NTM

As my ministry has changed In the past 3-4 years the needs and opportunities to travel have increased significantly, compared to my eight years in the finance office, when every day was spent at my desk.

International Business Meetings: In recent years NTM has been restructuring – or better, redefining – the way that all of the many NTM countries minister and function together.  A new Global Ministry Agreement (GMA) defines and clarifies the Doctrine, Core Values, Vision,  and Policies for all of us who are a part of New Tribes Mission.  The leadership team of Canada has been a part of this process since the beginning and are excited, really excited, about the progress made.  It’s not just a matter of drafting policy, it is defining and stating what it means to be "NTM" and it lays out the parameters in which all NTM countries will work together.  It’s good stuff!

The week of November 3-7 the Canadian leadership traveled to Florida to visit with the leadership of NTM-USA to review the GMA, and to discuss other matters that pertain to how we interact and function together as neighbours in the NTM community.  It was a great week, and we enjoyed good fellowship in our meetings.

Ministry Among Canada’s Indigenous People:  While NTM has ministered overseas since the 1940’s, we have never been involved in ministry among Canada’s First Nations or Inuit people.  In recent years we have done research with a goal of answering the two questions:

1. What are the spiritual needs among Canada’s indigenous people?
2. Is there any way in which NTM can help to meet those needs?

In May I visited Iqaluit, Nunvavut, with two colleagues to meet people and hear from church leaders their assessment of the situation.  On November 20-21 I traveled to Calgary to meet with leaders from two other mission agencies who already have ministries in Northern Canada.  This was a very good opportunity to share together our thoughts and concerns and to get a sense of how we might be able to work together to meet some of these needs.

Missionary Care: In every country in which NTM is involved in church planting, the missionary team gets together once a year to rest, fellowship, be updated on others’ ministries, and to be refreshed with teaching from the Word.  These ‘field conferences‘ are perfect opportunities for visiting the field and connecting with all the missionaries and the leadership team who work there. 

For two weeks in December I have the privilege of traveling to Guinea, West Africa to attend their field conference.  That will be a good opportunity to bring greetings from all their coworkers in NTM Canada, and to encourage them in their ministries.  In the days before and after the conference I will be spending extra time with our Canadian missionaries.  It promises to be a special time.

Please pray for me as I travel, that I might have the grace, wisdom, and discernment needed for meeting and interacting with many people.  Pray, too, for Eleanor and the children as they continue in their daily activities at home.

It was Saturday morning and sunny – perfect conditions for doing yard work. Jared and Scott and I had already accomplished a fair bit when we went up the small hill behind the house, where we have a nice grassy area with a fire pit. But the big old pine trees there are getting in the way, their lower limbs reaching farther and farther. Some of those limbs have already had smaller branches snapped off them. We needed to remove some limbs from the trees, rake up needles, and cut the grass.

Jared and Scott were raking. I was mowing, working away from the fire pit to the perimeter of the area. Approaching one of the pine trees I changed the direction of the mower and stepped toward the tree to extend the mower to the trunk.

The branch I was mowing under had a six-inch stump sticking out – the remnant of an old dead branch that had snapped off. I didn’t see it. As I stepped forward I walked with full force into that stump – hitting me square between the eyes and raking up my forehead.

The force of the impact sent me sprawling backwards to the ground. Jared was totally confused. He had been raking nearby; a moment later he turns and sees me on the grass, with my hand on my bleeding forehead. How does that happen when cutting the grass?

The Obvious Reaction: So for several days now I’ve had countless people stop and ask, “What happened?” The story is getting rather old. And there’s no glory in it. At least not for me.

But as for God – praise the Lord for His grace! That six-inch stump nailed me hard, right between the eyes. An extra centimetre to either side and that stick would have gone deep into an eye socket. I cringe at the thought of what the result would have been. As it is all I’ve had is a prominent and goofy scab, and a story of my own carelessness.

Over four decades the Lord has – many times – graciously protected me from the consequences of my own carelessness. That my life should amount to anything that contributes positively to life on this planet is a testimony to God’s wonderful kindness to me. When ‘bad’ things happens, we can say, “If only I had cut the branches before mowing. If only I had I had left earlier, or later. If only I had done this, or done that.” So often the things that happen to us – or don’t happen to us – hinge on a matter of a second or centimetre.

But when things don’t happen to us…do we even recognize that God might have spared us from something?

So, I’m very, very thankful to have been nailed between the eyes with a branch stump. A testimony to God’s grace.

Having been steeped in spirit worship and fear for centuries, it can be difficult for believers to leave the old ways behind.

This lady is the wife of a witch doctor. Both she and her husband have professed to be believers.

However their son has been sick lately and she can’t resist the pressure of the old way: to have her husband chant over him. He can’t resist her pressure.

But it’s not all bad news. Many other believers continue to meet together to learn more about the life and death of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are excited about what they are learning.

For a church to be “established, growing and bearing fruit” these believers who are doing well spiritually need to learn of their responsibility to come alongside this other couple, to comfort them in their struggle and to encourage them to trust the Lord regarding their son’s illness.

Please pray for those who are growing, as well as for those whose foundation is still anchored in Satan’s lies. Pray also for the missionaries who minister among them.

April 14-18 - This week fifteen representatives from a number of NTM countries are meeting in the UK to continue the development of a new "Global Ministries Agreement".  Two of these men are from NTM Canada.

Since its inception in 1942, NTM had been led by a group of godly men, known as our "Executive Committee" based out of the NTM office in Florida. NTM has developed into an international fellowship of almost 30 countries, and in 2006 the Executive Committee voluntarily dissolved.  There is a need to define the working relationships between all of our leadership committees, and to define the doctrine, core values, vision, and policies which we have in common and which help to define the essence of what it means to be "New Tribes Mission".

The Global Ministries Agreement is the document which  spells it all out, and we are excited about what it will mean to us.  However, it is not yet completed.  This week’s meetings are the fourth set of meetings for these 15 men, over the past two years.  Please pray that the Lord will bless their meetings and fellowship this week, and that they will not only accomplish much, but enjoy a confident and exciting spirit of unity.

Bolivian Blessings.

I travelled to Bolivia Dec.29 and came home Jan.15.  Initially the travel plans were made so that I could attend the annual conference held by all NTM missionaries in Bolivia.  It is a great time to meet and visit with a lot of people, including Canadians who went through the training here some years ago, missionaries from other countries, and the Bolivian believers who are serving with NTM.

I met and spent time, socially and for business, with the field leadership as well. 

Another of the highlights were the two trips which the Lord allowed me to make to a couple tribal communities.  To sit and visit with these believers, in their mud-walled, and mud-floor houses was a real privilege.  These precious folk don’t have much in common with me – but as brothers and sisters in Christ, we could still enjoy fellowship together, and it was very special.

I praise and thank the Lord for the many faithful men and women who stepped out by faith, to serve the Lord in Bolivia and take the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, to these folks who have never before had the chance to hear.