Todd and Sue Nelson Missionaries Training Future Missionaries Jason and Laken’s heart for unreached people
Jason and Laken Cizdziel are studying the Word of God right now at New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson, Michigan. Listen to their short video to hear their vision and passion to go and share the Gospel with an unreached people group. Jason and Laken are a wonderful example of the missionaries in training at NTBI. They are why we are serving the Lord here at the Bible School. Pray for the 170 students who are at NTBI this semester.
So much more than a Bible School…
This is why we are missionary trainers at New Tribes Bible Institute. We know the students in this video! They are here in Jackson, Michigan, investing two years studying the Bible so they have a strong foundation for their future ministry.
To learn more about New Tribes Bible Institute, click here.
Ready, Set, Go!
Todd just finished his first full week in the Business Office at New Tribes Bible Institute-Jackson. There is much to learn as Nathan, his predecessor, walks Todd through the day-to-day duties and details of his new position as Business Office Manager. This training will be ongoing throughout this semester and probably the rest of this year. So far, Todd has set up his new office, carried in more than 200 books and Bible study materials from our basement into his new office, is getting familiar with the school’s computer system, set up his voicemail and ordered his business cards… There is a lot to learn, and Todd has ended his first week encouraged and excited with his new ministry at the Bible School.
Students are beginning to trickle in to the Bible School, but the first big influx will be on Thursday, January 13, when a group of upperclassmen return to be trained as student leaders. That next weekend, January 15 and 16, is Registration. This is when EVERYONE ELSE moves into the school. There will be approximately 175 students studying God’s Word this semester! Of this number, 25-30 are new freshmen. You can pray that nothing happens to deter any of these students from getting to school. Please pray that each of them will have enough money to pay their tuition, that their travel arrangements will work out, that the weather will cooperate with their travels, and that they will be blessed and excited to be in Bible School studying God’s Word!
Sue’s ministry at the Bible School will be Married Ladies Advisor in the Student Life Department. She has been in and out of the Bible School this week, setting up her office, getting reacquainted with the computer system, setting up her voicemail, and reading through training and philosophy of ministry information. Things start up for her next week: team meetings start on Monday morning, January 10, and go through the entire week. The first thing on the agenda for the Student Life team is to plan and implement student leader training. This will be Sue’s first opportunity to get to know some of the students. While that is going on, she will be greeting the married couples as they arrive, with the goal of getting to know the married ladies especially.
Thank you for praying for the students as they follow the Lord in coming to New Tribes Bible Institute to learn God’s Word, the Bible.
Please pray for us too:
- A smooth transition into our new ministries at the Bible School.
- Energy and flexibility for the most busy time – the beginning of the semester. For example, we will both need to be at the Bible School during both days of Registration weekend: January 15 and 16.
- Friendliness and good memories to learn the students’ names and faces quickly!
- Todd’s first class, co-teaching “Partnership Development”, starts on January 26. Sue will also be sitting in on these classes.
- Encouraging words to say as we introduce ourselves and share our journey at the NTBI staff meeting on Monday, January 10th.
- Sue will introduce herself and give her testimony at the first married ladies’ chapel: January 25 (?) – not sure of the schedule yet.
We appreciate you and thank you for your prayers and interest in what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of the students and staff at NTBI-Jackson.
Different Sides Now
Edaipiya is a Moi believer. He is so thankful that New Tribes Missionaries came and shared the Good News that Jesus died for him. He understood that Jesus paid his sin debt and trusted in Him as his Savior. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (John 5:24).
Edaipiya believed in Jesus as his Savior. As you watch his testimony, ask yourself how you can be a part of reaching the unreached tribes of this world with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
AWAYO is also a Moi believer. Click here to see a more detailed testimony of his faith in Jesus Christ.
October 2010 Prayer and Praise
It is hard to believe that it has been 4 months since we became missionaries with New Tribes Mission. We praise God for His faithfulness during this time of raising our financial support. The summer has been very busy and rewarding with meeting friends and sharing God’s vision for reaching the lost with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Todd taught a class on the book of Genesis during September while we continued raising our support. That made
September especially busy, juggling teaching with raising support. But it also proved to be reinvigorating and has increased our desire to be on staff at New Tribes Bible Institute training future missionaries to take the Gospel to the unreached tribes in the world. Our planned date to be on staff at the Bible School is January 4, 2011.
Prayer Requests
- That we would continue looking to the Lord for His strength and provision.
- For our support to continue to increase as we close out the year meeting with friends and sharing God’s vision for proclaiming the Gospel in the unreached parts of the world.
- That the plans we are making to share our ministry with New Tribes Mission will come together.
Praise Report
- Our support level has now reached 58%, for which we are most thankful.
- For everyone who lifts us up in prayer, we are glad for you!
- For all the new students now at the Bible School. God is at work raising laborers to send into His harvest fields.
To learn more about us and our ministry with New Tribes Mission, click here.
To see how you can partner with us financially, click here.
Philippians 1:3-5
Laborers needed, will train!
2,000 years ago, Jesus asked His disciples to pray for laborers to go into the world with the Gospel. Here is one missionary family who went where the Lord wanted them to go.
“…these difficult times help us to share in their [the Elseng people’s] sufferings (lack of water, sickness), so that we may comfort them with the comfort which we have seen from our God.”
~ The McClain family, missionaries to the Elseng tribal people
Ten years ago, Jareb and Amy were students at New Tribes Bible Institute. After two years of Biblical study, they completed their missionary training with classes equipping them to learn a tribal language and culture. They also learned the perils of waterborne illnesses and how to make water safe for drinking.
Missionary homes in the village
Today, the McClain’s and their five children live deep in the jungle with the Elseng people. Having a strong Biblical foundation and knowing the love of God, they work towards sharing the Gospel and showing God’s comfort to the Elseng who do not yet know Him.
This past summer, their village desperately needed rain. Outside the McClain’s home, rainwater is collected in a tank to be purified for drinking. Their water supply was running out. God provided a downpour! Sadly, sickness soon started up in the village due to drinking contaminated water during the drought. Jareb and Amy asked us to pray for wisdom in treating diarrhea and fevers with their limited medical skills. “Sometimes they come to us sick and weak, and we are sick and weak too!”
Join us in prayer for the McClain family. They are walking with God in the midst of sufferings. As they go through life’s struggles with the Elseng people, they have the opportunity to show them God’s love. God is working in and through the McClain’s. The Elseng people will hear the Gospel in their own heart language someday, Lord willing.
As we prepare to join the training ministry at New Tribes Bible Institute, we pray that students will be grounded in God’s Word and follow His command to go and tell people the Good News: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” ~ Jesus, Luke 10:2
To learn more about how you can partner with us in our training ministry with New Tribes Mission so that future missionaries like Jareb and Amy can reach the unreached with the Gospel, click here.
The Heart of our Lord and Savior Jesus
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son …” – John 3:16
We read this verse in church and sing songs about it. We see it raised high on cards at football games. But stop and think for a moment. This verse is more than words to a song. This verse is more than ink on paper. This verse speaks of the heart of our Savior, a heart for every person on this planet.
Jesus died on the cross to pay sin’s awful penalty. He rose from the dead proving that our sin debt was paid for. In Jesus Christ we find life, real life. Jesus wants everyone to know this Good News and to have the opportunity to believe in Him.
Before He ascended to Heaven, Jesus spoke what was on His heart. He said to us, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” (Matt 28:19) When He commanded this, He spoke from His heart. He meant what He said.
Jesus asks us to look around and see the world through His eyes (John 4:35). Jesus said to His disciples, “So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.” (Matt 9:38)
Is not each and every one of us an answer to that prayer?
How will the Lord use you?
If you feel the call into full-time missions, then consider New Tribes Mission. Click here for more on New Tribes Bible Institute. Click here for more on the Missionary Training Center.
Perhaps the Lord is leading you to support those who serve full time in missions, by prayer or financially. Click here to learn how you can join our team as we serve at New Tribes Bible Institute, training future missionaries to answer the Lord’s command to go.
However the Lord leads you, we pray that you will listen and obey.
July 2010 Praise and Prayer
“A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.” – John the Baptist
Praise Report:
- God is sustaining us spiritually, physically, and financially during our support raising.
- God is stretching our faith and we are growing in our trust in Him. We are seeing Him bring financial supporters onto our team.
- God opened a door to share with a church in Houghton Lake. It was a blessing to be able to share God’s work through us with New Tribes Mission. We were greatly encouraged by the love for Jesus Christ we saw at this wonderful church.
- God continues to provide opportunities to share with individuals the big picture of missions and how God will use us as trainers of future missionaries at New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson.
- For the joy in our hearts as we meet with many friends who share our passion of seeing the Gospel taken to the unreached in the world.
- For our financial support which now stands at 28% of our recommended level!
Prayer Requests:
- That God would continue to sustain us during this important stage of ministry. The days are often long and tiring. But also very rewarding!
- That we would be patient as we wait on God to open doors and provide the finances we need to carry out the ministry He has called us to.
- That we would remain thankful.
- That every letter we send, every phone call we make, and every meeting we have will be done for the sake of the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:23).
- That our support will continue to grow. We are currently at 28% of our recommended support. Our desire to be fully engaged in training future missionaries at the Bible School is growing. Pray that we will meet our needed support soon so we can begin training other missionaries to go and proclaim Christ to those who have never heard.
Pray about joining our team as a financial supporter. Perhaps God would use you to reach tribal people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through giving. We encourage you to go to our Give/Partner page and pray about joining our team, or you may click here.
Why Are We Doing This?
“In February 2006, after four-and-a-half years of culture and language study, we once again faced the Moi people with nervous excitement and said, “Hear us well Moi people. For we bring you a message from the Creator. He loves you and has something He wants to say to you. ‘In the beginning ….’” (Stephen Crockett, NTM Missionary to the Moi – May 4, 2010 – www.ntm.org/magazine/10825)
The Moi people are an example of an isolated people who have come to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. It would take years of language and culture study to get to the point of being able to teach any truth from the Word of God. It would take many more months of teaching from the Bible, starting from the book of Genesis and ending at the cross of Christ. It will take many more years to get this new church firmly established in their faith in Jesus Christ.
Listen to AWAYO’s testimony in his own heart language. He is now a believer in Jesus Christ.
AWAYO – Fear to Faith (English subtitles) from New Tribes Mission on Vimeo.
AWAYO, as a new believer in Jesus Christ, realized that there are many more people like him who do not know that Jesus died for them – to pay their sin debt. He would ask a very compelling question: “Who will tell them?”
Sadly, there are still over 2,500 people groups that remain unreached. They live life in constant fear. They live life in bondage to their beliefs. They live in total spiritual darkness. They live without knowing about the love of God found in Jesus Christ.
- Not a single missionary is there to learn their language and culture.
- Not a single missionary is there to shine the light of God’s truth into their darkness.
Why are Sue and I devoting the rest of our lives to training missionaries? The answer is “for the sake of the Gospel.” The answer is to train and send workers into the unreached fields of the world.
Jesus said, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.” (Matt 9:37-38)
The Lord has called us into a training ministry with New Tribes Mission. We are missionaries training future missionaries in answer to our Lord’s charge.
To join our support team, click here. Or, go to our Give page above.
June 2010 Praise and Prayer
Todd and Sue at Graduation May 19, 2010
We have much to praise God for. We are also in need of prayer as we move forward as missionaries with New Tribes Mission (NTM). After graduating from the NTM Missionary Training Center, we became members of New Tribes Mission effective June 1, 2010. We are now in our first phase of ministry with NTM, full-time fundraising. As missionaries, we do not receive a salary. Therefore we need to raise our finances before we can begin the training ministry God has called us to. We are trusting God to meet our financial needs through others who He has already prepared to join our team. Please pray with us.
“A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.” – John the Baptist
First we want to praise God since He is our provider.
- For sustaining us spiritually, physically, and financially during our training.
- For sustaining us spiritually, physically, and financially during the early stages of fundraising.
- For the training ministry at New Tribes Bible Institute that awaits us. We thank God for this privilege to train many who will go to the uttermost parts of the world to proclaim Christ!
- For the opportunities God has already given us with individuals to share the big picture of what we will be doing as missionaries.
- For everyone God has provided as prayer partners. We really appreciate everyone who prays with and for us – you are a gift from God! Because of the hard economic times, we recognize that many are not in a position to help financially. Prayer is what is essential to any ministry, and you are a vital part of the our team. We are thankful that you are praying for us. Also know that we are praying for you.
- For everyone God has brought into our lives that have started their financial partnership with us in proclaiming Christ where He is yet unknown. We recognize that your financial support comes at a cost. We also thank God for you - you are a gift from God!
- For new and/or deepening friendships we have seen God develop with others who share our passion of seeing the Gospel taken to the unreached in the world.
- For our financial support which now stands at 11% of our recommended level!
Next, please pray with us as we trust God for the following.
- That God would continue to sustain us during this important stage of ministry. The days are often long and tiring.
- That we would be patient as we wait on God to open doors and provide the finances we need to carry out the ministry He has called us to.
- That we would remain thankful, humble and dependent on God.
- That every letter we send and every phone call we make would be done for the sake of the Gospel (1 Cor. 9:23).
- For those God has yet to bring into our lives as prayer and financial partners.
- For our financial support which is currently at 11%. Our support level needs to be met so we can begin training other missionaries to go and proclaim Christ.
