Jason and Angie Bechtel Connecting You to Tribal Missions Check out this great video about the tribal church planting efforts by NTM missionaries in the Tobo tribe of Papua New Guinea.
PS. Jason Williamson is the son of Barrie and Cherri Williamson who are working on the Lauje NT with me.
Protected: New Video from Dao Tribe
Tags: Indonesia, New Tribes, New Tribes Mission, NTM, Video
Jason’s Gardens August 2010
I got inspired to share some of the beauty in my backyard yesterday. This is the first summer has have had in our new home, and the yard is coming along nicely.
Our New Deck
Many of you have been wondering how our deck is coming along. I have finished the railing and we are now using it! Delena is so excited. Up till now, she hasn’t been allowed out on it. We have yet to build a staircase to the yard below, but that is our intention. Till then, there is a temperary railing across the top of the future stairway.
Tags: Delena, Durham, Jason, pictures
August Email Update
This summer has been filled with activities. To kick off the summer we took a day trip, as a family to Storybook Park in Owen Sound. We went with the Moms ‘n’ Tots group that I have been attending, from the Hanover Missionary church. Delena spent most of the day on rides with her friend, Caleb.
Vacation Bible School
The next big event was Avalanche Ranch VBS. Jason and I were both on the planning committee once again, so we’d been building up to this event for months. It finally came the week of July 12-16th. We had a profitable week with 39 kids registering and our highest day being 35 kids. I played the roll of the behind-the-scenes director and Jason was a group co-leader for the Gr. 5/6 group. We were quite pleased with the turn-out and everything ran very smoothly. One of the highlights of the week was the Thursday night family night. There was only one family missing from the group of kids attending for the week and some great conversations were had with unchurched families.
Home Project of the Summer
This month has been characterized by a deck for Jason. He is putting a deck on the back of our house from the second story (main level from the front). He’s never done something like this before, so it’s been weeks of planning and calculating and now, building. I’m so proud of him for sticking it out even when mistakes happened! It’s still not done, but it looks great so far!
Learning to Swim
Another fun thing this month has been taking Delena to swimming lessons. It’s her first time and there are 5 kids in her little class with 2 instructors. The lessons are at the Durham wading pool, which is up to Delena’s chest almost, in the deep end. She’s done very well. She didn’t want to put her head under the water at all on the second day (which was their first time) but now she’s the only one who will do it without the instructor’s ‘help’. 
She’s good at floating on her back and will attempt to swim forward, but hasn’t quite figured out how to kick your legs, move your arms AND put your face in the water! Thursday and Friday of this past week she told the instructors that she “was tired of yessons”. Today she was wanting to do them again, so hopefully this long weekend was a long enough break for her and she can finish off this last week of lessons with a bang.
Lorelei Turns 1
Uncle Sean Bechtel sharing his birthday with Lorelei
Lorelei is so much fun these days. She celebrated her 1st birthday on July 4th with celebrations on the 1st and 4th of July. She is now walking everywhere and falling lots too. She has two teeth on the bottom (old news) and her two eye teeth on the top so it looks like little fangs. She enjoys playing with her big sister and especially with whatever big sister DOESN’T want her to play with!
Thanks again for all your prayers and a BIG thank you for everyone who financially helped us out this last month.
—Angie for the 4 of us
Tags: Angie, Delena, Durham, Family, Jason, Lorelei, Mulock Christian Fellowship
Update on the Lauje New Testament and the Lauje church
I continue to press on with fixing typos in the Lauje Tribal Bible. The translation team is now finished proof-reading, so it is time for me to buckle down and wrap up this project. Please pray with Angie and I for the money needed for me to make a trip Indonesia, as I continue to have a desire to travel back to Laujeland for the Bible dedication once the Bibles are printed.
Report from Laujeland
Earlier this month I had a report on the Lauje church passed along to me. Mid-June a team of tribal believers from the Wana tribe visited the Lauje people group.
After talking with some of the Lauje church leadership, they learned that there are about 43 outreach posts with a total of 2,238 people attending. From the more than 40 outreach posts, 5 churches have been planted. There are only 5 elders giving oversight to these five churches, and the number of Bible teachers involved in the outreaches is about 40 men.
In preparation for the teaching at all these churches and outreaches, the Lauje Bible teachers meet together at the mother church to review what will be taught. Usually 2-3 people are responsible for the teaching at each post. The Lauje’s enthusiasm and faithfulness to serve has really progressed.
There are still things to be praying for:
- There is a shortage of elders in the churches and not enough teachers for the outreach places.
- A literacy program is greatly needed.
- They need help with health concerns and medical work.
- They very infrequently have conferences or get-togethers between churches or small groups. Rarely the other leaders come over for mutual fellowship.
- They do not yet have a vision for other tribes because of their shortage of workers among themselves. They think if I go to do that, who will take my place to teach these groups in my area.
- There is no schedule for teaching only young people.
Things that the believers in Lauje do that should be an example for people in other places:
- The believers in Lauje are always thinking about people in other areas of Lauje Land who have not heard God’s Word and they are diligent to do the job that the Lord has given them responsibility for.
- They are faithful whether the timing for them is good or not good.
- Before they teach others at a post, they first study together to prepare themselves.
- The elders that they do have don’t just serve their church, but take their turn in helping and serving the outreach areas.
Because I am working on preparing the Lauje New Testament for print, I was really interested in the part of the Wana team’s report that talked about what language the Lauje people are using.
The Lauje are very happy to use the Scriptures and Bible lessons in the Lauje language because that is the language that they understand best. They clearly understand God’s word because it is written in their own language — only a few Lauje people understand Indonesian. Some Lauje may have finished grade school but are embarrassed to speak any Indonesian, especially to outsiders.
Tags: Jason, Lauje tribe
Family Outing to Storybook Park
After Jason got back from his conference in Indiana, we had the opportunity to go to Storybook Park. I’ve been going to a Moms and Tots group for the last couple of months and as our last “hurrah” before the summer we all went to the park for the day. Jason was able to join us, so it was a nice family outing. Lorelei went on a few rides, but mostly enjoyed the swings. Delena went on EVERY ride and enjoyed each one. We also had a tag-along for the day — Delena’s friend, Caleb. It was nice for Delena to have someone with whom to go on all the rides. Of course, us parents supervised! It was a good day because it was overcast. It only rained a little around 2 and we didn’t even feel the earthquake!
Tags: Delena, Family, Lorelei, Mulock Christian Fellowship
Jungle Camp Staff Open House 2010
Two Wednesdays ago we got to partake in the Jungle Camp feasting. Each year after the first year students have moved up to Jungle Camp they hold an Open House for the staff. This year we were invited by Jacob and Melissa to a meal of tacos. Yum! You can see from the pictures that Melissa is quite pregnant and the next day they delivered a baby girl. Congratulations Jacob and Melissa and thanks for a great supper!
June’s Email Update
Sweat glistening on his face, his feet heavily powdered in the dry dirt of the road, he knocked at the door. His request wasn’t unusual, the fact he had walked 22 miles was. For 22 miles he had carried a note, a list. A list of 41 names. 41 names representing 41 people who wanted to hear God’s Word.
Read the rest of the story.
Jason’s New Ministry
Of all thats new for us this spring, probably the biggest change is Jason’s ministry! Jason is now working in the Communications and Media Department. He enjoyed working in his book-keeping ministry, but graphic design has always been his passion. He is super excited to be spending all his time in this new ministry. For more details, read here: http://www.ntm.org/wp/jason_bechtel/
New Leadership
Another change has been the new leadership here at New Tribes Mission of Canada. Ray Jones has been with the mission for over 35 years and has been the chairman of the leadership team for a number of years. With Ray’s retirement, my cousin’s husband, Tim Whatley, has assumed the reins. It has been nice to have them around, although we’ll miss Ray.
Barry Challinor, who also served on the leadership team and as a trainer in the Missionary Training Centre, along with his wife, Christine, will be heading back to England as their Visas were not renewed this year. It is sad to see them go, but we know it is the Lord’s timing. So yes, lots of changes.
Missionaries to the Field
As far as the students, another class has graduated and have headed out their various ways to serve the Lord. It’s so neat to watch them and see where the Lord takes them. The first year class is in their first week of Jungle Camp (here’s pictures from our month in the bush). They have two pregnant ladies amongst them, for whom you can be praying. One of them will be induced on Thursday if she hasn’t had her baby and the other is due in two weeks! In case you’re worried, yes, they’re allowed to come out of the bush to have their babies!
Angie’s New Job
On the home front, I’ve started a tutoring job in town. I started with two students and now I am up to four! It’s still only one evening a week though, which is great! I have three highschool math students and a grade three student. My grade three student is in French Immersion, so I do all her subjects with her—mostly in English, but I do some French work as well.
Delena and Lorelei
The girls continue to grow and amaze me with the things they say and do. Delena still enjoys visiting the ladies at the retirement home. On the weekend, we were out for a walk and she wanted to visit ‘Grandma Szabo.’ I told her that Grandma Szabo probably had family visiting so we wouldn’t visit her today. She was quick to reply, “Let’s go and visit with them then because we’re family too!”
Lorelei turns 1 on July 4th and is starting to show her fun and mischievous side. She can climb up the stairs now and thinks she’s quite clever. She’ll start to climb them and then turn to make sure you’re watching. If you are and you come to get her, she’ll giggle and take off faster. Too cute!
We really appreciate all your prayers for us as a family. Finding (and keeping) a balance takes constant attention. Between personal time with the Lord, quality time as a couple and with our girls, our multi-faceted ministry with New Tribes Mission, staying connected with family, friends and a number of churches, life is always full of excitement. The more we think about these responsibitilities, the more we are reminded to let go and let God. Only God can bring any good out of our lives.
Not only can we do nothing without Christ, but we can’t do this without your prayers and support. Each one on our team has a vital role in seeing the good news about Jesus Christ brought to tribal people around the world.
Millions unreached, none unreachable.
Angie for the Bechtel’s
Tags: Angie, Delena, gps, Jason, Lorelei, Missionary Training
New Ministry Responsibilities
Change. It happens, but does anyone really like it? Yes, some people handle it better than others. Maybe I am one of those “some” people.
New Tribes Mission of Canada is going through change. The entire organization is going through a restructuring. Some people are retiring, some are moving to other countries to assume new ministries.
For the last almost 2 years I have been primarily helping with bookkeeping, and helping with graphic design work on the side. Then in January, myself and two co-workers visited the NTM USA home office. It was great to meet face to face those we email almost daily. This Lord used this trip to help me articulate a desire he placed in me to work full time in “Communications and Media”.
Fast forward to April. The new Executive Director for NTM of Canada pulls me aside and asks if I would like to spend all my time in “Communications”. The answer was not hard—the Lord had already prepared me for such a conversation.
From that conversation to now, it has been all downhill, or uphill… Faster than expected, I was freed up to spend all my time in “Communications and Media”. But what is that?
The Communications and Media Department will shape what people across Canada read, hear, touch and click. Through delivering high quality print, web, video, radio and other creative environments, the Communications and Media Department will inform our friends and partners of opportunities to help reach the unreached.
While I have had a long and intimate relationship with the printed page, my love for social media has been growing. I am now “the man behind the curtain” of NTM’s twitter account, @newtribes. I thoroughly love this aspect of my ministry. I have actually been asked to sit on a “Social Networking Round Table” panel at a conference in Indiana later this month — http://www.iccm.org/.
The bottom line is that I am excited about change. I am excited about the opportunity to get more Canadians involved in tribal church planting.
| Social Networking Round Table |
Tags: Jason
