NTM

Ministering in the present but preparing for the future of the work among the Yanomami has been on our minds lately. In our last news update, we mentioned plans that our team has of moving in 2010 to a town about 300 miles down river for the purpose of more intense Scripture and lesson translation as well as continued teaching of the Yanomami–all this with the intent that the Yanomami Church stand more on their own.

And God seems to be affirming our strategy. We praise Him for His provision of land for our planned 2010 move! We have been given about 120 yards of waterfront property on the Rio Negro by 2 friends of mine (John & True Hawkins) whom I went to school with at PQQ. What a blessing and help they have been in allowing us to use this land.

Now, we are looking to the Lord to supply what is needed to have our house and the Yanomami guest house built on this property. We will also need a boat and motor for our trips up to the village to teach and obtain language help for the translation work.

We have many needs to be met as this project gets under way. Phil Ketcham, who works at PQQ where our children have been studying, is going to lead the construction projects. Of course, construction takes manpower; and if you are interested in helping, please contact Phil for details and answers to any questions you may have regarding the logistics and/or joining a work team for this project.

Phil Ketcham, True Hawkins, and I plan to make a trip to survey the land and choose the building site in June 2008 with plans for the first construction to take place in November 2008.

In addition to participating physically in the work project, there are other ways you can partner with us:

1. Pray for us.
2. Give financially towards the project.
   • Financial gifts should be sent to, or written out to, "New Tribes Mission," with a separate note stating that the gift is "for the Joel Hartman/Yanomami Construction Project."
   • Estimated Cost is: $21,000
   • The break down is as follows:
     • Cement mixer: $500.
     • Tools: $500.
     • Hartman House: $11,000.
     • Yanomami guest house: $3000.
     • Boat and motor for travel to and from the village: $6000.

We are excited to see these pieces fitting together for the future work among the Yanomami. You are a vital link to seeing this phase in the Yanomami Church become a reality. The Lord continue to bless you as together we serve our great God!

How many of you try to work yourself out of a job? That is certainly all part of tribal church planting. We as a missionary team among the Yanomami are planning to move out of the village in June-August of 2010, in what will be the beginning of seeing the Yanomami Church continue on their own.

We, Joel & Gwen Hartman, along with 1 other couple, will move to a town about 300 miles from the Yanomami village where we currently work. It takes the people 3-4 days to get to this town by boat. Here the Yanomami sell Brazil nuts, vines, bananas, and other products to get money for buying clothes, lines, hooks, and whatever else they need.

Around the same time as we move to this town, the Yanomamis plan to move to a new location a few hours downriver from where they are now; here, the game and fish are more plentiful and gardening land is fertile.

From our new location, we plan to continue working on the translation of the New Testament. We will be making trips upriver to where our Yanomami friends will be in order to visit them, encourage them, and continue teaching them. As we complete portions of the Scriptures we will get these, as well as other Bible study helps, to the Yanomami. There will also be many Scripture checking sessions to do both at our new location when the Yanomami come to see us or to trade and up at their new village when we visit them.

Please be in prayer for us as we strategize and work toward this phase of the seeing the Yanomami Church functioning autonomously.