NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

For those of you who have been paying attention, we are quickly approaching the big “18 month” mark of being here in Indonesia. Some of you may remember that this is the magical number we often spoke of when estimating the time we would begin our “full time ministry” and move into our region of service.
Well, 18 months have come and gone…what a blur!! We have been amazed at how many things we have learned about this country, its people, and its language. Though we are realizing we will never “arrive” and feel like we understand the language and culture as deep as we would like, we are encouraged by our progress toward that end. As we have mentioned before, I (Sarah) finished up my formal language study in December and had my final language evaluation shortly thereafter. I have reached a capable level of proficiency, actually higher than the minimum for mothers on the field!! Praise the Lord for His enablement!! In January, I began working more with our language consultants here in order to gain practical experience in helping other missionaries learn language. This training has included sitting in on tutor sessions with new missionaries, helping with language evaluations for the ladies, and writing up formal evaluation reports. I have thoroughly enjoyed this time to use the gifts God has given me to be a help and encouragement to other missionaries here.
Shad is still at a progressing level in Indonesian, and is continuing to understand more each day. Though language is more of a struggle for him than it has been for me, his dedication and perseverance over this last year and a half has been an inspiration and encouragement to many, including his wife!! Although we are not able to move into our region of service until Shad reaches a higher level of language, we are encouraged by the peace that God is in control and always works in perfect timing.
Just a few weeks ago, we were officially invited to join the NTM orientation team here. We have agreed to commit to living here for another year, working to fill in the gaps and assisting new missionaries as they adjust to life in Indonesia. Because over half of the orientation team members will be moving either on furlough or to other regions during the next few months, there are many gaps that need to be filled; gaps that our family can help to fill. During this next year, I will continue training to be a field language consultant, gradually taking on more responsibility and gaining experience that will prepare me for future ministry. During our time here in Indonesia, Shad has shown a true gift for relating to and connecting with Indonesians. The NTM Indonesia leadership team is excited about seeing him use this gifts here over the next year, specifically as he works to organize and head up our national workers (gardeners, maintenance men, etc.). Shad has already built a good repore with all of these workers, and has a close relationship with several of them. As he begins to work more with them on a daily basis, his language will continue to improve through these relationships. We praise the Lord for this unique opportunity for Shad to use his gifts in ministry and improve his language, all while doing the things he enjoys!!
As we look ahead to the birth of our baby in October (it’s a boy by the way!!) and think of all the things God has in store for our family over the next year, we are amazed at the way God has lead us to this specific place in ministry. Eighteen months ago, our heads were filled with dreams of what God’s best would look like down the road. But along the way, He has challenged our hearts and given us new perspectives on the future. We are excited to be following His leading day by day. After this next year of serving here comes to an end, we plan to return to the states for an 8 month furlough to visit family and supporters. After that, we plan on returning to Indonesia and moving to Central Sulawesi to serve with the town team there, but only God knows!! We are thankful that although our plans can change (and almost always do), we know the One who knows the future, and He has plans for us that will be revealed in His perfect timing as we walk with Him!! Thank you so much for your prayers, love, encouragement, and support!!

Thirst. Hunger. Haven’t we all experienced these feelings of want? Physically, we have all felt thirst on a hot day. We have all felt those familiar inward growls reminding us that it is time to eat. Thankfully, for most if not all of us, our physical hunger and thirst can quickly be quenched and satisfied easily. A glass of water and a bite later, and our hunger and thirst become a thing of the past.

In the book of Isaiah, God extends an invitation to mankind to come to the waters. This invitation is for all who thirst, not for physical water, but for soul-quenching water. Since we began our journey as missionaries here in Indonesia, we have seen over and over again the true thirst and emptiness of a soul who has not yet been to the waters. Most don’t even know such an invitation exists, especially for them personally.
A couple weeks ago, we were faced head on with the reality of spiritual thirst. One of Shad’s closest Indonesian friends lost his mother. Many members of this family live in our neighborhood, and we have been privileged to build close relationships with several of them. We knew this woman was very ill, and Shad had even planned on visiting her in the hospital where she lay in a coma. But the morning he had planned on visiting her, she slipped into eternity.

We watched helplessly from our front door as preparations began for the funeral. In accordance to Javanese culture, her body was transported directly from the hospital to her home– just a few yards outside our front gate. She was removed from the “mobil jenazah”- a form of ambulance designed to transport corpses in situations such as this. The family dutifully carried her inside their small house and began washing the body. Neighbors began to gather– the men setting up tents and chairs for the funeral later that afternoon and the women going inside the house to offer their condolences and prepare food for the family and guests. From inside the house, our usually cheery neighbors and friends offered up haunting moans as they wept and mourned for their deceased sister, aunt, daughter, mother, and friend. One of the woman’s sons, only about eight years old, wept inconsolably as friends tried to shield him from the awful sight of his mother’s dead body.

After a short ceremony there at the house, the body was transported in a simple casket to the burial site. The mourning continued for hours, followed by traditional “prayers” of the majority religion meant to guide the spirit of the dead into a comfortable afterlife.

Our friends, our neighbors, they have experienced thirst. Their lives have been filled with insatiable hunger for hope and meaning and thirst for acceptance and purpose. And they have yet to come to the water. We are reminded every day that we are here to give them a message from God. It’s a simple message, really. Come.

Come to the waters and drink.

Come to Me.

Please pray that our lives would continue to be a witness. Pray that our language, actions, and attitudes would shout that invitation to all who God puts in our path. Pray especially for this family that we see on a daily basis and pray that they will be open and receptive to the truth of Christ.

Last week, we fell victim to a motorcycle theif. Unfortunately, they chose to steal Shad’s motorcycle, which is our main source of reliable family transportation. We do have insurance, so in a few months we will be getting some money back.

Please pray that God will provide for this need and that we will be trusting Him even when this kind of thing happens!!

Well, it has been an eventful few weeks for the Deal family. At the beginning of the month, I (Sarah) started to feel a little weak and nauseous. Having just returned from our visit to a mosquito infested area, I feared I had contracted some kind of weird virus. After a couple days of trying to sleep it off, we decided to rule out another possibility—sickness with a purpose. And sure enough, we found a legitimate reason for my sickness that didn’t involve mosquitoes or viruses. Yes, we have a baby on the way!!

We praise the Lord that His timing is perfect, and this is an area we have been bringing before the Lord for awhile. We are learning that as missionaries on a foreign field, there is never really a “convenient” time to have a baby. Don’t get us wrong, we believe in family and having children, and we know that family is also an important part of the ministry God has given us. After spending many hours discussing the ins and outs, pros and cons of when to have our next child, God answered our pleas for wisdom in a very tangible and obvious way—He blessed us with baby #2!!

I am now about 8 weeks along, and am still very sick!! This was quite a shock to us, as I was only sick for a few weeks with Braden, and not to this degree. Not being able to eat much and having to rest all day has taken its toll on me, and right now I look much more sick than pregnant. But we praise the Lord we had the opportunity to have an ultrasound last week and see our baby move around in my tummy, growing and developing according to the divine schedule!! We appreciate your prayers for this morning sickness—that it would end soon and that I would have the strength to get through it!! Shad and Braden could also use your prayers as they are affected too when their mommy/wife is down with sickness!!

My due date is October 3, and we are planning on having our baby in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia. We would appreciate your prayers for the planning and finances for travel to and from Jakarta (a 12 hour bus ride or 3 hour plane ride) for a few doctor visits and for the delivery itself. Finances in general have been low in the last few months, so we would also appreciate your prayers that our support will increase. Shad’s motorcycle was stolen a few nights ago also, which puts extra strain on our finances. We praise the Lord that we did have some insurance, but we still have lots of paperwork to complete and will only be getting back a portion of the bike’s value after two months.
We will keep the news coming about the pregnancy and our new baby. We are excited to share with you God’s blessings to us, and we want to thank you for being a vital part of our ministry here in Indonesia. God is using your prayers and finances to glorify Himself here!!

In just a few short weeks, the three of us will be packing up our bags and moving across town to live in the middle of an all-Indonesian neighborhood in our friend’s house. With hopes of progressing further in our understanding of language and culture, we plan on eating, sleeping, and breathing Indonesian 24 hours a day for a month.

Pray as we make final preparations that our hearts and the hearts of our hosts will be in unified and that God will be preparing our minds, bodies and emotions to undertake all that is before us.

Pray that this will be a profitable time not only for the technical apsects of language and culture study, but also a time for being a light to those who still live in darkness.

This past week, we enjoyed a relaxing family vacation on the South Coast of Java. Though we lacked hot water, a computer, and music, we barely missed them and greatly enjoyed our simple yet beautiful accommodations. Along with another missionary family, we swam in the ocean, sat in the sand, and played games for 4 days. Having left language study and other various responsibilities behind, we also enjoyed a refreshing time of reflecting on who God is and what He has been teaching us. We praise the Lord for the opportunity to be refreshed and spend some uninterrupted time as a family! We also praise the Lord that He prepared the hearts of two men- one Australian and one Indonesian- and allowed Shad the opportunity to answer some of their questions and share about our faith. Please pray that God’s message of truth came across clearly and that those seeds will bring forth fruit!!
We returned home on Friday night where our friend and her two daughters had been staying and watching our house while we were gone. Because their ride home didn’t come when expected, Sarah offered to give them a ride home. When we arrived at their small home, I was invited to come in for a visit. In the span of a few seconds, I considered declining. Braden would be going to bed soon, and I’d hate to miss that. Besides, we had just gotten home from a long trip, and there were bags to be unpacked and dinner to be made. But something in me (likely the Holy Spirit!) encouraged me to accept. I entered the modest dwelling and sat down as my friend, in typical Indonesian fashion, straightened things and apologized for the mess and her simple home. Within a minute after she sat beside me on the couch, she began to pour out her heart to me. With tears in her eyes, she shared burden after burden with me, concluding that if she didn’t have the Lord, she wouldn’t be able to go on. I knew that my friend didn’t have an easy life, but before that night, I had no idea the depth of her suffering. I was touched in a way that I haven’t been in a long time. I cried with her, and felt heaviness in my heart on her behalf. Yet I also praised the Lord for this opportunity, this open door to encourage our friend. She claims to know the Lord, but we are not yet sure how clear she understands the gospel. We are praying that she will accept the offer to meet together to study God’s Word on a regular basis.
On Sunday, we went to visit some of our closest Indonesian friends Ronny and Yanti. In a few weeks, we will be moving into their house and living side by side with them for a month in order to deepen our knowledge of language and culture. Their “kampung” (small neighborhood) is made up of 40 or so houses, all within a few feet of each other. Most of the inhabitants are related in some way, so during our stay we plan on getting to know many of Ronny and Yanti’s relatives and becoming, in a sense, part of their family, too. During this particular visit, we had the opportunity to meet Yanti’s Aunt and Uncle. They expressed their excitement that we will soon be able to live so close and become a part of their everyday lives. Our prayer is that God will use our time there not only to strengthen our language abilities, but also to use us to be a light to those we will be living with and those we will be living near.
Yes, we are realizing more and more these days that the fields are truly ripe unto harvest. Whether we are taking a break from studies, offering a ride home, or making a major move, we find the hand of the Lord preparing the way and preparing hearts to hear the truth. Thank you for being a part in keeping us here as laborers for that harvest, and thank you for praying that this field will continue to be harvested for His glory!!

Chicken Sate
1 chicken; boned, skinned, and cut into very small chunks
2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp white pepper
3 cloves of garlic
Sweet soy sauce
Bamboo or wooden skewers

Crush garlic cloves and mix with salt and pepper. Combine chicken and spices and allow to marinate in refrigerator. Preheat grill and thread chicken on to skewers. Pour some sweet soy sauce into a shallow container to coat chicken. Grill for about 2 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Serve with white rice and peanut sauce.

Peanut Sauce
½ lb roasted peanuts- chopped fine
2 cloves garlic- minced
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ginger
4 tbsp brown sugar
1 red chili pepper (optional)

Mix garlic, salt, ginger, and chili and sauté until tender. Remove from heat and add 1 cup water. Stir in brown sugar and simmer for 5 minutes. Add peanuts and stir well. Let simmer for another 5 minutes. Best served warm.
*Peanut sauce can also be used to marinate chicken before grilling

   Step 1: Meet with neighbors to discuss your plans for New Years Eve. Offer to host a get-together—it will be fun!!
Step 2: On New Years Eve, go to neighbor’s house to help cut up chicken, thread on skewers, and roast peanuts for your New Years Dinner.
Step 3: Go home and take a nap so you can stay up until midnight!!
Step 4: Bake cookies- your western contribution to the New Years celebration
Step 5: When neighbors arrive, let kids play with sparklers while the ladies get everything set up for cooking chicken.
Step 6: Grill chicken sate. Well, at least try. Watch and learn from your Indonesian friends!! If you’re lucky, they’ll let you turn the chicken on the grill.
Step 7: Eat, talk, and laugh. Repeat as necessary!
Step 8: Roast corn for dessert while everyone tries to stay awake for midnight…
Step 9: At 11:30pm or so, join other neighbors outside and light fireworks together.
Step 10: At midnight, wish everyone “Selamat Tahun Baru!!” (Happy New Year!) and blow your horns for everyone to hear!!

    Praise the Lord for continued open doors for building relationships with our neighbors!! Each time we get together with them, our friendship deepens. Each encounter gives us a deeper understanding of language and culture, and thus prepares us to minister more effectively here. Please pray that our lives would promote a desire in their hearts to know Christ! Pray for wisdom as we seek to shine for our Savior here in everyday situations. Thank you for being a part of what God is doing here!!

This Christmas, our second in Indonesia, has been a great one. No, we were not able to share it with our extended families or in our homeland. There was no snow and only a handful of houses dawned Christmas lights (and those only on the inside). But that didn’t stop us from remembering the true reason we celebrate Christmas– the birth of our Savior, the hope of the world. And as we dealt with our feelings of homesickness, we were sobered by the fact that on the first Christmas, there were probably feelings of homesickness, too. Mary and Joseph were about to welcome their first child into the world, but instead of having relatives waiting by their side to congratulate them, they found themselves forgotten by the town and surrounded by only animals. And how much more "homesick" Jesus must have felt, His first night spent on this sin-filled and dark earth, covered in the skin of a human– a baby human. As we thought on the sacrifice of our Lord represented by that first Christmas, our own sacrifices seem small and insignificant. Yet, being our great High Priest, Jesus understands the feelings of our infirmities and meets us right where we are at, giving us all we need to keep walking by faith with joy.

And He did just that for us this Christmas! We enjoyed getting up on Christmas morning and heading up the mountain to meet with other believers at our church. We sang and reflected on God’s gifts to us through His son and appreciated the Indonesian perspective on the holiday. After church, we read the Christmas story as a family then prayed and opened presents together. Then, it was off to the kitchen to prepare for our Christmas feast

Ten adults, five teenagers, and six kids gathered at our house to celebrate and eat dinner together. It was a full house, but what a great time we had!! We sang, exchanged gifts, and of course, ate American food until we couldn’t eat any more!! We are so thankful for our friends here and glad we had the opportunity to have so many of them in our home this Christmas.

Yes, another year and another Christmas has past, and we can say with assurance once again that God is good. He is always with us, encouraging us and giving us just what we need — not only to survive, but to live the truly abundant life.

Leviticus 26:4
Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.

Most likely, you are all familiar with the saying: “When it rains, it pours.” But having lived in Indonesia for over a year now, this phrase has taken on a new meaning for us. Here, in our corner of the world, the rainy season brings with it not only rain, but pouring rain. Lots and lots of pouring rain. As the Indonesian language so appropriately calls it: “hujan deras”—meaning heavy or violent rain.

Here, there are two seasons: wet and dry. And you can be sure of one thing during rainy season: it will rain. Oh, it may be a morning shower followed by a beautiful day of sunshine, it may be a clear morning with a sudden afternoon downpour, or it could be an entire day of showers. Another thing you can be sure of: rain will come just about the time you have to get on your motorcycle and drive to town or school. But, have no fear, it will stop eventually—most likely when you have returned home and are already soaked to the bone.

There is a certain style to the rainy season.Tacky coats become socially acceptable. Passengers riding public transportation carts are shielded from the rain by big plastic tarps, aka, grocery bags. Motorcyclists hold umbrellas while driving in an attempt to shield themselves from the drops falling from above. Laundry triples as wet clothes are changed for dry several times a day. Clothes take several days to hang dry, and that only after every piece is ironed several times. Walls inside homes become damp, causing paint to peel and become discolored. And the only thing growing faster than the grass is the mold.

And now, finding ourselves in the middle of rainy season, we are dreaming of a wet Christmas. And that’s OK with us. Although we miss our family and friends back home, we have come to love this place. Indonesia, with its rain and mold, its language and culture, has become a part of us. Though this Christmas season is filled with raindrops instead of snowflakes, umbrellas instead of snowmen, and Indonesian neighbors instead of family, we are truly thankful that our God has brought us here and has promised to be with us each step of the way. His showers of blessing and grace never cease, bringing forth everlasting fruit in our lives and in the lives of those around us — even during the dry season!