Archive for the ‘Ministry’ Category

Only God …

Friday, November 20th, 2009

God was already working.

Before we even wrote to you Thursday … before we decided Wednesday to pay our daughter’s $1,1162 college bill … before she even came to us with her need … He already had an answer in the works.

Yesterday, a couple who knew nothing about our need gave $1,000 to our ministry. They started the process to give before we even knew we had the need.

We’re certainly very thankful to them. We’re thankful you prayed. And what’s really thrilling is what this says about the way God works to glorify His name.

Thanks for being with us on this sometimes scary, often thrilling adventure!

Change her view of God

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

You don’t want to deny your kids opportunities, right?

That’s why it troubled me so much to have to tell my youngest daughter we couldn’t help her.

After a disastrous first year of college, she had to appeal to re-enroll this semester. Now she’s getting straight As. But Sunday she told us she needed $1,162 to pay college bills today, or she cannot return next semester.

Well, Julie and I have been working for years just to pay off bills from when our oldest daughter was seriously ill. Even with $24,000 in annual income, we’ve made progress on that for five years. But the last two months we went backwards, piling up more bills, mostly because our ministry costs have increased 400 percent in the last three years. We had to tell Brynna we couldn’t help.

But (more…)

Exceptional results

Friday, October 16th, 2009
Awayo

Awayo

No one said a word for a full five minutes.

In a room full of 700 college students, there were always people talking, oblivious to what was going on in the Reality Conference. But not after AWAYO was shown.

After one of the first public showings of the film you helped make possible, you could have heard a pin drop. Pity the guy who had to speak after that. All he could say was, “Wow!”

Bob Walz, a Navigator who showed the film and shared the story of what happened, is praying that God will use the film to tear down the wall of indifference between young American Christians and the world’s need for the Gospel.

“Who knows what happened?” he wrote. “Only God.”

Will you pray with Bob and I?

Watch the short film that silenced 700 college students >>

Your prayers and gifts helped Ian be part of the team that filmed AWAYO. Ian also co-wrote the final script. Next fall we expect to make another film about a life that God has changed, and you can help make that possible by giving toward what we believe is the minimal equipment we need for the trip. You can give online, and see other options >>

Dioso apotopibisiacuenetsi penaneconitsia-exanaenexa pibisiacuene pexanaewi

Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Luis, Selmira and their two daughters

Luis, Selmira and their two daughters

Please don’t ever doubt that your gifts are important.

Luis was about to travel from his remote village in Colombia to the city to help missionary Mark Cain translate God’s Word into the language of his people, the Guahibos. A couple in the USA heard about that, and decided they would give so that Luis’ wife, Selmira, could go with him.

By American standards, (more…)

How to die well

Thursday, October 15th, 2009
Wikipai

Wikipai

Wikipai has died.

The Dao Bible teacher seemed for a time to be recovering from the illness that struck him as he taught in an unreached Dao village. However, the missionaries to the Dao people learned this week that he had unexpectedly died last week, leaving behind his wife, Moipi, and their two children.

At least Wikipai was prepared. Earlier he had said:

No man knows the day that I will die, but the Creator knows. Will I die while I am young? Will I die while my wife and I have only cut the cords of two children? Will I die when I am old and have lived a long life? (more…)

This is a cure?

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009
Guanano children

Guanano children

If the cure is worse than the disease, is it really a cure?

Or let me put it this way …

A Guanano woman wanted an end to the yelling matches she and her husband were having over their finances. So she went to a “chanter.”

Guananos traditionally go to chanters with their problems. The chanters perform an incantation and – the Guananos believe – influence the situation (more…)

A lot of reasons to say ‘no’

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Moipi

Moipi

You can always find reasons to say “no.”

Moipi certainly had some big ones.

The Dao woman was getting ready to move to a distant village with her husband in order to present God’s Word there.

“I know that my kids could get sick and die,” Moipi said, since she and her family would be far from the medical care provided by missionaries in her village.

“Or my family might not have enough food,” because her husband, Wikipai, would be concentrating on teaching instead of hunting and gardening. (more…)

AWAYO: Fear to Faith

Monday, October 5th, 2009


The Moi video — the short film that Ian went to Indonesia to help shoot — has been pre-released online.

Ian’s been doing a lot of work behind the scenes on the website rollout, and still has a lot to do.

But we’re already been getting a ton of good comments, and we’re expecting that God will greatly use this powerful film.

Wayumi video online

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

The new Wayumi video is online, in a new website for NTM’s Wayumi program.

Take a look >>

I started on the script for this video while in Indonesia making the short film Awayo, which is set to be completed this month and released on DVD in September, with extras such as interviews with Moi believers.

It’s neat to see the Wayumi video complete. Let us know if you like it.

Sometimes there’s no good choice

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

We face choices every day … but sometimes it seems like you don’t have a good one. Even when things seem obvious at first. And that seems to happen to missionaries overseas a bit more.

For example … (more…)