NTM

On November 14, 2008 we finally recovered our e-mail address list that was lost in a cyberspace black hole somewhere in the electronic universe since June. 

Probably most of you have experienced the disappointment of losing something on the computer as well as that incredible relief of finding that all your hard work has been recovered. We are sure glad that God doesn’t lose things in His recordkeeping!!!

On July 3 we set out for our two-month summer trip to represent NTM Aviation, prepared to camp along the way. Wonita was game for it, having never camped as part of traveling. In the end, both of us found those camping nights to be like little vacations in the midst of days and days of road travel. There’s just something about making the fire, putting up the tent, cooking the creative meals, and sleeping with only some thin nylon between you and the stars. And oh those home fries and eggs in the morning, cooked over charcoal!!

Our camping was a little rugged, but it was nothing like what NTM missionaries Jonathan and Susan Kopf did recently. The Kopfs, along with Keith and Angie Copley (friends of ours), lived with the Hewa tribe for about 4 years until they learned the language and were able to teach one Hewa village the true story of God’s message to mankind.

About two years ago, a man from another Hewa village told Jonathan, “We are hungry. Not hungry for food, but hungry to hear God’s Word.” Jonathan did not forget Maikol’s words. On April 15, 2008, Jonathan and Susan disembarked from a chartered helicopter in Maikol’s remote, rugged, mountain village for a new level of jungle experience. For seven weeks they “camped” as the tribal people did, living in a jungle house, eating the food brought to them from the jungle, cooking it over an open fire pit in their house.

In addition to coping with the rugged conditions, they taught eight sessions a week. Ken and Yanis, two believers from the first village, had also come to help with the teaching. Together they explained the whole story, from Creation to the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, our living Savior and Lord. For the first time in history, this Hewan village heard the Truth, and many believed. Maikol, the man who was “hungry,” believed: “When I heard the Ten Commandments, I tried to obey them to become God’s child, but right away I understood that I was breaking them . . . . I didn’t know what to think until I heard about the payment that Jesus made for me on the cross. Now I know that I am God’s child by trusting that He paid my sin debt.”

When time came to leave, the Kopfs learned that no helicopter was available for the luxury of a quick trip out. Despite a boil on Jonathan’s leg and two mountain ranges to cross, he and Susan made the grueling two-day hike to a village near an airstrip. The “injuries and pains” of the journey were worth it, knowing that another village had heard the truth. “We can’t wait to see what the Lord does in the hearts of our friends over these next months and years,” wrote Jonathan and Susan.

And while Jonathan and Susan will come and go from the village in the new helicopter that NTM has purchased, their tribal brothers Yanis and Ken are continuing their “long-term camping trip,” living in the second village to teach and disciple the new believers. Now that’s real camping!

In contrast, most of our nights as we traveled this summer were spent “camping” in homes of friends and relatives, all the way from Arizona to Idaho to Washington state, then across to Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and the return trip through Tennessee and back to Arizona. We represented NTMA at two large air shows, visited various aviation training schools, missions, and facilities, and ended up in Pennsylvania at two events introducing the new Kodiak airplane, designed specifically for missions.

Though we are back home in Arizona, we are reminded over and over again that even here we are just “camping” on this earth. Our hope is in the City to come, in Heaven with God, just as He planned for us to be with Him.

Two wayfaring strangers,

Jeff & Wonita

We’re sitting here in our office on the day before Thanksgiving. 

Our freezer is full of venison (60+ pounds, thanks to Jeff’s first success at taking a buck).  

We have no credit card debt, despite a trip to Europe just 2 months ago, and all our bills are paid.  

We are surrounded by friends at NTMA and in the community.  

We have family–immediate and extended– who love us and care for us in so many ways. 

We have friends across the US and the world who also go above and beyond typical friendship in supporting us and praying for us. 

We have jobs that give purpose to our days.

We have spiritual ministry interlaced in those "jobs" and we also have outreach into the community.

We are humbled to know that the Creator of the universe not only loves us and provided salvation for us, but He also chooses to be friends with us.

Jeff just commented to me from his desk, "Can we be more blessed!"

"Blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our Salvation."  Psalm 68:19 

Some recent specific blessings:

The teens in the youth group come from widely varied backgrounds this year, which is an answer to prayer.  We hope to show the love of Christ to each one of them.

Wonita played piano for the voice recital of one of her former Discovery (educational therapy) students.  How far the Lord has brought that dear girl, who is about to complete her associates degree in American Sign Language!

Jeff is doing a lot of  networking between aviation students, colleges, and missions opportunities.  New Tribes Mission now has a simulated tribal missions experience available at the NTM facility in Jersey Shore, PA.  Jeff is busy trying to plug mission aviation students into that opportunity.

Prairie Bible College will be flying in Sunday, November 25th with a group of student pilots.  It’s always an invigorating time to interact with young people learning, sometimes for the first time,  the need for mission aviation.

Our friends Stoney & Beth sent us home loaded with guavas (a tropical fruit that they grow–Wonita hasn’t had them since Colombia), persimmons, and homemade jams (including cactus jam) all because we gave them deer bones for their dog. 

How will we celebrate His goodness to us?  Hopefully, we will have a grateful attitude all of the time, but in particular, we’ve set aside tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, to have some friends over for a turkey (and venison!) dinner.  We will thank the Lord together for His goodness over the past year. 

And we thank the Lord for you and your encouragement and care toward us.

Jeff & Wonita

Can you picture it – tidy villages with houses painted white with black trim? Window boxes full of flowers. Church bells tolling in time with the end of the morning worship service. If you would have been with us today to worship Lord, see the beautiful villages and eat ice cream at an outdoor café, I think you would have enjoyed everything as much as we did.

Today was Sunday, the first day we saw the sun since our arrival in Germany. It may have been overcast and raining, but our friends, Carlos & Ingrid Chala and family, have made life very warm and cozy, not to mention they have treated us like royalty since we arrived on Friday.

We are here in Europe for the purpose of meeting with NTM coworkers; as a matter of fact we will be in England and Holland throughout the course of this week as well. We will talk with students and NTM training staff alike about how NTM missionary aviation plays a part in helping expand the reach of the Gospel into remote parts of the world.

While the beautiful scenery and great friends are wonderful, they are only a glimpse into the future world that is being prepared for those who follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Other decisions were easier as we traveled during the month of July.  Like what to wear each day.  If it was an airshow day or a visit to an aviation school, it was an easy choice–an NTM Aviation polo shirt.  If it was a travel day, well….just might as well put on what ya’ wore yesterday rather than get out the whole suitcase. 

Another decision was easy–to tell the reason we use aviation.  As we were at airshows in Arlington, WA, and Oshkosh, WI,  where people practically worship airplanes, we wanted to be clear about why we were there promoting the use of aviation:  People need to know that God has spoken and they need to know what He has said.

We had two tribal New Testaments at our display table.   To us they seem so commonplace–after all, that’s what New Tribes Mission does.  But over and over again, people were astounded to see the strange writing that never before was in print. 

And we just loved telling how "The Story" unfolded to the tribal people as first they heard of a round earth, and then the God who created it, and then that God had spoken and given laws, and that sacrifices were to be made to cover sin but that a Deliverer would come, and then Jesus came and seemed to be that Deliverer, but He died.  And then the joy when they heard He came back to life.  They knew for certain He had come to take away sin. 

That’s why we use airplanes.  As a tool to get the news to ones who have not heard. 

Yes, we did stay to see Old Faithful.  It wasn’t exactly that we made a decision to stay, we just kept looking at bubbling pools and steaming holes and, right on cue, she put on the show again just for us! 

"I carried a tiny Guahibo infant in my arms on that flight . . . the memory of the little guy has stayed with me ever since . . . ." reminisces Jeff about his missions trip in 1991.

 “Before that day I was already very interested in being a missionary pilot, but holding that little Guahibo” and interacting with tribal people of Colombia “really solidified my resolve to pursue missions; and in particular, NTM.” Of course, at that time, Wonita was already in Colombia serving as a teacher for NTM missionary kids.

Now we both work at NTM Aviation in McNeal, AZ. And although NTM no longer flies in Colombia, the tribal folk of that country are never far from our hearts.

Such as the group of Guahibo men pictured here.  At great cost to them and their families, they recently traveled from their tribal locations to a major city and spent two intensive weeks of 12 hour days in a push to fine tune Old Testament portions for printing in their language later this year.

According to NTM missionaries Mark & Joyce Cain, who are working on the translation, one of the men had to leave his wife without money to buy basic essentials.

Another had been extremely sick with dengue fever, not able to eat, even going without sleep for two nights. But he cried out to God and was healed in time to come help translate.

Another, Luis, "broke down crying,” wrote Joyce, “as he shared that his 9 year old daughter got malaria BAD, almost killing her. . .  . Luis too got hit with malaria at the same time. He cried out to God in his weak state for help and God helped him in his time of need. He too had to leave his family without food as the caterpillars demolished his yuca [a staple root crop] patch.” Luis, pictured above, will actually stay in town five or six weeks since he is Mark’s main translation helper, having worked with him since 1997.

As we travel this next month representing NTM and NTMA, we hope to give people a picture of how God is transforming the lives of tribal groups through His living and powerful Word. We ourselves will be sharing God’s Word with people who stop by our aviation display at air shows. Some cannot fathom why anybody would want to “waste” his life flying for no pay, no benefits, lots of hard work in the heat, in some of the worst conditions found anywhere in the world.

But just like the Guahibo men who are sacrificing a great deal for the sake of God’s Word, so God is challenging all of us to make sacrifices in our lives in order to actively share His Word where He has placed us—whether at air shows, or in our work, our circle of friends, or in a foreign country.

Thank you for the part you play in our lives, making it possible for us to give our time to the ministry of NTM and NTM Aviation.