NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Student's 1st and 10

Kate rooting for the Students

Each year on the Satuday before Thanksgiving, the NTBI staff and students go head to head in the annual Turkey Bowl football game. This year was a beautiful, sunny day in the 40′s when all gathered to watch the staff roll all over the students…or at least that is what the staff predicted. Staff received the opening kickoff and started down the field…only to have to punt. The students brought the ball back for the first score. Staff scored – yea, we are on our way. NOT! Students remained on top throughout the game and won (again). I think we are now 0-5 as a staff; I’ll have to check to make sure. But thank the Lord everybody won since they all walked off the field unattended (that has been my philosophy since turning 40 I think). What another great day of fellowship with our future co-workers. Thank You Lord!

Staff on a roll

Wano believer

What is FCW you may ask? How about the First Church in Wano. Mike and Libby, Tim and Rebecca report that there are now over 30 believers in the Wano language group. They have been working for over 4 years to learn the language and culture and have just completed the chronological teaching. Within a few days they have discovered that many Wano people have understood the Gospel and clearly communicated their trust in Christ alone for their salvation. Praise the Lord. Another language group has heard. Here is a testimony from your new brother in Christ about his wife…

Orobeka - her husband told Mike the other day that whether she was in her garden or in the house she was talking about Yahweh’s talk.  Monday after the teaching.  She came over to where I (Libby) was standing by the chronological pictures.  She was looking at the pictures of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane, of him being brought before Pilate, and on the cross.  She kept wiping the tears away as she was saying “He did that for me.  He did that for me.”                            Theological term?   WOW!!!

In the Akolet people group the teaching is to begin in January. Surprise though…Gili, the language and lesson helper has already put the pieces together and trused in Christ. He can’t say anything yet though, because the other Akolet have not had the chance to hear the foundational teaching from the Old Testament that he has heard. Can you imagine not being able to say anything about why you are grinning ear to ear? Please be praying for Adam and Julie as they continue to prepare the lessons and teach literacy anticipating a harvest in just a few months.

Thanks for your interest and prayers for us as we serve at NTBI.

Where the Uriay call home

YES!!!  “It was time for Christ to rise from the dead.” Lisa reports from the Uriay in PNG. She continues… “Jose, Rachel and I played the part of the ladies headed to the tomb where we were very surprised to find the stone rolled away. Ok, so it was piece of plywood placed in front of the library door but all the same, it was there.  We met the angel, Elias, who told us to go and tell the disciples – that Jesus was alive!  So we ran in fear and then met Christ on the road – and rejoiced and talked about how He had done exactly as he said he would do!  He had risen from the dead three days after he died!  Then Elias taught about how God was satisfied with Christ’s shed blood as the payment for our sins – that anyone who believes in Christ’s work on the cross could leave Satan’s canoe and climb into God’s canoe – for eternity.”

“Imi was in tears as she tried to talk about what Christ had done for her.  She kept saying, “It’s because of His love for us and His mercy that he was willing to die on the cross.  He died so I don’t have to go to hell.”  She, Wekot and Kayne seemed to be very clear that Christ’s blood was poured out to cover their sins, to take their place.  Imi and I both had tears running down our face as we tried to talk through the things we had seen and heard that morning.”

“Dakruma boldly told me, as we sat there cutting her sago paste into globs, “I am a child of God!  Jesus is my punishment bearing man!  His blood poured out so that I don’t have to get the punishment for my sins!”  She was absolutely beaming!  She was so clear that it was only because of what Christ did that she could be in God’s family now!” 

“Wekot very matter-of-factly told me that she is thinking with only one thinking about God’s talk.  “I was in Satan’s canoe and Jesus’ blood poured out to cover my sins.  I am thinking with only one thinking about His talk and so I am now in God’s canoe.”  Her husband played the part of Christ.  So I asked him, “What were you thinking as you hung there on the cross?”  Noel said, “I almost cried.  Before you all started this teaching, I was in Satan’s canoe.  I have said bad things about other people, been mad, (etc.) and as I hung there, I kept thinking about how Christ bore all this pain and punishment for my sins.  He died and his blood was poured out to cover my sins.  I am thinking with only one thinking about that talk so I am in God’s canoe now.””

“Aendru was so overcome with emotion that he hung his head in shame as Christ hung on the cross, tears in his eyes, recognizing that Christ had shed his blood for his sins.  He went back to his house and kept thinking about the talk, tried to sleep and couldn’t.  He got back up and read the passage again, prayed and later on, he talked to Elias.  He couldn’t hold in the excitement any longer that he was now a child of God because of Christ’s shed blood.  “I’m asking Him to change my mouth.”  Aendru knows that his words get him into trouble long before anything else.  How’s that for a new believer asking His Father to change what he sees as his biggest source of sin?  Wow – what an amazing Holy Spirit that lives within us – and now within the Uriay!!”

“So be praying for us as we continue to meet with folks individually to see where they’re at.  I have lots more ladies to talk to and will continue to do so in the days ahead.  It’s been so encouraging – almost a bit surreal to hear such clear testimonies from every lady I’ve talked to so far!”

How grateful Shirley and I are to be able to report what God has done in bringing our new Uriay brothers and sisters into His kingdom. We cannot wait to meet them, knowing that we at NTBI and our partners have had a part in reaching them…Lisa graduated from New Tribes Bible Institute back in the mid 90′s. Can you imagine her excitement? Years of training and study and investing in relationships with the Uriay have paid off! To God be the Glory!

We just kept watching them arrive…one new one after another. All told we ended up with a new class of 77 freshmen and a total enrollment of 166. Praise the Lord that is an increase of about 35 students. What a joy once again to welcome them.

New potential missionaries!

Pictured here is a new couple we got to know right away. Jason and Laken came from Liberty University where they studied missions. Now they are preparing further and specifically for church planting in unreached people groups. NTM is known throughout the world for having the best and most complete training program in this area of study. What a testimony to have folks coming from other universities to train with us. How we pray they will be well prepared and have great success as they continue to follow the Lord. What a privilege and blessing to have a part.

…speeding up at times? Excitement is building…anticipation of the unknown…what is this new thing? What will happen…in Jackson, MI; in Waukesha, WI and in two villages on the other side of the world. What is going on?

Both NTBI’s are preparing for up to 200 new freshmen to walk through the doors the weekend of the 21^st. How we pray that they will all be able to come. We know that God will use many of them in missions in the future…to take the gospel to unreached people groups such as the Wano and the Uriay.

Both the Wano and the Uriay are hearing the Bible taught in their language for the very first time. NTBI Alumni are among those presenting the lessons chronologically and within just a few weeks, Lord willing, churches will be born in both locations. Please pray for all to go as planned and that God would prevent anything from interrupting the presentation of the Gospel to these dear people. Here is a quick excerpt from Mike and Libby’s recent email about the Wano…

“This a big talk that you guys are telling us.”  The young man who said this has been helping us in preparation for teaching.  He has been involved in checks that ensure that we are clearly communicating.  He has already heard parts and pieces of the lessons but this week when the teaching started on Wednesday he heard the first lesson in complete.  Morgan thought he looked teary as Mike began explaining that this was a big talk and it was for them, for all the people here, for the ones who chew betel nut and the ones who don’t, for the ones who smoke and the ones who don’t.  We have these lessons recorded and they are on 4 hand crank mp3 players.  The young man came to our house Wednesday night after hearing the lesson again in a hut where the people in our village gathered.  He said, “I just wish my dad could have heard this talk.”  His dad died in 2007. Already, the weight of this message is being understood by this young man.”

In the Uriay people group, Lisa reports…

Next week’s lessons will start with the proclamation of John the Baptist’s birth and Jesus’ birth by the angel to Zechariah and Mary.  John is born, the angel foretells Jesus’ birth and then Jesus is born. We finish off the week with Jesus traveling to Jerusalem with his parents and amazing the teachers in the temple as he answers their questions.  We’re looking forward to them putting the pieces together – that Christ is the Redeemer we’ve been talking about – and that His death was not only necessary for their sins but the payment for them.  We’re on the home stretch here as we move into the life of Christ – exciting days to come!  Continue to pray for distractions to be minimal and attendance to be high. Pray that God would continue to draw these folks to Himself!

As you go through your day and are challenged with what is really important, may the Lord bring these folks to mind. Here they are, on the brink of hearing the Gospel for the first time in their language…about to be offered the gift of eternal life…and many will trust Christ as their Savior, I truly believe that. Get ready to rejoice Angels!!! May the Lord cause your heart to rejoice again with the fact of your eternal life…your being delivered from sin and all its stench! Hallelujah, what a Savior! Thank You Lord!

Trucking to Jackson

6 weeks is a long time to be away from the comforts of home eh? Thank the Lord we are back in Jackson now and able to relax in our own place. June found us in FL for 4 weeks preparing for and having an estate sale. We then drove to MO to spend the 4th with our kids in Branson and had a wonderful time. We hopped a plane and returned to FL to pack up a truck and tow our car back to Jackson. What a great adventure it was. Reminded us of days gone by when we moved to Jackson the first time, only we were much younger. Thankfully we arrived with everything in tact and no surprises. The Lord is good!

We are now catching up and getting things settled once again. The new semester is right around the corner. We are expecting a good group of freshmen and about 75 returning students, which will make for an amazing student body. Please join us in praying for them all as they anticipate an incredible semester  of studying God’s Word. Thanks!

Celebration Day

“As you pass through the gate, will you continue to believe?” That was the essence of the question posed to our 46 NTBI Jackson graduates by Rich Bruce, NTBI Faculty speaker. Selected by the class, Rich challenged each one to continue to walk in the truth they now have; the truth about God; the truth of who they are in Christ.

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