our hearts much fuller than we ever imagined."

"Michelle and I feel so burdened for the Fore people and it is heartbreaking to know there are so many other similar tribes begging for a missionary."

The Tobo people of Papua New Guinea are hearing the gospel for the first time… ever.   Read this urgent and compelling account and join us in prayer.

The missionary writes:

After the teaching on Jesus being the bread of life, a Tobo said, "It’s just too easy, I have worked all my life to try and earn my way to heaven and to be "clean" in God’s eyes, and here you are telling us that all we have to do is believe in Jesus?"   I asked him if God needed our help, as if God wasn’t strong enough to save us? He laughed, of course not, God doesn’t need our help. So then according to God’s Word, do you need your works to help get you to heaven? The man shook his head and left deep in thought.

Wednesday was the lesson on Jesus feeding the 5000 and being the bread of life. The people in Jesus day followed him across the lake in order to fill their bellies again with bread which Jesus had provided them with the day before. But Jesus just said, ‘You are not following me to find me, you are following me to fill your bellies with more food… do not labor for the food that rots, but for the food that does not perish," (my paraphrase). And this is exactly what the people here are doing… Decison Time>> they don’t want to believe that he only came to save them from their sins… like Israel, they want to make him their earthly king so he can provide food and heal their diseases and so they don’t have to work, but can eat till their bellies ache. But that is not why Jesus came. The group is being whittled down day by day, but we are beginning to see those who really are desiring the true bread of life.

A plane flew in today with an Australian Jehovah Witness Missionary and his elder. They are here for the next 3 days just making sure their followers aren’t coming to the teaching.

Rumor has it on the "streets" (or should I say muddy trails?) that the cargo cult believers are going to make a stand next week and come to the teaching in their traditional clothing (bark loin cloths, grass skirts,etc). It is unknown to us what kind of stand they are intending to do at the teaching. We aren’t exactly expecting a peaceful demonstration. But we would appreciate your prayers for wisdom if this rumor is in fact true.

7 more teaching days! The last 2 days (January 22nd & 23rd) will be of Christ’s Death, Burial, Resurrection, and Ascension.

Could you be in constant prayer for the next 7 teaching days? God is working in people’s hearts, we can see them thinking and questioning what Satan has led them to believe.

We know God WILL have a victory here in Tobo with believers being added to His Church in the next few weeks! Get ready to rejoice with the angels!

The Last of the Teaching Schedule For This Phase!!
January 15th: Jesus Raises Lazarus from the dead,
                          I AM  the Way, the Truth and the Life
January 16th: The Rich Young Ruler
January 17th: Rich Man and Lazarus
January 18th: The Last Supper
January 19th: Jesus is Arrested
January 22nd: Death, Burial, and Resurrection
January 23rd: Ascension

For more information on the Tobo www.claypots.org>>

As many of us put up our Christmas trees and decorate our homes, make our shopping lists and hit the Malls, and prepare a mountain of food and plan for the parties, summer is arriving in Pume land, Venezuela, and that means great fishing and hunting. And so the Pume people often pack everything up and head out for the lakes for a month or more. Yes, these people are semi-nomadic. They are hunters and gatherers. They are far away from the world we know. They will have no Christmas Eve celebrations and won’t be eating a turkey. And they won’t be receiving any Christmas cards or be listening to any cantatas on the Christmas story. And they won’t be receiving any gifts from under the tree either……

BUT… many of them live having received the greatest gift of all!!    For you see……

"We know about the from-Heaven One. Yes, we know about the One who came down. We know about him obeying His Father and entering the womb of a woman. We know about His being born in a cow-house. We know about his straight-living life, his not going off the trail of truth one single time. And we know about his being dipped by John the baptizer. And we also know about his teaching. But no, many hated him. They truly didn’t like his straight words, his non-playing around words. No, they took him. They killed him, nailing his hands and feet to the pole. Not having sinned one time, He became like one who had sinned many times because all our sin was heaped up on Him. His blood ran. He groaned. He was abused with words. And suddenly he was truly lonely as the true Spirit and Father left him because of that sin. They truly left him behind. And he hung there and didn’t come down, even though he could have if he wanted to. No, he stayed. And having paid in full, he died. Ah yes, we know about him. We know about the one who came back to life after three days. We know about the one who fully paid the Father who was demanding blood and death from us. Yes, we know Him. He is our Deliverer, our Substitute Payer, our Substitute Sin-Bearer, and our Substitute Anger-Bearer. Yes, we know the one who is now seated in the important place beside the true Father. And it is in Him that we live believing."

We rejoice in the privilege of serving our Lord, and experiencing the reality of lives transformed… forever!

You are part of this.      Thank you for the privileged of serving together with you!

Because of your partnership, this year many new tribal believers are now worshipping the Prince of Peace.

Thank you for your precious gifts to God’s work among tribal people.

May you know His abundant blessing as you celebrate Christ’s birth and live for Him in the New Year.

                                   Merry Christmas!

                                                                    Paul and Roz

Is there anything to hard for Jehovah?”  Gen 18:14

This little phrase jumped out at me while reading in a devotional the other day.

Far to often we limit God by what we perceive he can and cannot do.

Four years ago when we began to launch the Stewardship Development Office it looked impossible. The learning curve was huge, the obstacles were many and the labors were few.

“But Prayer” Acts 12:5

The daunting enormity of the task has thrown us on our knees. The result. God is doing exceeding abundantly above all that we could have ever asked or thought. In the past week and a half funds have come in for Kodiaks # 7, 8, 9, 10. We stand amazed as we watch God work.

God is not wanting great men, but he is wanting men who will dare to prove the greatness of their God.

The learning curve is still huge, the obstacles are still many and the labors are still few, but God is working in our weakness to show his exceeding greatness.

While attending the Kodiak event in Idaho, we met a couple who express a desire to partner with NTM to purchase 3 Kodiak planes.

God is continuing to provide what is needed to reach tribal people around the world. We stand humbled as we watch him provide in such amazing ways.

Thank you once again for your partnership with us! This is the fruit of your faithful prayer and financial investment in partnership with us on this exciting journey.