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NNTM@work

Different Shores,Same Team page 16

(ISSN 1527-9057)

Vol. 71 • No. 1 • August 2012

NTM@work teamExecutive Editor: Macon HareDavid Bell, Debbie Burgett, Rex Crawford, Cathy Drobnick, Ian Fallis, Jon Frazier, Chris Hollandand Dena McMaster

NTM@work is published quarterly by New Tribes Mission.Periodical postage paid atMID-FL, FL 32799-9625Postmaster: Please send address changes to NTM@work,New Tribes Mission, 1000 E. First Street, Sanford, FL 32771-1487 Subscriptions NTM@work is provided free to readers in North America on a year-to-year basis. To receive the magazine or have it sent to a friend, sign up online at ntm.org/subscribe, e-mail [email protected], or call 407-323-3430.

If you no longer wish to receive NTM@work, please send a note and your name and address toNTM@work, 1000 E. First Street, Sanford FL 32771-1487.

The magazine may be read online at ntm.org/magazine.

Requests to reprint articles should be directed toExecutive Editor Macon Hare at [email protected] call 407-323-3430.Contents of this magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part unless expressly authorized in writing.

NTM worldwideUSA 407-323-3430Canada 519-369-2622Australia 011-61-2-6559-8646Europe 011-44-1472-387700

This photo and cover photo by Dale Stroud

NTM@work

#012498

4 CONNECT: Find opportunities to pray, to give, to learn,to laugh and more.In the church planting team, there are people who work overseas in remote tribal villages, and in town and cities in support of them. The team members who serve in the USA are equally important. These are their stories.

16 Did you hear?17 The Unlikely Missionary19 It Takes a Network24 God’s in the Restoration Business30 What line of work are you in?

contents

Read the online edition:ntm.org/magazine

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Central Asian Style Cabbage Salad1 head ....... green cabbage

1/8 head .... purple cabbage 1 ................. carrot 1 ................. white onion1 c. ............. sugar

Finely shred all the vegetables — a food processor is wonderful for this — and mix together with sugar. In a separate pan mix the vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper, bring to boil and pour over the vegetables. Makes 16-20 servings.

This simple salad has come to the Mongols from the Russians, who were very prominent in Mongolia from about 1920 until 1990. It is very nice if it is made up to a day in advance and allowed to season in the refrigerator. Enjoy it this summer!

1 c. ............. vinegar¾ c. ............ oil½-1 tsp. ..... salt ¼ tsp. ....... pepper (optional)

Big Mom, Little MomAny mom from the Karen tribe in

Thailand doesn’t like her baby to cry—not at all. So she feeds, swings, walks, sings to and holds her baby non-stop to keep it quiet. If that doesn’t work, she sells it.

What?! Missionary Lea Betts wasn’t sure she had heard correctly.

For 2 baht (about 7 cents) she “sells” her baby to an experienced mom. This new mom is called the Big Mom and the real mother is the Little Mom. The Big Mom will tie his wrist and give him a new name. Of course, the baby doesn’t actually live with the Big Mom.

This seems to be a type of spirit ceremony. Since the spirits could possibly be bothering the baby (which is why he is crying so much), giving him a new mom along with all the merit she seems to have gained from raising lots of children, it is hoped that somehow her merit will be passed on to the baby and perhaps the spirits will have to leave him alone.

— Leigh and Lea Betts, Karen Tribe, Thailand

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PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Promise VaughanField of Service: Papua New GuineaMinistry: Church plantingSending Church: Foothill Bible Church, Upland, California

I had the privilege of growing up in a Christian family, and trusted Christ for salvation at the age of 5. When I was 14, I saw a mission presentation at an Awana event and I knew that God wanted me to be a missionary.

Since that time, I have been prepar-ing to go overseas to be part of bring-ing the Gospel to those who have never before had an opportunity to hear God’s Word in their language. In 2008, I went to Papua New Guinea and worked in one of NTM’s clinics for nine months. During that time, God challenged me to prepare to be part of a tribal church-planting team in Papua New Guinea and I’m looking forward to it. ntm.org/promise_vaughan

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Unwavering for 70 Years“New Tribes Mission’s efforts shall

be directed ... where no witness of the gospel has yet reached,” wrote Paul Fleming when he founded New Tribes Mission 70 years ago, and it’s still true today.

Paul and five other men had no funds or organization behind them when they dared to trust God to establish NTM in 1942.

“It seemed that the Lord had pushed us into something, and we were con-fident that no man started New Tribes Mission; the Lord brought it into exis-tence in spite of us,” Paul wrote.

Today, some 3,000 missionaries from more than 25 countries minister in

Latin America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. Together, they are reaching a new tribe every 45 days.

A pretty tall orderAs soon as the words left my lips

I knew I had made a mistake. The look on my Paraguayan friend’s face revealed that I had said something “not quite right.” Our stove’s gas tank had run out of gas and I was trying to communicate that I needed to buy a new tank. I paused for a moment to discover what I had said wrong. I real-ized that instead of “I need to buy a new tank (garrafa),” I had said, “I need to buy a new giraffe (jirafa).”

— Jenna Currey, Paraguay

“God uses men who are weakand feeble enough to lean on Him.”

— Hudson Taylor

Paul Fleming serving in Malaysia.

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Goodbye Candles!A new field of ministry has opened up in recent

years for NTM missionaries—technical specialist. When tribal missionaries have to stop teaching the Bible because a technical, electrical or mechani-cal problem needs their attention, precious time is wasted that could have been spent in valuable church planting ministry.

All graduating missionaries receive 36 hours of technical training. But seeing the need to further equip missionaries to minister specifically in the field of technology, the tech specialist program began in 2005 at the Missionary Training Center in the USA. Twelve staff missionaries provide 680 class hours, which covers a full semester.

Tech specialists are trained in areas which include solar electrical technol-ogy, power systems, small engine and appliance repair, water filtration, shop and construction skills. Once prepared, the technical missionaries serve in a particular country or region, sharing their skills so that other missionaries can continue sharing the Gospel.

Chris Strange, missionary to the Banwaon people in the Philippines, lost eight months out of the tribe because of several surgeries to repair a severed tendon in his finger. Chris was using a knife to clean wax out of a jar to put a new candle in. The jar broke and the knife went through his hand. The Stranges had been using candles because they didn’t have power for lights. Technical Specialist Jason Mellinger flew in, rewired their solar panels and put lights in. The missionaries had been without power for years and Jason fixed the problem in three days. Goodbye candles!

Discover more about NTM’s specialized training: ntm.org/magazine

The Mwinika people have a proverb that they often use. They say “oweetta vakhani vakhani khaye okhotta mukwaha.” It means “to walk slowly is not to negate the journey.” Whenever it seems to us that we are moving slowly in our program we are reminded of this proverb. We may be going slowly but as long as we are moving, we are getting to where we want to go.

—Phil and Elin Henderson, Mwinika tribe, Mozambique

Instructor Tim See with students Carl Templeton and Aaron Laney as they solder electrical parts.

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Made in ChinaDuring a month-long celebration

in the Yembiyembi tribe of Papua New Guinea, a gathering of about 100 people went from house to house car-rying idols and other objects of wor-ship, singing songs to the spirit world, trying to push away the evil ones and appease them. One of the Yembiyembi Bible teachers spoke to one of leaders in the group.

“God says to worship Him alone. You claim that this statue is a holy piece of God. Turn it over. Look where it’s made. It’s made in China. You’re just ‘made in China’ worshippers.

“You hold this thing and bow down to it like it is a holy piece of God. It is really a worthless piece of wood. Look, you dress it up nice. You care for it like a little baby. You bow down and pray to it. God was angry at the Israelites for doing the same thing in Isaiah 44. You guys are doing what they did.

“God doesn’t want you to worship or pray to the stuff made in China. He wants you to worship the One who made China.”

Abel and Sarah MillerChildren: Andrew, Heidi, PaceyField of Service: TanzaniaMinistry: Discipleship, Equipping Tanzanian church plantersSending Church: Atascadero Baptist Church, Atascadero, California

Since the day I was saved, I’ve been burdened to share the great news of Christ, and the change that the Lord makes in people. I feel like I was made for missions. My passions all fit into this job. I love people and learning what makes them tick.

As Sarah and I live life together, and continue to develop as both man and wife and disciples of Christ, I am amazed with the places that the Lord has taken us. He has chosen to use us both through the years.

Through many moves, changes, and trials, I have found the support I receive from Sarah is so perfect and unassum-ing that it must be from the Lord. I could never ask Sarah to go and live in the con-ditions that we have found in Tanzania. Fortunately God was asking her to do just that a long time before I ever met her.

Jim Elliot said, “He is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

I feel that the way New Tribes does the work of missions is intentional, effective and proven successful in many cultural settings. It offers us a chance to invest our lives in a way that can yield good re-turns on our investment.

This ministry method allows us to be-gin to teach someone who has not ever been exposed to the Word of God or to Jesus and build precept upon precept. Clear communication takes more time but eliminates many of the barriers to-ward reconciliation with the Lord.ntm.org/abel_miller

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who’s txting @ this hr?!Jamie and Char Hunt were at home

in a remote village in Paraguay when their phone beeped at 6 a.m..

“Is ti lhamô?” the message read.“Our tribal friends from across the

village wanted to know if we had slept well,” Jamie and Char wrote. “After 13 years of living off genera-tors, solar panels and beyond the reaches of communication, these advancements seem almost surreal.”

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Aren’t all graduation speeches alike?21-year-old Jasmine Sims graduated

in May from New Tribes Bible Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin. She and a male representative were chosen by their graduating classmates to speak at the ceremony. If even this portion of her speech is any indication of the type of young people that NTBI is attracting, teaching, discipling and sending back out into the world, then we should be spreading the word to every potential student we know.

“Let no one tell you, you will never make a difference and that your efforts are a drop in the bucket. God is more interested in faithful service than vis-ible results. We are citizens of Christ’s kingdom and with this citizenship come privilege and responsibility. We ought to live in a manner that reflects our citizenship. I will not tell you it will be easy, but I will tell you, with the Son in your eyes, it will be worth it.

Please never forget who you are. Let facts always take precedence over your feelings. We are children of the light, so shine bright. The victory is already ours through Christ, so be unashamed in this fight. Stand strong against the urge of complacency and reverting back to the past. I challenge you to ruffle feathers and change worlds. I challenge you to be moved not by emotion but compelled by love; not persuaded by fickle passions, but driven by His glory.”

You can still apply for the 2013spring semester: ntbi.org

Graduates Holly Schroederand Jasmine Sims

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Susie LocklinField of service: West AfricaMinistry: Linguistics and Bible translationSending church: Oakwood Church, Hartland, Wisconsin

I grew up in a Christian family and became a born-again believer at a young age. I first thought about mis-sions as a career in fifth grade, when my Sunday school teacher told us that God had each of us in our families for a reason. Using me as an example, she said that because my dad was involved with missions—he was on the missions committee at my church—I might be-come a missionary.

That idea had never crossed my mind before. But since then God has continued to lead me toward missions. I can see now that God has gifted me in linguistics and language learning and called me to serve Him using these gifts.

After high school I attended Hough-ton College, which included a semester in France and another in Tanzania. I enjoyed linguistics classes with pro-fessors who had done Bible translation with Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Then I attended NTM’s Bible school, where I studied God’s Word in depth, followed by NTM’s Missionary Training Center, where I learned more about how to live and work overseas.

Now my main job is developing a team of prayer and financial partners who will stand with me as I go over-seas. My goal is to head to West Africa near the end of 2012 and be a Bible translator on a church-planting team among an unreached or least-reached people group.ntm.org/susie_locklin

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You calling mea troublemaker?

After learning the Akolet word for troublemaker, Julie Martin thought she had a good opportunity to use it that afternoon.

“I was taking laundry off the line on my porch when I saw our friend, Gili, out near our yard cutting down some bananas,” Julie said. “I called out to him, jokingly, ‘Hey, you troublemaker, what are you doing?’”

Gili chuckled and continued on with his work.

The next day, while working on lan-guage with Gili and two other Akolet men, Julie and her husband learned the real meaning of the word.

“We were discussing different types of wrongdoing such as stealing or not listening to your parents,” Julie said. “I piped up and offered that troublemak-ing like that was bad.”

The tribal men from Papua New Guinea all looked at her and said, “No, troublemaking is adultery. That’s what that word means.”

In one horrifying moment, it dawned on Julie what she had called Gili yes-terday! She apologized profusely. He understood and good-naturedly forgave her.

NTM’s training can prepare you to learn a culture and language:ntm.org/magazine

“But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body

just as He pleased.”1 Corinthians 12:18

CONNECT

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But what exactlyis that?

One day, Beni, one of the women of the village stopped by with her girls for a little visit. My co-worker, Katie, and I enjoy their visits as they are very expressive and funny. We always learn new words and they stretch our knowledge of the lan-guage as we try to understand and talk with them.

As they were leaving, Katie gave the girls a red and white round peppermint. The oldest one popped it into her mouth and said, “It tastes like wa-purú!” I grabbed my notebook and wrote, “wapurú.”

I thought this was great. I was going to learn how to describe tastes and smells.

So, in Nahuat, I asked, “What is wapurú?” The girl answered, “Who knows!”

So, I asked, “Is it a fruit?” The girl said, “Who knows!”

Then I said, “Is it sweet?” The girl said, “Who knows!”

Getting nowhere with the daughter, I asked the mother. She couldn’t explain anything about what wapurú was either. So, I made a note to check it with my language helper the following day.

When I met with her, I started by reviewing words or phrases that I had heard but hadn’t under-stood. At the end of the list was “wapurú.”

I said, “Katie gave a piece of candy to a girl yes-terday and she said it tasted like ‘wapurú.’ What is that?”

My language helper, with slightly better pro-nunciation than the previous day’s visitors, said, “Vapurub?”

No more explanation needed!Who knew? Peppermints taste like VapoRub!

— Rachel Chapman, Nahautl tribe, Mexico

Philippines: Agutaynen people: As mission-ary Stephen Jordan taught from Hebrews, he came up against that Agutaynen tradition that Jesus dies every year on Good Friday. His wife, Ginger, wrote, “Stephen then asked them, ‘How many times did Jesus need to die?’” The Agutaynens cor-rectly responded, “One time.” Yet the people seem to be living as though their traditions are more important than God’s Word.“Pray for wisdom for our team as we seek to spend one-on-one time with those who have been attending the [Bible] teaching,” Ginger wrote. “Pray, above all, that the Agutaynens will trust in Jesus alone and grow in Him.”Find out how you can pray daily for the work God is doing among tribal people: ntm.org/magazine

* pray

Rachel enjoying another visitwith Beni’s girls.

Craig and Kayla GilleyChildren: Estella Mae, Hudson NealField of Service: Asia Pacific Ministry: Craig: Technical specialist; Kayla: Home schoolcoordinator/ teacher Sending churches: First Baptist Church, Burly, Idaho; Paul Congregation Church, Paul, Idaho

Craig: When I was 5 years old my parents explained to me who Jesus Christ was. Through our conversation I learned that I was a sinner. I understood that because I had sinned against God I would be eternally separated from Him. Christ’s death on the cross was the only way to restore that relationship.

Kayla: As a young child you are always asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Well, for as long as I can remember, I always said, “a missionary mom.” But it was so much more to me than just being a mom. This all started when I put my faith in Christ alone for salvation.

Through Craig’s various overseas mission trips and Kayla’s life as a missionary kid we have had the privilege to see the world. This allowed us to see several different people groups and cultures. We have seen what a world without Christ looks like, and it is sad. As we continue to grow in our understanding of God’s Word and are daily being challenged by His Spirit we believe have no choice, but to go.

We believe God has led us to minister with New Tribes Mission. New Tribes Mission does what most people have never heard of before. Their passion is to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the deepest, darkest corners of the earth. They go to places where people have never seen a Bible and never heard of the name Jesus Christ.

These people don’t know that they can have a relationship with the Creator of the world or that He loves them personally. He wants to give them a chance for hope and no longer constantly live in fear. This is no easy task. Romans 10:14-15 has been an encouragement to us as it explicitly shares the desires of our hearts. “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”ntm.org/craig_gilley

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“My mouth shall tellof Your

righteousness and Your

salvation all the day.”Psalm 71:15

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By the time you receive this magazine, NTM’s Kodiak from Quest Aircraft should be in service in the Asia-Pacific region. The plane was to depart in early July, and the government of the country where it will be used has granted duty-free import approval. The nine-place turbine-engine air-plane is designed for rugged, short airstrips and runs on readily available jet fuel. Praise God that the plane will soon be supporting church planting among remote people groups.Sign up for weekly updates so you can pray for the Palawanos and other peo-ple groups: ntm.org/magazine

* praise “… the whole body,

joined and knit together

by what every joint supplies,

according to the effective working

by which every part does its share,

causes growth of the body for

the edifying of itself in love.”

Ephesians 4:16

Nika didn’t want to live anymore.Overwhelmed with thoughts of depression, I decided I didn’t

want to live anymore. I remembered the plant we give fish to make them die. I planned it all out — when I would eat the plant, where I would be, how they would find my body. Then one day I did it. I ate so much of the poisonous plant and began to get very sick. Some of my family members left to go tell the missionaries that I wasn’t well. When they arrived, they realized what I had done. They knew I needed to vomit the poison or I was going to die. I didn’t want anyone to save me. The missionaries gave me charcoal to absorb the poison and make me throw up. I didn’t want to eat it, but I did anyway. The missionaries thought I was going to die. They reminded me why they had come to my village. It was to learn our language and culture and eventually tell us an important message from God. They asked God to help me get bet-ter. After that, I threw up the plant and got well. Maybe He wants me here to listen to this important message.

Please pray for Nika as she waits for the missionaries to get fluent in her language before they can begin teaching the Bible to her and the other Elseng people in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Listen to more stories like this one: ntm.org/magazine

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Teachers aren’t born — they’re made. The Ayoré tribe of Bolivia was the very first people

group that NTM missionaries went to reach in 1942. Five of the men, George Hosbach, Bob Dye, Cecil Dye, Eldon Hunter and Dave Bacon, were killed by the Ayorés and their story became the book God Planted Five Seeds by Jean Dye Johnson, Bob’s widow. Jean and the two other widows stayed on for many years to continue the work their husbands had begun. Finally, 40 years later, a church had been planted and the Ayoré New Testament was being typeset at the USA Home Office.

The five men had not died in vain.Jean, who later married missionary Larry Johnson, eventually became a

teacher at the NTM Missionary Training Center in Camdenton, Missouri.Missionary Jack Housley writes, “It is so important that we get the right men

teaching in our training centers, not special men and women, but men and women on the home front that have not forgotten who we are as missionaries and the God we serve.”

Jean Dye Johnson never forgot. Until retirement and beyond, she worked tire-lessly to teach other young missionaries from her wealth of knowledge and ex-perience. She also prayed that God would send her women with “hungry hearts” to personally disciple as well. I was one of those “hungry hearts” who had the privilege to meet and pray with her on a regular basis during the NTM training.

Jean just passed away in January at almost 92.New Tribes Bible Institute and the Missionary Training Center are manned

by missionaries following in her footsteps — passing their wealth of knowledge and experience on to our next generation of missionaries.

In her memory, join us in honoring and thank-ing each and every mis-sionary who fills those teaching and training positions.

— Debbie Burgett, USA Home Office

Learn more about NTM’s missionary training:ntm.org/magazine

Jean’s Ayoré friend Inez was invaluable in helping Jean learn the Ayoré language.

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Comments: u“My name is Colton Rogers. I’m the son of missionaries Kirk and Yolanda Rogers and grew up in Guinea, Africa. I’m finishing my sophomore semester at New Tribes Bible Institute. I just received NTM@work [May 2012 issue] and was en-couraged by a couple of the articles. “I Volunteer” was a neat look at someone working in a possibly small way at [the USA Home Office], but investing a lot in allowing valuable projects around the world to be funded by Christians in the USA. Having seen firsthand how much help these projects can be to the people on ground zero, I know that this ability for assistance and partnership is the difference between clean or dirty drinking water, distant or local health clinics, etc. These are exceedingly valuable things to impov-erished folk. So to Mr. Freeman I’d extend my gratitude for his service.”

— Colton Rogers,New Tribes Bible Institute student

u“My brothers had shown me a vid-eo with a bunch of depressing statis-tics about the unreached. Then I went to Wayumi. By the end of that week, I knew I wanted to walk in the direction of tribal mission. I applied to NTBI but encountered some obstacles to getting there. During that time of waiting, the stories in NTM@work and on NTM’s

website were a huge encouragement. I was able to read about the ‘unreached’ placing their faith in Jesus Christ and growing in the love and knowledge of Him. I got to follow the story of the Siar people of Papua New Guinea, who I’d heard about at Wayumi. I was able to read about them hearing the Gospel for the first time. Instead of getting overwhelmed by depressing statistics, I was reading about how ‘God’s talk’ is impacting the hearts, lives and mar-riages of tribal people and how they even want to share the Gospel with surrounding villages. The desire to be involved in tribal evangelism has grown as I’ve read about what God has been doing in the hearts and lives of tribal people.”

— H.H., New Tribes Bible Institute student

Wayumi is your adventure intribal missions: wayumi.org

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Send your comments to Macon Hare: [email protected] or1000 E. First St., Sanford, FL 32771

Visit the “village” of Wayumi — in Pennsylvania.

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Learning How toRelearn Life

Without the specialized NTM missionary training, we would have been aimless and clueless about what to do once we arrived overseas. But we had learned an important concept called “relearning life.”

For example: You want to go shopping. Where do you go? To the nearby market where you get ripped off because the prices aren’t labeled and you don’t know what’s fair? Or do you try to take a taxi to the supermarket where prices are labeled, but then get overcharged for the taxi? And how do you actually go about negotiating the prices for groceries or a taxi? Who makes the first offer?

But we came prepared to find those answers. So we got out with the people and began observing and “relearning life” in our new culture here.

We found out that for a taxi, you need to know the right price ahead of time and that is what you propose. But at the market, you always ask for a price first, and then negotiate from there to get a better price. In the end, you may even ask for a “present” from the vendor, and he may pack in an extra mango or orange for you. “Relearning life” definitely has its advantages!

— Aaron Speitelsbach, Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Find out now how you can get training and become a missionary:ntm.org/magazine

“When the teachers taught on the Law, I saw how bad of a person I was for the first time and saw that I was a very bad person before God and full of bad ways. Before that, I thought I was a good person. In the Old Testament, the blood from the sheep only covered the peoples’ sins, but Jesus’ blood took away my sins.”— Jolen, a woman from the Wusuraambya tribe of Papua New Guinea

Thailand: Prai people: Two young Prai la-dies, Nok and Nute, are teaching children and adults to read and write in a village where there are new believ-ers, many of whom are illiterate. Pray that they are motivated to learn to read so that they can read God’s Word for themselves. Pray for Nok and Nute as they teach.Learn how you can receive daily or weekly prayer requests so you can take part in reach-ing tribal people around the world:ntm.org/magazine

* pray

“We make a living by whatwe earn; we make a lifeby what we give.”— Winston Churchill

DIFFERENT SHORES, SAME TEAM

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Did you hear?Every 45 days a new people group somewhere in the world hears about the

death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ in their own language for the very first time. And for NTM missionaries serving on the tribal church planting team in the USA, the news never gets old.

Emails shoot from office to office. “Did you hear? Another tribe heard the Gospel today! Isn’t it wonderful?”Then back to work they go, encouraged that by the job they’re doing—shoul-

dering the necessary, but less glamorous roles here at home—tribes are hearing in 45 days instead of it taking much longer.

But since more than 100 people groups (representing roughly 10 million people) have asked New Tribes Mission to bring them God’s Word and are still waiting for available missionaries, the desire is for an even shorter goal.

So leadership members in the USA are now working hard to shrink that num-ber to 30 days. All the brainstorming, planning, decision-making, strategizing, preparing, training and equipping to ultimately make that possible, happens here in the USA.

And each missionary serving on the tribal church planting team from this side of the ocean, in whatever position they hold, is committed to doing their part in helping those requests be filled.

Then someday, the very best news can spread.“Did you hear? The last tribe …”

photo by Dale Stroud

THE UNLIKELY MISSIONARYEpaphroditus may be the most unlikely of missionaries.You may not have heard of him, even though Paul told the church at Philippi to “hold such men in esteem” (Philippians 2:29).And at first glance, his ministry doesn’t seem like much.

by Ian Fallis

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Missionaries serving at NTM Aviation in McNeal, Arizona, train other missionariesto fix and fly aircraft in remote jungle regions.

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It Takesa Networkby Debbie Burgett

People often ask, “How do you get the informa-tion for the stories in your magazine?”

Missionaries from around the world send their updates and newsletters to a bursting-at-the-seams inbox. Every morning there’s a fresh batch waiting.

Waiting for whom?

“Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem; because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me. …Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.”Philippians 2:25-30, 4:18

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Waiting for missionaries here at home — missionaries serving on this end of the tribal church plant-ing team — to take those stories and spread the word about what God is busy doing out on the far edges of His earth.

But why even do this work? How does this magazine affect the Gospel being preached? Wouldn’t it be better if we just closed up shop and went overseas ourselves?

If we did, that would be the oppo-site of what we know to be true and how we practice in every other aspect of life.

To get a huge job accomplished ef-ficiently and well, it takes a network of people each doing their part.

What if your doctor or dentist suddenly decided that he didn’t need help in his office anymore? What if he decided he didn’t need reception-ists, nurses, hygienists or lab tech-nicians — that he could do it all by himself? The results would be chaos. Waiting time would skyrocket, and so would death and decay.

What if it was suddenly decided that the only person important to flying a plane is the one in the cockpit? What if some official on the ground decided it wasn’t necessary for the pilot to have someone manning the control tower or making sure he has runway lights? Without the critical support team required to do his job properly, the life of every person on board would be at stake.

Networks are a vital part of life. We can’t live without them and God never intended us to.

He started the very first network in the Garden of Eden. It’s called a fam-ily. Later, He instituted the church and called it a body. God’s plan from the beginning is for different people with different gifts and abilities to work to-gether in different roles and capacities toward His common goals.

Tribal church planting is one of those goals. But without missionaries

Kathy Gwyer makes sure the bills are paidon time.

photo by John Pierce

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• I was on my third week in Brazil and nearly ready to begin formal Portuguese lessons. I was entering an audio record-ing and some photos into CLAware—a program created by missionaries in the USA to help with language learning. I was practicing with it for the first time since using it at NTM’s Missionary Training Center about a year earlier. But I ran into a glitch and couldn’t do what I needed to. I got a little nervous thinking, “This is the best way I know how to begin my language learning and it’s not working, and I need it in a few days!” I emailed one of the program’s creators, missionary David Burson, who happened to be online at the time. Using Skype and a program which allowed him to see what was on my computer screen, we figured out what I had done incorrectly. I was thankful for his help and relieved that I was then ready to begin my language classes.— Rachel Ueland, NCLA, Brazil

• The USA Finance Office team is respon-sive and capable, allowing those on the field to rest easy that their finances are in trustworthy hands. Knowing personal funds are accessible between countries is a great convenience and time-saver.— Kris Klebs, in transition from Southeast Africa

At first glance, Epaphroditus’ ministry doesn’t seem like much compared to that of Paul or Barnabas or Silas — or even Mark or Philip. The church at Philippi sent Epaphroditus to deliver their offering to Paul. He became very ill while doing so, then recovered and returned home.Not exactly an illustrious missionary journey.So why does Paul tell us to honor people like Epaphroditus?

20,470 monthly donations to NTM ministries are processed by the 13 full-time missionaries, seven part-time helpers and three volunteers in the Finance and Accounting Department.


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willing to be responsible for the prac-tical aspects of the ministry here at home on behalf of the tribal mission-ary — such as handling complicated missionary finances, equally com-plex tax returns, medical insurance, providing prompt computer servicing and support, developing specialized tribal resources etc. — the wait to hear the Gospel would skyrocket and so would the spiritual death and decay.

No matter how gifted a missionary is, it’s still not possible to fly the plane and man the control tower at the same time. A tribal church planter must de-pend on a strong supporting network to bring his village full of passengers in for a safe and eternal landing.

This magazine is one part in the net-work. It provides the fuel of awareness that can encourage hearts, educate minds and motivate to meaningful action. Because of the stories in these pages, perhaps you will begin standing with a missionary in powerful prayer, or become the encouragement support

they need, or feel led to begin giving financially or even be moved to go yourself. Your involvement can start a ripple effect across the globe which directly affects tribal souls.

Why not close up shop and go over-seas ourselves? Because God’s plan is for all of us to work together, each fulfilling the part in the network He’s directed us to and uniquely qualified us to do, to bring others to Him.

You hold one part in your hands.What’s your part?

Alan Foster is a wizard at fixing computers.

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• To Dave and Jill Simpson, Connection Center, USA:Thank you for all that you have done in our journey to get to Papua New Guinea. A week ago I viewed Pre-Field Orientation as some-thing that we had to do, and I wasn’t looking for-ward to it. God used that week to work in my life, to give me confirmation that we are where he wants us. It also gave me a passion to do what God has called us to. I am grateful to God, and grateful to you and all the others at the NTM USA Home Office for the parts that you have played in ministering to me.— Missionary enroute to Papua New Guinea

• Communications in the USA provides regular pub-lications that keep all of us encouraged and reminded of the great Body we are part of and how His work is big and bearing fruit. It en-courages us to press on.— Kris Klebs, in transition from Southeast Africa

• There are so many op-tions to consider when ordering a laptop: model, price, screen brightness, hard drive size, battery life, backup drive soft-ware, etc. Every time we’ve ordered one, Dave Brendle from Computer Services in the USA has helped us choose the best machine available for our needs and working conditions on the field. His knowl-edge, advice and timely response to questions has been invaluable.— Josh Dyck, Asia-Pacific

Why does Paul tell us to esteem or honor people like Epaphroditus? Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, calls Epaphroditus his “fellow worker” (2:25). That’s a term Paul reserves primarily for people such as Timothy (Romans 16:21), Titus (2 Corinthians 8:23), and Mark and Luke (Philemon 1:24). The Bible calls these people “missionaries.” “Missionary” is derived from the Latin for “sent one,” so it is the English equivalent of the Greek word apostolos, for which most English translations use “apostle.” (See Acts 8:18 and 14:14 and Romans 11:13 for examples of places apostolos is better translated as “missionary.”)That’s also a term Paul uses for Epaphroditus.

Regina Sullivan filming in the Asia-Pacific region.

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With all the enthusiasm of young missionaries, John and Lynn Mc-Ghee set out for Indonesia in 1978 with little Sarah. A few months later, good friends they had met during the missionary training, Tom and Linda Christensen, set out on their own adventure to Venezuela with little Timmy. Both couples were thrilled to finally be doing what God had put on their hearts—reaching tribal people for Christ.

But after less than one year in Ven-ezuela, 28-year-old Tom Christensen, who had an undetected genetic heart condition, died suddenly in the mid-dle of the night from an aortic aneu-rysm (ruptured aorta).

Grief-stricken, Linda and little Tim-my flew home with Tom’s body. After many months of adjusting from the shock and loss, Linda began serving at the Home Office in Sanford, Florida, typesetting the Ayoré New Testament.

God’s in the Restoration Business by Debbie Burgett

Jean with her friend Inez

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The Ayoré people were the very first tribe NTM missionaries went to reach in Bolivia.

But even as the McGhees’ hearts wrenched for the Christensens, they were facing their own battle. 33-year-old Lynn had been diagnosed with breast cancer. After a valiant two-year fight, she went home to be with the Lord. Stunned and a little lost, John spent some time regrouping and then began serving at the NTM Bible School in North Cotes, England, with little Sarah.

John and Linda each faced the grieving process and sought the Lord’s guidance in their lives.

And He guided unexpectedly.Since the two couples had been

friends, John and Linda continued

So Paul calls Epaphroditus a “missionary”? Yes. In the same verse where Paul refers to him as a fellow worker, he calls him the messenger of the church at Philippi. The word translated as “messenger” is apostolos, which means someone sent and is often best translated as missionary.Paul uses this term — and “evangelist” (euangelistos), which also can mean missionary (2 Timothy 4:5) — for people who worked with him in carrying out the Great Commission by establishing churches where there were not yet believers. (See Romans 15 for Paul’s strategy.)Paul counted himself among those people, even late in his ministry when he was no longer planting churches.

Linda typesettingthe Ayoré New Testament.

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to exchange prayer letters. The only personal mail consisted of a little note of encouragement with a poem that Linda had sent to John sometime after Lynn died. When John wrote to thank Linda for it six months later, he suddenly found himself looking forward to hearing back from her. Linda responded and began to anticipate his answer as well. That was the beginning.

Over the next eight months a steady stream of notes, cards, letters, photos and recorded messages—of them-selves and their children—virtually flew across the ocean, seeming to shrink the distance with every word. Linda and Timmy loved hearing Sarah’s adorable English accent. John and Sarah loved hearing Linda and Timmy sing together as Linda played the piano. The two little families of two were growing closer together.

Finally, John decided that he needed to move to Florida and see what God might have planned. This was very welcome news to Linda.

But they both wondered the same thing: What will it be like when we see each other?

They needn’t have been concerned. They held hands all the way back from the airport. Even without saying so yet, John and Linda knew they loved each other—and the sweet 5- and 6-year-olds in the backseat.

The two happy duos soon became a family of four and eventually, two more little boys made six.

Now 30 years later, John and Linda McGhee serve together administrat-ing the Medical Plan Office in Florida. Because they know firsthand what it is like to go through a catastrophic illness in the family, they are uniquely qualified to help others going through a medical crisis. They count it a bless-ing to help fellow missionaries find medical providers, understand NTM’s Medical Plan policy, wade through the forms and process of filing a medi-cal claim, and be a listening ear when health issues seem to be overwhelm-ing a missionary and his family. And their joy is never more complete than when they hear that someone has been restored to health and is returning to their field of service.

God is in the restoration business all around the world. And serving from Florida, so are John and Linda.

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Since January, 100 people who are interested in serving in tribal missions have received help from the five full-time and three part-time missionaries

in the Connection Center.

• While processing new members, I helped a young man get his ordination cer-tificate legally recognized by the embassy of the country he is going to—a multi-step process we are able to take care of for our members. This saves them a lot of time and money. “What a blessing!” he wrote to us.— George Heckman,Member Services, USA

• Programmers JohnOliver and Nathan Whatley on the Information Tech-nology team in the USA have helped Southeast Africa make the bookkeep-ing processes better able to support the teams in the villages and provide key decision-making data to field leaders.— Kris Klebs, in transition from Southeast Africa

Even late in his ministry when he was no longer planting churches, Paul considered himself a missionary. Like many of my co-workers in the USA, he was helping direct other missionaries. Are people who do this missionaries? Paul thought so. And since it’s in the Bible, we know God thinks so too. Administrators and leaders are part of the church planting team.Luke is also on Paul’s list of co-workers. Luke was active in one church plant (Philippi, Acts 16 and 20), and we know of one time he practiced medicine (Acts 28). His most enduring contribution was actually writing. I work among a group of writers and editors and designers who share stories about what God is doing today. Missionaries? The Bible says so. Writers and editors and designers are part of the church planting team.And let’s not forget Epaphroditus. He made sure the money given for Paul’s ministry reached him. That’s the role of the folks in our Finance Office. Missionaries? Yes, if we take the Bible literally. Accountants and bookkeepers are part of the church planting team.So what does it mean to “hold such men in esteem”?

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Receptionist Rhoda Johnson answering questions for new associate missionaries Aaron and Mandy Arterberry.


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• Recently we needed a new windsock for our airstrip but were not able to find any here. We asked Ray Milton at NTM’s Tribal Tech Center in Missouri if he could buy one in the USA and send it over. A few days lat-er he wrote that they were expensive so he was going to make a windsock for us. He purchased UV-resistant ripstop nylon and made seven windsocks for us—and paid for all of it. What a blessing it is to have good friends and family working with NTM in the USA who are willing to sacrifice to see the lost reached with the Gospel.— Jim and Joy Elliott, Asia-Pacific

• Somehow, my computer’s antivirus was disabled. Marty Wilson at Computer Services in the USA came to the rescue! While I slept, he got ahold of my computer remotely and fixed it. I woke up with my antivirus program working again.— Lance Ostman,the Philippines

• Living and working in Chihuahua, Mexico, often makes filing health claims difficult. We don’t have diagnosis codes, prescription numbers and all the informa-tion required to process claims listed on receipts. John McGhee and Tim Holmgren have been very helpful to us these past few months to get this information to us as we work through the filing process. They reply to our emails promptly and get quick answers from the insurance compa-ny representatives on our behalf. We are very grateful for the Medical Plan Office.— John and Cynthia Whylings, Mexico

• Thank you, NTM USA Tax Department, once again for being our missionaries to the IRS tribe. We have handled some of their curios, such as “forms” and “sched-ules.” We understand that they are a de-manding people, always asking for money and penalizing you if you don’t give them what they want by a certain date. We also hear the tribe has fearsome warriors, called “auditors.” We appreciate your dedication in learning the IRS language and trying to translate it into English. It must be very frustrating working with a tribe whose language and culture changes radically from year to year. Many blessings be upon you.— John Pierce, Jr., Member Services, USA

Left: Guest Hostess GwenKreider also cares for the flowers and bushes at the USA Home Office.Above: Judi Nordaas along with volunteers Alec and Sylvia Harwood and Donna Sandahl preparing magazines for mailing.


photo by Dave Brendle


Vicki Foster teaches art and Bible to missionary children in the USA.

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Each tax season, five full-time missionaries and seven volunteers inthe Tax Department prepare 700 to 800 tax returns for NTM members. Because of the complex rules for missionaries, the average return is 15to 20 pages long.

Paul tells us to honor the people who, like Epaphroditus, work behind the scenes so disciples can be made in remote places. But what does that mean?The word Paul uses in Philippians 2:29 is found only five times in the New Testament. Twice it’s translated “precious” in reference to Jesus in 1 Peter 2:4-6. It’s also the word for the place of honor at a feast in Luke 14:8.Perhaps the most telling usage of the word occurs in Luke 7:2, when Luke relates the story of the Roman centurion’s servant — actually, slave — “who was dear to him.” The word translated “dear” is the word Paul used in Philippians 2:29. When this valued slave was deathly ill, he sought out help.In fact, the centurion — a professional officer — so valued this slave that he was willing to humble himself and go to the people he ruled over, the Jews, and ask them to appeal to Jesus for him.



Brian Snyder contemplating yet another tax quandary.

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What line of work are you in?Chances are, there are NTM missionaries, many serving in the USA, who are

doing the same job that you do every day. And because of it, tribal churches are being planted all over the world. Do any of these sound familiar? MarketingCustomer ServiceGraphic DesignHuman ResourcesTeacher/TrainerAccounting

But for the missionary in the USA, there are no “bells and whistles” associated with doing these kinds of jobs. If he has never served overseas, he can’t impress you with the strange sounding language he knows. He can’t awe you with exotic pictures of the places he’s been and the people he’s met. He can’t thrill you with exciting tales from the jungle. And instead of a salary, he must also work diligently to raise awareness of what God is doing through his role on the NTM tribal church planting team and give people opportunities to become financial supporters. But by faithfully doing both aspects of his job, he is helping other missionaries to not only go, but stay gone—teaching God’s Word to tribal people.

And to him, that makes it all worthwhile. Why not connect with a missionary who does the same work that you do? He

would be honored and encouraged to hear from you. Or find out how your skills can be used in NTM today. Go to ntm.org/magazine.

Shipping/ReceivingWeb DevelopmentSoftware DeveloperTax PreparerElectricianVideo Production


photo by John Drobnick

photo by Dave Brendle

Above: Phil Burns and Tim Cain hard at work sanding cabinet doors.

Right: Sharon Goodman, serves in the Member Care Department and care is

exactly what she does.

Debbie Burgett, Joel Potter, Chris Holland, Cathy Drobnick, Dena

McMaster and Ian Fallis working on this issue of NTM@work.

Go.Connect.

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Among the responsibilities of the Information Technology Department are storing

and backing up more than 12 million files on NTM servers, and maintaining a secure

email system that carries 20,000to 30,000 emails daily.

Precious, honored and valuable — those words describe someone who is “esteemed.”So what do you think the Bible means when it tells us to “hold … in esteem” the missionaries who serve on the tribal church planting team in the USA?What will you do to obey God’s Word and treat such people as precious, honored and valuable?

Above: Jon Frazier works the digital press which prints a variety of NTM literature.Left: Luke Myers helps care for the grounds at NTM Homes, our mis-sionary retirementcommunity.photos by John Pierce


• We have two children living in the USA while we are serving on the other side of the world in Papua New Guinea. It is very hard having our family split up but phone calls make it easier. Stan Skees in Communications has helped us every time our children have had issues with their cell phones. We are very thankful to have someone to help our kids when we are not there, keeping our ability to communicate with our kids working. The Lord is good to give us faithful missionaries in Florida and technology that even reaches to a remote Pacific island.— Ned and Linn Beal,Papua New Guinea

After 28 years in Brazil, Les and Debbie Bowden serve our retired missionaries at NTM Homes.

Find how you can use your skills as an associate missionary, serving six months to four years supporting church planters: ntm.org/associates

“Jesus said to go into all the world and make disciples. I can do that using the skills He has given me by serving as an associate missionary.” — Patrick Hatcher

ntm @ work

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