NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

1 Thessalonians 5:18
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Ah, Thanksgiving. This day has always conjured up in our minds thoughts of Turkey, family, and, well, giving thanks! Amidst the cranberry sauce, football games, holiday movies, and fall scenery, there is a spirit of anticipation. An opportunity to offer up our thanksgiving to the One who has supplied all our needs, and has given us many added blessings that we definitely don’t deserve.

But this Thanksgiving, we were in for a surprise. We have lived here in Indonesia just over a year, so technically, this is our second Thanksgiving spent overseas. But last Thanksgiving, we were still sorting through visa paperwork, unpacking boxes, and getting over jetlag. Needless to say, we didn’t get around to turkey and cranberry sauce! But this year, we wanted to pull out all the stops. So, we and three other families decided to have a real Thanksgiving Dinner together. We ladies meticulously planned every detail—from turkey, stuffing, and macaroni and cheese to cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. We looked forward to Thanksgiving Day, hoping it would remind us of home and give us a chance to count our blessings together.

As Thursday approached, I found myself getting more and more excited. I began to make a plan for Thursday, imagining a relaxing day of cooking and baking, and a relaxing evening spent with good friends and full tummies. I thought: “Wow! What an awesome day this will be! We can really be thankful this year!!”

We woke up on Thanksgiving morning feeling alert and ready to go. Yes, this would be a Thanksgiving Day to remember!!
We were not to be disappointed. This would be a day to remember, but perhaps not in the way we expected…
At 8:30am, as we got ready to head out for a family walk, the lights and fans shut off. But hey, this is Indonesia, and most likely the lights would be back on in no time.
But when we returned home an hour later, the house was still dark. No fans meant a hot house. No power meant no relaxing Christmas music. And—gulp—no electricity meant no electric oven!! My heart sank, and I felt my thankful spirit begin to crumble. Lunchtime came and went with still no power. My plans for a relaxing morning were traded for a morning of anxiety and disappointment. As the afternoon dragged on, I tried doing as much cooking on our gas stovetop as possible, grumbling inside and wondering why, of all days, the entire city had to lose power on Thanksgiving.

But, in spite of my grumblings, God had mercy. He challenged us in those moments of questioning. He reminded us of all we had to be thankful for—lights or no lights!! Yes, we were away from family. But we are surrounded by friends and neighbors who accept us and love us. Yes, we were missing the comforts of home, but we live in a beautiful city and enjoy many comforts here. Yes, we were without lights, but we have been afforded the privilege of knowing the Light of the World and being children of God.

And yes, just before everyone was to arrive at our house for the festivities, the lights did come back on. We were still able to enjoy a wonderful evening of turkey and all the fixings! And I think we all learned a lesson this Thanksgiving—there is always something to be thankful for! Our prayer is that we learn to be more thankful this year, and trust that God is working even when we can’t see!!

2 Corinthians 4:16b “…the inward man is renewed day by day.”

As we near our first year anniversary of living in Indonesia, we have been busy with visa renewals, license renewals, and even a trash collection renewal!! We are amazed at God’s grace in giving us all we have needed through all the ups and downs of this last year, and we praise Him that in the midst of all our necessary renewals, He has granted us a renewal in vision and purpose as well.
Last week, while visiting some good Indonesian friends of ours, Shad mentioned to them our desire to possibly move in with an Indonesian family for a month or so in order to be immersed in the language and culture and improve our language abilities. Although our friends live in a one-bedroom house, and although we had already ruled out the possibility of living with them, they generously offered to sleep in their relatives’ house next door (where they had lived for few years prior to moving into their current house) for a month so that we could stay and study language in their home. Honored by their offer but wanting to be culturally sensitive, we thanked them and graciously declined, saying that we really didn’t want to “kick them out” of their own home!! But in the Indonesian tradition, they showed their true sincerity by offering “terus” (over and over again) until we agreed to consider the possibility.
We left their house hours later, our minds and hearts full of many emotions. In the months before that night, we had prayed many times that if God desired our family to make such a move, that He would work out the details and make His will perfectly clear to us. The possibility of living very close to two of our closest Indonesian friends, learning from them and working with them, seemed almost too good to be true!! After discussing several options with our field leadership here, we are seriously considering making this move in January or February. Our desire is that our friends would continue to live in their house with us (sleeping next door at night), allowing us to observe their daily lives and become, in a sense, part of their family.
We continue to be amazed at the way God renews our spirits, minds, and hearts each day, encouraging us to keep looking to Him through it all. The possiblity of living with our Indonesian friends has also renewed our excitement for learning this language and culture and understanding the Indonesian people on a deeper level. We know that this move will not be easy, and may be downright hard at times, but we are resting in the fact that God will continue to renew our strength and our focus as we keep our eyes on Him.
Thanks for your prayers for us as we continue to study and consider this new challenge. And may we all allow God to renew our hearts today!!

During the month of September, thousands of Indonesians across the country fasted in order to show their devotion to the majority religion here. The fasting month ended with the celebration called Idul Fitri, during which families, neighbors, and friends visit each other and ask forgiveness for sins commited during the past year.
The holiday gave us a good opportunity to get “up close and personal” to many cultural and religious happenings. We also enjoyed getting to know our Indonesian friends and neighbors better! As cross-cultural missionaries, part of our responsibility is to try to see the world through the eyes of those we have come to witness to so that we can share truth in a clear and relevant way.
Our schedule was quite busy this week as we ate lunch with three different families and ate snacks with many others. We also had the opportunity to attend a house warming/dedication party at the home of some of our closest Indonesian friends. The family finally moved in on Wednesday, after two long years of buliding and almost a decade of saving up money and supplies!! We, along with two other families, were treated like kings as we filled up on lots of yummy Javanese snacks and Indonesian entrées! Before the meal, we were surprised (and impressed) that John, one of the other missionaries there, was asked to pray a prayer of dedication for the new home. We praise the Lord for the opportunity to build a relationship with this family, and our prayer is that they will recognize their need for a Savior and choose to accept the truth soon!
We pray that our visits, meals, and conversations this last week not only deepened our understanding of culture, but also made way for planting and watering seeds of truth in the hearts of our friends. As we broke bread with each of them, we pray that our words and our lives bore witness to the Bread of Life. Thank you for praying for us as we continue to deepen our understanding of the language and culture around us. Remember that you are a huge part of what God is doing here in Indonesia!!

We have heard it said many times that the best way to learn language is by immersion, and we are praying seriously about testing this theory to its logical end. We are now considering moving our family out of our comfortable home here and into the home of an Indonesian family. This move would most likely be for a month or so, and would give us the opportunity to live, eat, talk, hear, and breathe Indonesian from sunrise to sunset (and possibly in our dreams, too!!)! This experience would be invaluable both for language and culture study and relationship building here in Indonesia. However, we are still praying and weighing the options as to whether this is a good option for the three of us at this time.

Please pray with us as we consider this option. Pray that God would make it clear if this is His desire for us. Pray that God would give us clear direction as to which family to live with and work out all the details. Pray that we would be willing to sacrifice some privacy and comfort for the sake of a better understanding of the Indonesian people we have come to reach.

Update: Praise the Lord with us that He has opened up a door for us to possibly live with some of our closest Indonesian friends!! Read the article "Renewal" for more info!!

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.

We came to Indonesia ten months ago with many plans and dreams about what would happen when we arrived. We came with a desire to work among a tribal group, helping the missionary team and believers there with discipleship and Bible translation. We expected that language learning would be hard, but we also knew that God would be faithful to get us through it—surely He wasn’t going to allow us to struggle too hard, right?!
Well, ten months in, and the biggest lesson we have learned is that God’s plans are often different than our own. Our hearts still long to work in a tribal location, using the gifts God has given us to encourage believers there and get the Word of God in their hands. But we are starting to see that God may have different plans for us. Still in Indonesia, still working as missionaries, still making Christ known among people who haven’t believed. Same goal, same team, but possibly a slight change in job description.
From the beginning, language has been a real struggle for Shad. We have both struggled with why the Lord has allowed it to be this difficult. But we have also seen the Lord work through the difficulties. Shad has persevered through ten months (and counting!) of language study, and has maintained a good attitude and kept his eyes on the Lord. Sure, he has tough days like everyone else, but his acceptance of the language ability God has given him has been a huge encouragement to several missionaries around us. As a living example, Shad has been an inspiration to other families who are discouraged and frustrated with language. Praise the Lord for showing Himself strong in our weaknesses!
On the other hand, Sarah has enjoyed language since day one (although language is hard no matter how much you enjoy it!). Sarah’s official language study should be over by Christmas, and she is hoping to reach her proficiency level soon after that. We knew when we came to Indonesia that Sarah would most likely learn language faster, but we never realized how much of a difference there is in our God-given abilites in language!
But God always has a plan, and He is always leading and guiding our steps just like He always has—not years and decades at a time, but day by day and moment by moment.
So what is His plan for today for the Deals? We praise the Lord that He has opened up a door for Sarah to train with some of our language consultants here in order to gain some experience and glean from their expertise in this area. One of our field’s language consultants will be leaving for furlough in November, and there is a gap that needs to be filled. Of course, Sarah is not ready to fill her shoes just yet, but just having another set of ears and another perspective will be a help to the rest of the team here! If this is a role that “clicks” with Sarah, it may be a possibilty for her to become a language consultant in the future.
This is a door that most likely would not have opened had Shad not needed the extra time with language. We are sure that God has other reasons for Shad’s struggle, too—reasons that far surpass our understanding. We are excited about the potential for building deeper relationships with our Indonesian friends, earning their trust and trusting God to use us to be a light with our words and our lives.
So what about tomorrow, and next year, and ten years from now? We can only say that when that time comes, our God will have already gone before us, and will guide our every step along the way.

Note: For more information about some options we are praying about in regard to Shad’s language learning, please read our latest prayer request—“Immersion at its finest”

Praise the Lord for His strength in learning language! We are thrilled that both of us have been evaluated at a "Progressing" level in the Indonesian language, meaning that we are able to function with relative ease when communicating with Indonesians. Pray that we would continue to see progress!!

Pray especially for Shad, as this time has been rather difficult for him. Pray for wisdom in how he studies, patience with himself, and a peace knowing that God is in control and will be his sufficiency!!

Pray also for Sarah’s ministry after language study, that God would be preparing her for future service. Pray for a balance for our family as our ministries begin to change over this next year.

The results are in! !

Yesterday, Shad had his language evaluation with NTM. He sat for an hour, answering questions and telling stories to an Indonesian helper. His language consultant watched and listened, jotting notes as Shad tried to use all the Indonesian he has learned so far.

When it was all over, the three of them decided that Shad has reached a progressing level in Indonesian, which means he can express basic concepts and everyday happenings in Indonesian. He can speak in full sentences and function in most everyday conversations with relative ease.

The consultants here are very proud of Shad’s progress, and so are his wife and son:) He has put many hours and much effort into his language learning, and it is so awesome to see God grant him progress in this area!

Sarah is now finishing up her sixth "unit" of study at the language school in town, and we are happy with her progress as well. She should be finished with the language school curriculum by Christmas, but will continue to study Indonesian and build relationships during the next year.

But we must not forget that there are more important things than evaluations!  We are thrilled by the opportunities God has given us to use our language to build relationships with our friends and neighbors here. Our prayer is that we would be a light of God’s love to them every day, using what we have learned to bring glory to Him in this foreign culture.

Thank you for your continued prayers for us as we study language and build relationships day after day. Pray that our focus would be on the One who is our strength, our sustainer, and the only answer to the lost world beyond our front door.

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free…” Galatians 5:1

Last weekend, Indonesia celebrated its 63rd year of Independence. Since August 17, 1945, the nation of Indonesia has been declared free from outside governments and its people have developed their identity as citizens of an independent nation.

August is a very lively month in Indonesia! At the beginning of the month, all the neighborhoods decorate their roads with red and white flags and banners, preparing for all the celebrations to come. Several neighborhoods hold special work days where residents build new entrance gates, pull weeds, and paint white lines on the roads. Each neighborhood announces separately when flags should be put out in front of individual houses. Our flag went up a couple weeks before the big day, and will stay up probably until the end of the month.

On the weekend of August 17th, there are plenty of activities around town. Many neighborhoods host their own “lombas” (competitions) and hand out prizes. Other neighborhoods hold their festivities the week before or the week following Independence day. Our neighborhood celebration started today (the week after Independence Day) with a “jalan santai” or a relaxed walk. Close to 400 people gathered at 6:30 this morning to join in on a 3+ kilometer walk. Let’s just say we’re glad we brought our stroller!! This afternoon, we went to watch some more competitions, including climbing a greased pole! 

We are so thankful for the chance we have had to be involved in the celebration of this country’s Independence. Most of our life, we have taken for granted the privilege of living in a free nation. But more than that, we often take for granted the privilege of living in true freedom—that freedom that we have received from Jesus Christ. It continues to break our hearts to see our friends and neighbors living in bondage to lies that have been taught here for generations.

Please continue to pray with us that we can be a living witness to these dear friends and that soon, they will be able to celebrate true freedom that comes through a relationship with Christ.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal…” 1 Corinthians 13:1

It all started with an invitation to play chess. Our neighbor, Pak Mafoot, already a friend of Shad’s, challenged Shad to a game on a Sunday afternoon. Shad headed off to Pak Mafoot’s house after lunch, notebook and pencil in hand, excited for the chance to practice his language and strengthen his relationship with our neighbor.

Three hours and several chess games later, Shad reflected on his experience.

On the plus side, he was able to talk with several neighbors as they played numerous games of chess. He was also able to write down lots of new vocabulary.

On the down side, keeping up with a chess game and stretching your mind by constantly trying to understand and respond in a foreign language makes for an exhausting afternoon!!

As he left to return home, Shad got an idea. Having seen and heard of several other Indonesians playing ping-pong, Shad asked if Pak Mafoot would be interested in playing sometime. Pak Mafoot said he would love to, but he didn’t know where they could play. Shad promised Pak Mafoot that he would do all he could to get one.
After looking at a couple prices of ping-pong tables in town and realizing that they were way outside the bounds of our budget, Shad decided he would try to build one.

After talking again with several neighbors, he decided that this table would belong not to our family, but to the entire neighborhood, providing our neighbors would be willing to help build it!! Word spread fast, and by the time Shad bought the wood and various other supplies, several men had come by to help get the work started. Shad has yet to work alone on this project, and we have been blown away by the willingness of our neighbors to help.

A week later, the table is almost done!! But more importantly, God has opened up doors for new and deeper relationships with our neighbors. Everyone who walks by the house or sees us out and about asks how the table is coming. Most have shown a genuine appreciation for Shad’s hard work on their behalf, and we pray that in some small way, this simple act of building a ping-pong table reflects God’s love to our friends. We look forward to the table being done, hoping that it will continue to open up doors to more relationships.

Thanks for your prayers for us as we continue to build relationships and learn language here in Indonesia! And may God continue to get the glory in our lives through the little things!!

After giving a presentation in class and jotting notes as my teacher corrected my grammar, I was surprised  to see a person walk by our classroom door. Realizing it was Shad (who was supposed to be home studying!) I smiled and blushed like a young girl in love. He carried a big paper-covered pakage, and upon setting it on the table in front of me, he unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful arrangement of a dozen red roses, close to 20 white daisies, several "balloon flowers," and lots of ivy and other greenery held together neatly in a basket. I couldn’t stop smiling, and as we hugged in front of the class, I felt my heart skip a beat as I realized once again what a catch God has given me!!

When I got home from school (after trying to figure out how to get a huge flower arrangement home on a motorcycle!!) I found a homemade card and two tickets for a romantic weekend getaway. Later in the afternoon, we dropped Braden off with friends and headed out to a beautiful restaurant in town, located in a resort. The scenery was beautiful and the food delicious. But more than that, we relished our uninterupted time together as husband and wife, lovers and best friends. Those uninterupted moments come few and far between as we balance different language learning schedules, various meetings and activities, and a 20 month old who doesn’t stop until he’s sleeing!

Tonight, we head off to a local hotel to spend a night alone for the first time in over a year and a half. (One of the great perks of living in Indonesia– very affordable hotel accomidations!!) We praise the Lord for this special week of celebrating His gift of marriage. He has refreshed our relationship together and reminded us that we must make the time to nurture our relationship as husband and wife.

We want to thank each one of you for your prayers, and especially for those of you who pray specifically for our relationship as husband and wife and as a family. Keep those prayers coming!