NEW TRIBES MISSION  |  planting tribal churches

November 6th

Bolivia: Yura tribe: Missionaries Bruce and Jan Johnson are working on materials in the Trinitario and Yura languages for radio broadcasts. Please pray that they can complete the project and that the broadcasts will reach many for Christ. Find out more -- read the story >>

Indonesia: Saluan tribe: Ping and Heidi Leong with Benaja and Esra, missionaries serving on the Island of Sulawesi in Indonesia, are looking forward to moving into the tribe. Recently they met with NTM leaders and their tribal partners for the first time to discuss their next steps. After consulting the tribal church elders, the team was advised to move to a village that is deeper and higher in the jungle than the previous one about 8 hours' walk across rivers and mountains. It is also accessible by helicopter 2 hours from town. They were advised to be located there for at least one or two years of culture and language study. The main reason for this choice of location is fewer distractions from other tribes as well as purer language acquisition.
Their housing options would be to improve an existing tribal house or to build a simple one from scratch. The weather is cool and nights can drop to 12 degrees Celsius. They would also like to borrow/build a small house that could be used as an office.
If they build a house or are able to improve an existing one, Ping would like to start work on it in December while Heidi and the children remain in the town. Lord willing, they hope to move in as a family by January 2010.
Currently, Ping is still busy reformatting Indonesian Bible lessons while making preparations for building and equipping their house in the tribe.

Thailand: Isan tribe: Martin and Christiane Schumacher with Samuel are continuing in language and culture study among the Isan people of Thailand. Martin was able to have a good period of uninterrupted study and in addition plenty of people came alongside to answer questions or to enable him to practise language.
An answer to prayer is that the village headman is helping Martin and is proving to be a very able language helper. He has a gift to explain things and, as a village headman, he has a lot of insight which he is willing to share. He is somebody, that is willing to explain the things that are not observable anymore but are common knowledge to the villagers; the type of knowledge which is passed on from generation to generation.
Please pray also for Christiane as she finds herself busy taking care of Samuel. They are looking for ways that she can do some more consistent language study. They are again looking to the Lord to work it out for them. Also pray for the continuing legalities to be worked out for Samuel.

Papua New Guinea: Lamogai tribe: Last month Jan and Annette Wols visited the Lusi and Lamogai language groups. Annette got malaria during this trip but even with that, they had a very good time with the missionaries and the churches. Annette recovered fast and was quickly back to normal. Except for one short moment Jan's health remained good for which they are thankful.
Among the Lusi, Annette was able to assist with producing the school materials for the literacy class and they started their first trial class. There are 10 children in this class and it looks like they were understanding it well. It was a blessing for them to see yet another language being put into writing and schools starting up to teach the people to learn to read and write their own language.
There is a real battle going on now that the missionaries are getting towards understanding the culture and language,; the enemy finds it worth while to do anything to stop the work. Your prayers are very much appreciated.
In Lamogai Jan and Annette found about 300 people gathered together from 4 different churches. They had all come to hear the teaching and they were asked to share with them. They had four meetings (about 2 hours each) on Discipleship. They looked at the NT mandate for Discipleship in Matt 28:19 and they followed the life of Christ as he discipled His followers and then they applied it to, how He still wants to work with us and how we can disciple others.
With the helicopter in the area, they were also able to fly in a blackboard, a wheelchair and medicines for the church. The wheelchair is for a lady paralysed from the waist down. Her old wheelchair was in bad shape. The Lord is giving her a lot of grace and help as she is living in bad conditions as a handicapped person. She is functioning as the headmaster of a school. She is not able to hold a pointer or a piece of chalk but she is the one who keeps things running well in the school and checks up on the students.
When they flew back out to Hoskins, the pilot showed Jan a straight road being cut right through the jungle, the beginning of a planned road going west, which will make possible the reaching of the Lamogai by car. They hope to replace their old truck with a trustworthy one, so they can go to Lamogai and on other trips into other language groups who are reachable by road.

Indonesia: David and Chris Price recently spent time in New Zealand on deputation and visiting family and friends.
David took a meeting in the area where he had grown up and a lot of the people that attended knew various members of his family. He marvelled as he heard how some of his childhood neighbours were in fact Christians and no doubt they would have prayed for his family that they would know Christ; it was a good lesson in never underestimating the power of prayer.
As a couple David and Chris have been really strengthened by the warmness of the Christians in New Zealand who opened their homes and took care of them in so many different ways. They really enjoyed their time with family and friends and spending time together on their own as well.
They have now arrived safely in Indonesia and are greatly excited but also apprehensive as they make many adjustments. They will need to really apply themselves to learning the language and culture of the Indonesian people which they feel at their age will not be the easiest task!! They do know though that they have a God who is faithful and who has been continually showing them how He is able to use them if they submit themselves to Him and His ways.
They would appreciate prayer that they will be people who put their hand to the task and not shrink back.

Bolivia: Carlos and Ingrid Chala with Deborah and Esther are serving the Lord in Bolivia.
Due to problems with pilots' licenses they haven't been able to fly at NTMA Bolivia since June. Carlos and the team have been making some adjustments that had to be made on the aeroplane and hopefully the programme will be in full swing again soon.
Joel and Daniel, the new pilots, are still waiting to receive their pilot's licenses and visas.
Carlos is also waiting for his visa and Bolivian mechanic's license.
There is a team of four Bolivians that graduated from missionary training and are making preparations to begin working with the Yuracare Indians. NTMA, want to be a support to this team and hope they can help them with flights in and out of their location.
Ingrid works from Tuesday to Friday at the Mission as a receptionist but for the whole month of October she took responsibility for the guest house. Ingrid also misses her German and Ecuadorian friends. But they are really glad to be in Bolivia and it is their desire to show God's love to those around them. They are grateful for the many opportunities that they have in the community.
The children are doing well in school but at times they miss their German friends. In church, they take part in the praise group and on Fridays they enjoy going to the youth group at the International Church.
Pray for Carlos and Ingrid as they face the challenge of knowing how to help their girls but give them the liberty they need as teenagers.
Recently Deborah and Esther applied for new passports.
Pray that they will receive these new passports soon because at the beginning of December Ingrid needs to apply for a two year visa and it is necessary to have their passports!