NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

Once again Jonathan Banford invited me along to re-visit the southern Isnag. It’s been a few months now since the two single missionary ladies have left the village and so Jonathan wanted to get in to take care of some needs in the clinic, arrange for future translation checks & get some rice distributed. Unlike our first visit though when we were able to fly, this time we had to hike in. The truth is that because there is still a very real possibility that we may end up working in this village someday (or a village similiar to this), I thought it prudent to get a taste for what walking in and out might feel like. I might say it was at least as hard as any other hike I’ve ever been on in my life, and I’ve been on a few hikes in the past. God is good.

One of the most encouraging parts of this visit for me was having opportunity to see how far my Tagalog has progressed just in the past six months since we were last there. Not all of the southern Isnag speak Tagaolg but for a few who may have spent some time in Manila at some point, they do quite well. And so on our second night in the village Jonathan introduced me to an Isnag man who had previously lived and worked in Manila for about four years, saying, “Hey Smitty, this guy speaks Tagalog well. You can practice with him.” And with that we spent the next 30 minutes talking about our families, different places we had been and things we had done. God is good.

Scripture states, “Undoubtedly there are all sorts of languages in the world, yet none of them is without meaning.” (1 Cor. 14:10) That truth has been made incredibly clear to me this past year and while I still have a great deal to learn, it is encouraging to know that the Lord has not left us without some ability to learn and comprehend another man’s language, just by the fact that none of them is without meaning. God is good.

Where God ultimately has us headed in the future is yet to be seen but what is known is where He has us now and for the past year since we have been back in the Philippines it has been wonderful to see the things He continues to teach us and how He uses us here and now. Will the Lord open the door for us to some day work with the southern Isnag or perhaps with another unreached people group or does He have something totally different in store for us? These are questions yet to be answered and so for now I can only keeping pressing forward in the ministry God currently has for, learning national culture and language, connecting with the local church, reaching out to the community as we are able and striving to be a blessing to our fellow missionaries both in and out of NCLA. God is good and that’s enough for me.

Following our recent month of travels, things seem to be moving at warp speed.  Since July 1st we have travelled nearly 6000 miles, thru 20 different states, one province in Canada, crossed countless bridges & tunnels, including the Chesapeake Bay Bridge / Tunnel; incredible engineering.

During this time we have had the privilege of visiting six churches throughout the USA & Canada.  We had wonderful visits with numerous friends & family members all along the way.

What Was Accomplished?

Besides visiting friends, family members, mission partners, & seeking opportunities to share the vision in various churches, we also completed a very important task in the Visa Application process for the Philippines.

Because I was born in Ontario, Canada (take off eh!) I have been needing to obtain a copy of my Birth Certificate which would then need to be Authenticated at the Philippine Consulate in Toronto, Ontario.  Our hopes were that this could be done in one day but as it were it took four days & extended our stay in Canada.  Of course this cut short some of the time we had planned with other friends & family members but we were grateful for the extra time with friends & family in Canada.

What’s Next?

This is where the warp speed comes in.  Having obtained this final piece of the puzzle for a permanent visa to the Philippines, I will now need to travel back to California to turn in all puzzle pieces at the Philippine Consulate in Los Angelas.  After everything has been turned in and we are reasonably sure that there is need for nothing else, we will purchase our plane tickets to depart for the Philippines in late August. 

As you can see, just getting started in the task that God has called us to requires an amazing amount of engineering.  Things don’t always go as planned, delays happen, but God’s grace is ever present.  Our work now is still very much in the early stages & we still have numerous bridgesto cross & tunnels to pass thru. 

Your prayer for this work is grately appreciated. 

1.  Praise the Lord that we have purchased our plane tickets to arrive in the Philippines on August 28th.

2.  I, Robert, am still waiting for my Philippine visa to be returned so please pray that we will encounter no delays.

3.  Praise the Lord that currently we have approx. 70% of our recommended support.

4.  Please pray for an additional $270 of monthy support within the next month.

5.  Praise God for the great time we have had with friends & family.  Pray for our transition to the Philippines.

Thanks for praying for us as we continue the process of sharing the vision God has given us for reaching those that have yet to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. During our first couple of months back in California we have focused our time primarily on reconnecting with friends (& making new ones along the way) at Pacific Coast Church, our home church in San Clemente, CA. This has proven to be a great blessing to us in many ways and we are tremendously grateful for the love & support they have shown us.

These last couple of weeks we have had the opportunity to share our ministry with two different churches in So Cal. For the last weekend in March we gave a presentation at Creekside Bible Chapel in San Juan Capistrano. Creekside is pastored by a long time friend Derek Greenhalgh who is committed to expository Bible preaching.  Please keep our friends at Creekside Bible Chapel in prayer as this is a young new church with a great heart for missions.

The following Sunday we traveled to Temecula where ministry among the Palawano people in the Philippines was showcased at Rancho Community Church. Ministry among the Palawano was a major part of our work during our previous three years (2003 – 2005) in the Philippines. As the Guest House Hosts’ we hosted two different global impact teams Rancho Community Church and made many new friends in the process. Our time at RCC proved to be a great time of reunion not only with friends from RCC but also with ministry partners in the Philippines, Rich & Lynn Bright, who are currently on home assignment.

Since our graduation from NTM’s Missions Training Center in Missouri we have added eight new financial partners, countless prayer partners, seen others continue to give faithfully, and in the process we have been blessed in more ways than we could have possibly imagined. Sharing the vision God has given us is indeed a blessing and a privilege.

Praise & Prayer

1. Our partnership development is moving along and we continue to see an increase in prayer & finacial support. As of March 31, we have promised approx. 44% of our recommended support for the Philippine Field. We praise God for the open doors & open hearts.  

2. Since relocating to So Cal we have had our apt. fully furnished, our vehicle repaired, our teeth worked on, and our taxes done;  all by members of our home church.  We praise God for the many ways He provides through the body of Christ. 

3.  Besides the Men’s & Women’s Bible Study we have each been involved in, we have also plugged in to a Couple’s Bible Study on Wedns. night and a Sun. morning Bible Study group called Pinnacle.  Praise God for opportunities to connect with PCC, our home church.

4.  For Easter Sheila prayed, “God, please let the people know that it’s not about baskets & chocolate, but it’s about You on the cross.”  Praise Him that she has adjusted well to our busy lifestyle. She is doing well in school & has received an award for her hard work.

Nearing the end of our missions training we were told that sharing the vision that God has given us would be a ministry in and of itself.  This statement has certainly proven to be true in our lives & we have truly appreciated the opportunities & invites to share over the past few weeks.  One of the greatest indicators that we have been on the right track has been seeing our seven-year-old daughter, Sheila Marie, as evidenced by the drawing you see below , catch the vision in a mighty & powerful way. 

Sheila Marie drew this picture (click to enlarge) just prior to a recent meeting with a very dear couple from our home church.  During that meeting she quietly whispered in my ear, “Excuse me daddy, are we going to show the video?”  She was referring to a video that a friend of ours made during our time in the Philippines.  She then proceeded, totally unsolicated mind you, to hand our visitors one of our Partner Booklets containing our prayer card along with an NTM Calendar.

Recently we were reading the back-side of one of NTM’s bookmarks that talks about a tribal group desiring to see missionaries come and live among them. Sheila Marie commented, “I’ll go daddy.”  In her prayer life on numerous occasions she has prayed for people in the world who have not yet heard and on more than one occasion she has prayed not just for my own language learning ability in the Philippines (much prayer needed) but also for her own, “… so that we can tell the people about Jesus.”

On multiple occasions we have been complimented on how well behaved she has been as we met with partners & prospective partners alike.  One evening as we met with three other couples late into the night, rather than fussing she simply put her head down on the table & fell asleep.  During another night out with partners to a restaurant she laid her head down on my lap & again fell asleep until it was time to go.

As with any ministry, partnership development can be very tiring at times, but it is great to see that our young daughter is taking everything in stride and doing her part to see those that have yet to hear reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ.