NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Can’t believe I’ll be in Paraguay in one week!  Surely I’m feeling all sorts of things and I can just say that I’m glad the Lord is in control.  Philippians 4:19 says, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.”  The Lord knows exactly what we need each day and I’m thankful that during these times the Lord in His sovereignty graciously provides for our every need.  These last couple of weeks the Lord has amazingly provided through family, neighbors and my Bethel Baptist Church family.  Also, I’ve been reminiscing lately, and how grateful I am for those that have faithfully come behind me through prayer and financial support up to this point (I’m at 72%).  Wow, that means so much…it’s like you’ve come along with me on a journey of faith and now to Paraguay!

My gathering room!

These days have been filled with purchasing items and getting rid of others.  I believe I have everything crossed off my list of things to get, except a thing or two!  The difficult part is fitting everything in 4 or 5 check-in bags; it does seem however it will all eventually come together – has to, right?  One thing you can pray about is that my final paperwork would arrive back in time – three documents sent to the Paraguayan consulate in Florida for legalization haven’t come yet.

A hearty Bethel Baptist goodbye

As you can probably guess, the hardest part is having to say goodbye to friends and family.  Some days are fine and others are quite emotional.  I’ve asked my sister’s collie dog several times if she is coming to Paraguay with me and she doesn’t say anything…ahh.  I am thankful that my family will come to visit and maybe friends…:-)  I welcome you to my home in Paraguay!  Keep Jenna in your prayers as well, as it’s a huge step of faith for her, especially never having lived overseas.

I do want to let you know what this next year or two in Asunción, Paraguay will look like.  Jenna and I have been in communication with the leadership team in Paraguay these last few weeks and they’ve already made me feel ‘received.’ While in Asunción, our focus will be adjusting to the language (Spanish) and culture of Paraguay before heading into a tribe.  Asunción will be our home

¡Un buen día en Asunción!

until we attain a mid-capable level of Spanish, which normally takes a year or two.  Having grown up in South America and then attended a Hispanic church this last while, I probably have expectations that I’m not even aware of.  Pray that I’d arrive in Paraguay with a learner’s attitude, because after all, I’ve never been there and I know it will be different.  The best way to learn Spanish and the Paraguayan culture is from the Paraguayan’s themselves and therefore we’ve been assigned a host church: Iglesia Evangélica Bautista de Herrera. We will be given a host family or possibly a few families from within the church to specifically be of help to us.  They will be the “go to” people when we want a good grocery store and when we need direction in purchasing appliances.  I hope they will also let us in on what is culturally acceptable and what is not.  The people of this church will also help us locate a place to rent.  In addition to Jenna and I, there are three or four families that have just recently arrived and have begun learning the culture and language.  It will be nice to have them there as well as others who have been there for a while.  When I arrive, I will definitely fill you in on more details!  Pray for us as we leave the evening of June 3^rd flying throughout the night and arriving the 4^th!

With Love and gratitude, Rebekah

Hello from Wenden, Arizona where my parents have worked for the last five years.  It is a nice mid-morning outside; just warm enough for a t-shirt and coffee.  It appears spring has arrived and the birds are chirping as they eat the thistle seed my Mom has put out.  One humming bird is bravely trying to get a drink of nectar but my proximity prevents him from staying long.  I’m so thankful for my parents’ faithfulness  and the example they have been to me over the years.  A little over 30 years ago they were in a very similar spot I am now in (on their way to Venezuela), which reminds me that the Lord is the one who keeps and sustains us.  In 2 1/2 short months I’ll be in Paraguay; tickets have been purchased!  There are no direct flights to Paraguay, so Jenna and I will be arriving in Asunción, the capital, on June 4th, via São Paulo, Brazil.  One verse that has recently come to my attention as I look into the near future is 1 Corinthians 13:1 “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”  I do desire to love and consider others above myself.  Pray that I would faithfully exemplify this kind of character because the last thing I’d want is to be a clanging cymbal or a noisy gong.

Many of you have specifically told me that you’ve been praying for me and for that I am truly thankful, especially these past couple of months as I’ve done a lot of sharing.  February 10-14 I was privileged to be a part of the mission’s conference at my church in North Carolina.  I was especially grateful for just the chance to get to know the English people of the church better (I spend most of my time with the Hispanic people there) and to share my heart with them.  Shortly after the mission’s conference, I left North Carolina to spend some time here in Arizona with my parents.  My Uncle Joe and Aunt Suzanne invited me to their place for a weekend and being the considerate people that they are, they had their friends over for a night so that I could share with them…what a great bunch of people to share with!  My uncle is a doctor and my aunt a talented artist and communicator:-)  They also speak fluent Spanish which comes in handy as they live so close to the Mexican border, in Rio Rico, Arizona.  My aunt Suzanne volunteers for a Spanish Christian radio station and through her connections I also had the opportunity of being interviewed on radio.  Wouldn’t you know, one lady from Phoenix heard me and sent in a gift of $500.00…it’s quite amazing how the Lord provides.  Not only that, He’s provided through some of you this past month as well!

Wenden Bible Church is my sending church and it’s been good to reconnect with the people there. Jenna came out for a short visit and both she and I shared at their annual ladies retreat as well as during a Sunday school class.  We also traveled to the Grand Canyon where we were met with some snow…it was actually quite pretty!  On another note, one faithful supporter and encourager from the area, Jeanne Youell, passed away after battling cancer for some time.  She began supporting me when I was yet in training, often sending a little extra for my birthday or at Christmas time.  She even sent a couple of care packages to me with things like pre-postaged stationery, a stain remover pen and a book on Paraguay.  She cared, and that means so much.  I will miss her!                                                                   Until next time,                                                                                                                   Rebekah

It’s been a while…and I hope you have had a good Christmas and are off to a good start in the year 2010.  My Christmas and New Year’s were spent largely with my church family here in North Carolina and I learned a lot about how Hispanics celebrate these two holidays!  In the picture they are preparing El Salvadorian popusas – mozzarella cheese and a type of pork inside a cornmeal dough, then fried.  A couple of families and friends in the area were also gracious enough to let Sarah and I become a part of their family on Christmas day.  For a couple of reasons, Christmas has been spent as a family

Grandpa and Liam, I'm not sure who is telling the story (=

after the holidays these last few years.  This year we planned to meet the 2^nd week of January, a perfect time to be with the people I hold closest to my heart.  We were all together as a family in Texas for 5 days where my brother Micah, his wife Erin and son Liam live.  The weather was not so nice and warm like Houston normally is, but rather very cold.  I was thankful for a spot right by the fireplace to sleep!  One of the many joys and sources of entertainment while in Texas was Liam who is almost two.  He doesn’t complain much, but he does put on a cute face and big smile, making it hard to resist giving him one more piece of chocolate or going outside one last time.  I’d love to hear how your Christmas or even day today went as well

In 1 Corinthians 16:5-7, the apostle Paul makes his plans known to the Corinthian church and then concludes with, if the Lord in His will allows.  As June is quickly approaching, I’ve felt the necessity to plan these next 4½ months.  My church here in North Carolina asked if I would participate in their

"The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams." - Psalm 23:1-2

mission’s conference February 10-14^th of which I’m very grateful for, so I’ll stay here up through that time.  Soon after that I’ll leave for Arizona to spend some time with my parents (February 16^th – March 30^th).  I plan to give a few updates in that area.  My Aunt and Uncle who live just a couple of hours away are also giving me the opportunity to share with some of their friends.  I will then return to North Carolina for my last two months but hope to make at least a trip to both Ohio and Indiana to see family and friends.  If you would like me to share more about my ministry with you, let me know!  Tickets to Paraguay will need to be purchased in the early days of March so that I will be able to start the process of applying for my visa.  Although I’m yet lacking $1,372 in monthly support, Lord willing, Jenna and I will depart on this new adventure the first week of June.  Wow, I’m so glad to have a like-minded friend going with me!

The Lord continues to teach and mold me and sometimes He has to do it in a hard way.  Somewhere between running, doing crunches and taking a shower this evening it dawned on me that it’s really a great privilege to trust in the Lord, given His character who else would I want to trust…myself?  Pray that the Lord would continue to work in my life, making me more courageous and tough in character…something I need a lot of these days and sense I will also need in the future.  At times I feel I lack constructive criticism or another’s opinion, so if you will, also pray that I would be wise and sensitive in what I share in the coming months.  Thank you, I appreciate you…lots!

With much love, Rebekah

In addition to the fact that it is Thanksgiving season, an incident has (for me) caused reason for reflection and thankfulness.  My grandma passed away November 5^th after a time of declining health.  She was loved and will be missed, but we are happy that she is now in the presence of the Lord.  Grandpa was waiting for her in heaven and is now reunited with his sweetheart, as I learned he called her having just read many cards they had written each other.  The evening sunset over my grandparent’s farm was gorgeous a couple of hours after grandma passed, “she was welcomed into heaven” my Mom tearfully verbalized.  Eternity is not far away and my eternal blessings are what most count.  Having spent a week in Ohio with family even under these circumstances, gave me much reason to be thankful.  Having friends and family that know the Lord and are living for Him is a blessing beyond compare, as we will be united once again as family but in a better place.

A week or two ago I heard an exposition on Genesis 3:1-6 explained that one of Satan’s lies is that God is holding out on you.  Satan wanted Adam and Eve to think that because they were restricted from eating of the one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God was limiting them and holding them back from something that was good.  What about the 99 or more other trees in the garden that they could and were commanded to eat from?  It’s easy to focus on the one or two things we don’t have, instead of being thankful for everything He has already given us.  If the Lord has given us limitations/restrictions such as in the case with Adam and Eve, it is (although hard to imagine) for our very own good as it was with them.  Here are just a few of the things that I am thankful for:

Thanksgiving with my church

*A beautiful family and beautiful friends

*Daily provisions – food, shelter and good health to name a few

*Those, such as my parents, who have been an example to me

*That the Lord is for me and always will be

*Sweet fellowship with my Hispanic brothers and sisters

*You who have come behind me in encouragement, prayer and finances…currently at 46%

*That the Lord has a purpose and plan and desires to use me wherever I’m at

A nearby church hosted an International Christmas event just recently.  It was an evening of singing, whereby churches in the surrounding area sang mostly

Singing by a Burmese church

Christmas songs in their own languages.  Among the regions represented were Burma, China, Iran, Japan, Vietnam, USA, India and Africa.  Sad to say no one from Latin America showed up.  One individual at the event noted that it was a taste of what it will be like in heaven – could be, but all people groups will be represented in heaven and we will also be in the presence of the Lord.  I’m so thankful that one day my home will be in heaven!  Pray that I would learn to keep an eternal perspective.  I’m not sure that it comes naturally to any of us, but it definitely affects the way we live from day to day.

Thankful for you, Rebekah

In the workings for quite some time, was a planned evening to share at Jenna’s home church, Northside Baptist in Liverpool, NY.  Therefore, mid October I spent a week with Jenna and her family in New York state.  I really do enjoy

Atop Algonquin mountain

going to people’s homes…it gives me such a deeper understanding of who they are and why they might think and act the way they do.  I found a sweet, loving family in going to Jenna’s home.  One day, Jenna, her Dad and I went up mount Algonquin, one of the Adirondack mountains of northern New York.

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We can trust the sun will rise each morning!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3:5-6.  Is this a familiar verse to you?  Please don’t let me fool you into thinking that I have conquered this area of trust in my life.  I, too, struggle with trusting the Lord at times as it seems there are always new areas to trust Him for.  I’m thankful to have memorized the above verse; it is quite applicable as we continue to seek the Lord. 

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Sometimes I wish the Lord would say “do this….for the next several months.”  Maybe at times He is more glorified when we seek Him and then make wise choices ourselves.  Pray that I would be both obedient and wise these next couple of months in my decisions and in the way I use my time.  Also if you will, pray that I’d trust the Lord with details ahead that are unknown.  I so often underestimate the power of prayer, but the Lord can move what appear to be mountains through prayer and dependence upon Him.  Thanks for your prayers!

It’s amazing how much our circumstances and the people around us shape our lives. I’ve so much appreciated my sister Sarah’s willingness to share her home with me all these months. Ever since mid January she has been super busy working full time and going to school full time.

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Just having arrived from a trip to see family and friends in the Southern Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois areas, two words come to mind – thankful and blessed. From my location in North Carolina, I headed straight to Southern Ohio on July 16th, staying overnight  first with a

college friend and her beautiful familyin Centerville, OH. 

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