NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

If you thought English grammar was difficult in high school, then……well, then you’re thinking along the same lines as Seth. If you thought it was interesting, and possibly even fun, then you’re probably a nerd like Rochelle. Our Grammar course here at the Missionary Training Center wasn’t geared as much toward English grammar though. Instead, we spent 4 weeks studying the underlying principles that all languages around the world use to communicate. We were daily amazed (and sometimes frustrated) at the incredible variety of ways that exist to communicate a simple concept, such as: “The big man slipped on a banana peel the other day.”  It’s no wonder to us now why it takes kids so long to learn how to talk!

We were in New York and New Hampshire over Christmas Break. What a joy to be back with family and friends! Manny got to meet his great-grandparents and much of his extended family for the first time. Apparently, we’re raising a little ham, because he sure loved all the attention!

One of our highlights was getting to do a little hunting together, which we haven’t gotten to do since coming into the training. What a fun date!

It was such a good time reconnecting with everyone back home. What an encouragement it is to have such a supportive and loving body of believers to go home to.

Manny is 4 ½ months old now. It’s amazing how fast he’s learning and growing! He tried some pureed avocado last week (He doesn’t seem to be a huge fan.) and we’re going to let him have a go at some baby cereal soon. It’s currently unconfirmed, but we’re thinking that he may be working on his first tooth! One of his favorite toys right now is a jumper seat that hangs in the doorway. He just loves standing up and jumping like a big boy! He’s ticklish now, too, and loves to laugh at his Mommy and Daddy. He’s been such a fun addition to our little family!

It’s hard to believe that this is our last semester training with New Tribes Mission. We’ve made lots of good friends and have been taught so much; it’s hard to think about leaving. But at the same time, we’re more motivated than ever by the knowledge that there are thousands of languages without the Gospel, waiting for someone to share the Good News with them! What a privilege it is that we can be a part of God’s program of reconciling the world to Himself!

We have a lot of prayer and decision-making ahead of us, but we’re confident that the Lord will lead. We’re currently in dialog with the NTM leadership in Papua New Guinea, getting the ball rolling with the application process there. After talking about being missionaries for years; it’s so exciting to think that we’re almost ready to move overseas!