Ric and Sharon Bruce On a journey with you to Thailand 
This year at the Missionary Training Center in Missouri feels vastly different than last year. The big change has a lot to do with a shift in the jobs that we do here on campus to help pay for our tuition. Sharon helps clothe students and I tutor them.
No one in New Tribes Mission receives a salary. The staff graciously volunteers their time and resources to teach us the principles they’ve learned through years of experience on the field. In order to help the campus run smoothly and to keep costs down we do "work detail" for about 8 hours each week in addition to our regular homework.
Sharon’s work detail involves folding clothes for the "mission barrel." People from the community drop bags or boxes of things off and she sorts though them and hangs up the useful stuff for the students. It’s like a free second hand store, although many things are dropped off with the tags still on them. The barrel is a real help to the students, many of whom rely on support from churches and individuals to attend the school.
My work detail isn’t so easy to explain. I recently switched to the "development team," a new division of NTM focusing on raising money for different projects worldwide. One of the team’s functions is to provide the students here at the school with hands-on training for developing their own ministry partners who will pray for them and support them financially overseas.
Tom Carlton and I have the privilege to work with this team by providing students one on one help with their NTM websites.
Last weekend the Development Team held a conference here at the missionary Training Center and they invited the Carltons and us to come share with them and enjoy a closing dinner with them at a local Lodge. We have some good pictures of the dinner up on our Picasa page.
Next semester while Sharon is taking linguistic training, I will be working full time at the Development Office fitting in where ever I’m needed. Please pray for me as I dive into this new adventure and see God encourage and grow me in the process. This is an exciting time!
Please continue to:
