NEW TRAINING PROGRAM TO BEGIN
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| Jody Crain and a Tagbanwa man at the project site |
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July 14, 2006
by David Bell
NTM missionaries are trusting that a new training program will equip the Tagbanwa church to reach the remainder of
their tribe -- about 7,000 people.
The missionary team has seen the birth of 15 churches in the Philippines with nearly 1,300 believers. They have translated the New Testament, 60 percent of the Old Testament, and a couple hundred songs into the Tagbanwa language, along with their ministry of evangelism, literacy, teaching and medical work.
The Integrated Tagbanwa Project, as the new venture is being called, is a church-based demonstration farm and training center. The leaders of the Tagbanwa church are overseeing the birth and implementation of the program.
The three pronged project will provide training in Bible, community health care, agriculture and animal husbandry. It will enable evangelism training, leadership training, and the development of life-skills to take place in the same environment.
"Four of our young leaders have undergone three years of instruction to prepare them for leading this project," the Crains wrote.
The men's studies included in-depth training in Bible, animal husbandry, caring for fruit orchards and vegetable gardening, hygiene and sanitation, and basic community health care.
With their training complete, 52 acres of land has been secured for the project, and God has wonderfully provided the finances for the program's infrastructure. Preparations are now being made for the first group of 25 students in September. The trainers have already experimented with a pilot group.
"We are projecting that in three years the project will become self-sustaining in its day-to-day operations," the Crains wrote.
Pray that the program will equip the church to complete the task of taking the Gospel to the unreached parts of the Tagbanwa tribe and into neighboring tribes.
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