Prayer for the Glaro Tribe:

Prayer: Continued encouragement for Lesley and Aaron and Amy.

Prayer: Wisdom and unity for the team as there are so many details that need to be considered and worked out.

Prayer: Continued good relationships with the tribal people.

Prayer: That the Glaro will clearly and understandably hear the gospel in their language some day.

Prayer: That the door would remain open, hearts be prepared and many would come to know Christ.

Prayer: Continued stability in the country of Ivory Coast.

Prayer: For the Glaro bible translation.
(Lesley would like for the translation to be “bathed in prayer” – her own words)

Other Prayer Requests:

Prayer: That the missionaries on furlough and their kids would truly get refreshed and encouraged during their one week stay at the Missionary Training Center.

Prayer: For more laborers. So many areas of this ministry to the unreached seem to be literally crying out for more workers.

Prayer: That the computer program would become a very useful and time saving tool for linguistic analysis.
Praise: For two more linguistics teachers.
Prayer: For us to look for the Lords provision in the new situation with Monika not being able to help much in the linguistics department this coming semester.

Prayer: For our parenting skills and for our kids to get to know and love the Lord early on in their lives.
Prayer: That we would walk closely with the Lord and glorify him with our attitudes and actions. For balance in our lives as we try to juggle many responsibilities.

God, the blessed controller of our lives, is so wonderfully able to use everything for our good. How safe and secure we are in Him because of what he has done through Christ and because of who he is. We are amazed that he wants to use justified yet imperfect people like us to proclaim his gospel. Thank you Lord.

Family update

Niklas, our little blue eyed blonde boy, is very determined to attempt anything he sees his big brother do. That together with the fact that nothing seems to frighten him causes him to have many bruises and us to always jump after him. We think he is an easy child though. He is attached to his blue comfort blanket and he loves being outside (what little boy doesn’t).

Lukas is our happy, friendly boy. He loves to go to childcare, to read books and to build things with duplo blocks. With many tasks, he is a willing and great helper to us. His 3rd Birthday is often a topic of conversation for him even though he still has about 2 months to go. When he sees something written, he often sings the alphabet song and is generally interested in letters. Currently, he is suffering a mild case of chicken pox. 

Special time with some 7th to 8th graders

In a few weeks, many NTM missionaries who are on furlough are going to stay at the campus of the Missionary Training Center for a week. They come together for Bible teaching, to get refreshed and encouraged, for fellowship with co-workers from other fields and to kick back and relax. We are privileged to help out with the program for the missionary kids in the 7th and 8th grade.

 The kids love the youth activities

and it is encouraging to them to have time in the word

and fellowship with other Missionary kids

Computer program for missionaries

A sophisticated, yet simple to use, computer program has been developed by New Tribes Mission to help missionaries with learning the unwritten tribal languages and unknown tribal cultures. With this computer program, the Missionaries can file, cross-reference and retrieve the language and culture data they gather.

We have been very pleased to hear that one of the top priorities of the programmers is to make this program also a helpful tool for the more specific area of phonemic analysis. Dennis is working on a list of things that the computer program should be able to do in order to be most helpful for developing an alphabet.
Two more teachers

It is a real blessing to have two new linguistics teachers join our team. We have been praying for more laborers to help with the teaching load and the Lord has provided. Pray for us as we work together to improve the course and for them as they learn on the job.
Monika won’t be able to help much in the linguistics department next semester. There are too many student kids and not enough childcare workers and childcare rooms. Therefore all staff will be asked to withdraw their kids from childcare next semester. This changes things both for the linguistics department and for our family. Please pray that we would adjust well to the new situation and make the best of it.

What happened with the Glaro tribe? 

Spirit worship is big in Africa and among the Glaro people

There are about 4000-5000 Glaro people living on the border of Ivory Coast and Liberia. They have never had a chance to hear the Gospel yet. A missionary team had to stop working in that tribe in 2004 because of political unrest in the country. This was before they were able to share the gospel with the Glaro people. In February 2008 Lesley Wolfe, a single lady, was able to return to continue with Bible translation. For various reasons she is the only one left from the original team. A little more than two years ago we mentioned Lesley in our prayer letter together with Aaron and Amy Speitelsbach who were going to join her. In the meantime Aaron and Amy have learned French (the national language) and moved to Ivory Coast. This year they will also start to learn the Glaro language so that they will be able to minister effectively to the Glaro people.

Aaron and Amy Speitelsbach on a trip to a Glaro village

In 2007, a village in Papua New Guinea heard the gospel, joyfully accepted it and many of them began worshipping the one true God who alone is worthy.

Now these same believers themselves are beginning the literacy and gospel outreaches that are needed to reach the other 2,700 people who share their language. Amazing!

What is more amazing is that prior to the literacy program and the gospel presentation in 2007, they had been illiterate and in complete spiritual darkness. Because their language had never been written down before, they had been trapped in their tribal superstitions and were ignorant of the message God had passed down for them in the Bible concerning the gospel. 

In 2004, as we moved into the village and began the process of language learning we were so thankful for training we received through the NTM training centers. In this village, there was no dictionary to turn to. The people couldnʼt tutor us as they themselves were unaware of the patterns in grammar and phonetics that made up their every day way of communicating. Even the way they thought and interpreted life was completely foreign to us. We were completely dependent upon the Lord to open our minds and show us how to proceed. 

M. David Sills in his book, The Missionary Call, he quotes Ralph D. Winter, “God cannot lead you on the basis of facts that you do not have.” We saw this to be so true as we began the process of trying to understand the culture and language. The Lord did not give us ideas and plans from thin air or mystically come and inspire us. The Lord used our minds and the time we invested into being learners throughout the training as the substance to work with as he guided us through the Holy Spirit to do the work that He had sent us there to do. 

Everything we learned in the training was crucial. All the little sounds we were hearing in the tribal language needed to be analyzed and written down into understandable symbols. The grammar structure also had to be analyzed so we could understand what was being communicated. When it came time to write an alphabet, we were able to use the training in forming new orthographies that we had received. It was not easy, but again, the Lord prepared us in advance with the knowledge required and then brought all the information back to the forefront of our minds when we needed it. 

Sometimes we get so busy in what we are doing that we forget to stop and look back and remember how the Lord has worked in our lives to equip us for the work He is doing through us. In light of that, we want to stop and thank the Lord for the great cross-cultural mission training we received through New Tribes Mission. We want to especially thank the staff that works at the training centers for the time they give to equip new generations of missionaries and for passing on their life stories and examples to those of us who are able to take and apply those principles to our own new works. 

We are also thankful for those who prayerfully and financially support these trainers and teachers as they work stateside. Their jobs may not be taking place on foreign soil, but they are no less impacting the world of tribal missions as their thoughts and ideas are spread throughout the world as they are implemented by the NTM students in many countries.The Lord is truly using them to give missionaries the tools they need to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. 

-Written by Bill and Kelley Housley, serving with NTM in Papua New Guinea.
You can receive their updates by requesting them at pilgrimspa@aol.com

We (the Farthings) met with Bill & Kelley and their partners 3 years ago to talk to them about their alphabet decisions.

 
Praise: We had a very good trip back from Germany this summer and the kids did really well.

Praise: For our students’ willingness to leave their families, home country and other comforts to bring more worshippers to God
Prayer: That the Lord would raise up a strong team that is behind these Missionaries in prayer, encouragement and financial support.
Praise: The good time we had with them in Oklahoma.
Praise: For the wonderful recovery of Niklas’ hands.
Prayer: Continue to pray for us as we hope to get to know the students better and be a blessing to them beyond the classroom setting.

Prayer: For our parenting skills and for our kids to get to know the Lord early on in their lives.
Prayer: That we would walk closely with the Lord and glorify him with our attitudes and actions. For balance in our lives as we try to juggle many responsibilities.

Praise/Prayer: Anna Schmidt, from Germany, will be here in February/March to volunteer at the Missionary Training Center. Please pray for good travels, good adjustment, and that it would be a good experience for her. She will be working in childcare and in our Linguistics department. We are very thankful for her help.

Prayer: For more laborers. So many areas of this ministry to the unreached seem to be literally crying out for more workers.

Our time came to an abrupt halt a few days early, when Niklas, our 10 month old, crawled quickly to a gas heater and grabbed its grate with his hands. We took him to the emergency room and he had deep 2nd and some 3rd degree burns on the palms and fingers.

As you know we take our Linguistics class there every year to practice their analytical skills on the Cherokee language. This time Monika and the kids had to come down a few days later. Lukas had tubes put in his ears to help them drain better. He has had frequent ear infections and fluid collecting in his ears. We believe the tubes have helped his hearing.

The Cherokee believers see it as a ministry for the Lord to help us in our yearly Cherokee studies and to make it a good learning experience for our students. They are glad to have a part in reaching other tribes for Christ. God gave us a really good time with the students in OK. Our kids especially enjoyed playing with the other children there. Monika was able to get to know the ladies better and have a Bible study with some of them. Dennis had the opportunity to speak at 2 churches.

Our time came to an abrupt halt a few days early, when Niklas, our 10 month old, crawled quickly to a gas heater and grabbed its grate with his hands. We took him to the emergency room and he had deep 2nd and some 3rd degree burns on the palms and fingers. Everyone helped us pack and we headed to Missouri that same evening. The next day we went to the Burn Center at the University Hospital in Columbia, Missouri which is about 100 miles away. We had to go back there to change his dressing quite often. Now, over two months later it looks like Niklas fully recovered and we praise the Lord for it.

We have been and continue to be so truly blessed by all the help that we have received from so many people during this difficult time. We have had assistance with packing, and unpacking, loading and unloading the car, cleaning and bringing us meals, babysitting and laundry. The body of Christ is truly a beautiful thing.

Did you know ……that we are constantly adjusting how we communicate with others based on many different factors. How well do I know you? What is your reaction to my communication? Do we have shared experiences? What background knowledge do you have? Are you interested in what I am saying? Do you understand? Like a boxer responding to his opponent, we bob and weave, and duck and swing; trying to make sure we are understood. Think about it, and see what you do, the next time you converse with someone. This is a small part of what a missionary needs to do to be able to communicate effectively in a second language.

Praise: For God’s work in Dinangat.
Praise: For a safe delivery and healthy baby boy.
Praise: That Lukas is a great big brother and already a big helper.
Prayer: For a good summer of preparing for next semester.
Prayer: We hope to get to know the students better and be a blessing to them beyond the classroom setting.
Praise: For a good time in Germany.
Prayer: That missionaries would be raised up.
Prayer: For our parenting skills.

Most of you know we have a new son, Niklas, who is five months old now. We have been busy adjusting to life with two children. The Linguistics course has gone through changes which have taken a good deal of our time. We are now in Germany visiting relatives and friends and speaking at churches.

Lukas
Lukas is doing well. He is definitely a people person. We call him our little ambassador to the world. He has done well meeting many new people during our stay in Germany and has been a good traveler. He is talking much more now and if you meet him and he finds out your name, he will probably talk about you. He will be two in a few weeks.

Niklas
Niklas is a happy, healthy little one who likes to smile, laugh, and do other normal baby things. I think it is a little easier for us the second time around, but having two is certainly more complicated and time consuming than one. The boys are a real blessing to us and God is teaching us many things through them.

The Linguistics course
The Linguistics course has kept Monika and me busy. I have been teaching a bigger class than usual which takes more time. In addition to that we have been gathering new language data and preparing it for homework problems. There is much more to do for the coming semester after we get back from Germany July 9th.

Another new church
The Dinangat tribe in Papua New Guinea, that Monika and I flew into to help with the alphabet formation, has recently heard the Gospel and many were saved. We are especially excited having been to the village and worked with the missionaries there.

The Missionary Training Center
The Missionary Training Center in Missouri, where we work, is in expansion mode. A master plan is in the process of being put together for the campus. A great need is an educational center for classrooms, offices and a student life center. Please pray for finances and vision as we look to the Lord for His master plan.

Our time in Germany
Our time here in Germany has gone well. I have spoken, with Monika translating, at 6 different churches. We are praying that God would use our time here to raise up more workers, givers and prayer partners to help accomplish God’s plan of reaching the world. We have had good fellowship with the believers. It was very refreshing, motivating and encouraging to see their love for the Lord, commitment and sacrificial lives.

"Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints." Phil.1:7 

Prayer: The missionary team in the Dinangat tribe will start the teaching of about 70 Bible lessons on Jan. 28, 2008. (Originally they were planning to start this fall, but because of different delays they had to postpone it)
Prayer: For good communication of the gospel, open hearts of the people and clear understanding of the truth
Prayer: Please pray that the missionary training will equip the students well for expanding the reach of the Gospel.
Prayer: For God’s wisdom and leading for those working on the curriculum.

Prayer: For the linguistics students as they finish up their pre-field training in a couple of weeks and go back to their home churches to build stronger relationships.
Prayer: That they will get all the prayer and financial support they need to be able to have an effective ministry.

Prayer: That we would do our ministry joyfully and wholeheartedly as unto the Lord.
Prayer: That we would impact the students beyond just teaching them in the classroom.
Praise: For a good pregnancy so far.
Prayer: For a good delivery, a healthy baby and a good transition for us to being a family of 4.
Prayer: That we continue to be able to have good quality personal time with the Lord.