NTM

The Lord is taking us places

Thank you to all for your prayers and for providing for us in our trip to New York City. Our official business with the Malaysian Consulate went smoothly. On the same day we were able to get our new travel documents with the machine readable features. We were required to be personally present to process these documents.

On the way to NYC, we were privileged to visit NTM’s Mobilization Center in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. We were blessed with a personal guided tour of the facilities. We learned much from the programs on tribal missionary works that is suited to different participating groups. This center which has specialized program for a weekend or for a week long is open to all including overseas participants.

We were also graciously hosted in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and in Virginia Beach, Virginia on this road trip of over 3000 miles from Southern Missouri. The Lord had led us and shown us His blessings.

The time is drawing near for our return to Malaysia. Our travel plans for our return is finalized with just over half the cost of a regular flight. We are flying Malaysia’s budget carrier Air Asia from London to Kuala Lumpur at promotional rates. Flying out from the U.S. at budget rates will take us to Germany and to the UK for the connecting flight. This means that we will have the opportunity to see for ourselves the facilities of NTM Germany and the training center at NTM United Kingdom. This is unexpected. What is the Lord showing  us?

We arrive into Kuala Lumpur on June 10 and plan to be in Penang by June 15. We look forward to reconnect with family, friends and churches. We would like to share our experience of NTM’s missionary training in small groups and with churches.

Our travel itinerary/schedule:

May 23 Leave Missouri for Michigan by road. To bid farewells to good friends we have made there and to our adopted mom.

May 29 Leave Chicago’s airport for Germany. We will be hosted by NTM Germany.

June 4 Leave Germany for UK. Visit NTM’s training facilities at Northcotes, UK.

June 9 Leave UK for Malaysia, arrived into Kuala Lumpur on June 10.

June 15 Arrive into our hometown Penang. Stay for a couple of weeks before we visit Ipoh and KL again.

Some prayer points:-

1. Please pray for Natalie as we leave her here in college. She may be contacted at: PO Box #69, Point Lookout MO 65726.

2. Please pray for Amanda’s and Timothy’s education transition in homeschooling.

3. Please pray for the Lord’s provision for our temporary housing and transportation needs.

4. Please pray for smooth transition to take us to the field of Kalimantan, (Borneo) Indonesia.

The countdown to the closing of our training with NTM has begun. In approaching the final days to graduation, we had taken time to reflect and in seeking the Lord in our future direction. The experience we had here with NTM had been an incredible privilege. It is a spiritual journey for us. We can only write briefly and will outline it in three areas.

How He had led us
Many were amazed when we first shared on our plans to go for full time mission training. We, ourselves wondered when we first arrived into New Tribes Bible Institute in Michigan – we felt so inadequate! In our past involvement in mission, we were encouraged with the axiom, “God is not concerned with your ability but in your availability.” NTM has for its core values, “The certainty that God desires to use any life!” NTM has a commitment to providing opportunities to believers for service based on the grace of God. Truly, it is by the grace of God that we are led here.

How He had prepared us
There are so much that the Lord has showed us. One lesson that gripped us was at chapel time when the speaker challenged us; “It is absolutely essential that you walk closely in the Spirit. Otherwise, you might want to reconsider your missionary career!” This is not a choice. Without the Spirit, we won’t last long in the tribe in a remote location. It is for us to rediscover the indispensability of the indwelling presence of the Spirit of Christ in us. It is Christ who will accomplish in and through us His purposes – in spite of our frailties. This is so that all Glory belongs to Him! The truth is that, this is the normal Christian life.

NTM has proved successful in its methodology to breach the barriers in animistic societies with the Gospel. We are entrusted to bring back this experience to our very own society. You have made it possible for us to experience this privilege. It is your prayers, your encouragement and support for us that see us through the training. We are grateful and thank God for you.

How He is leading us
NTM Malaysia was incorporated since 2005 as a sending country, the year we left our home for mission training. As the first Malaysian couple sent out under NTM Malaysia, our responsibility is in seeing greater awareness in tribal mission. As for our mission field, Candice and I are of the same heart for the field of Kalimantan in Indonesia. Imagine the excitement of sharing the very life of Christ right here on earth to accomplish the purposes of the Almighty God and having available to us His limitless resources! Lord willing, our goal is to be in Indonesia by January of 2010. The Lord has taken us so far, we continue to trust Him in our next step of faith.

In this season of Christmas, we wish you a rejoicing time as we remember the coming of Jesus, God’s only Son and the Savior of the world.

We have received news that Natalie had her visa for college approved by the US Embassy in Malaysia. Praise Him! When her visa was denied the first time in the US, it allows her to make the trip home to see and enjoy the company of friends and extended family members. It is a blessing in disguise as it will be another long four years in college before she could return home again. Besides being able to have her passport and Identity card renewed in Malaysia, she is able to visit the oral surgeon for wisdom teeth (plural) extraction inexpensively and running a host of errands for us.

Once again, He showed us His providence!

We thank God for the many relatives and friends, who called up, wrote or responded to our last news update and prayer request. It helps us to see through the denial of student visa for Natalie in a positive perspective. We are greatly encouraged by your love and concerns shown to us.

We see the wisdom for Natalie to return to Malaysia to apply for her student visa at the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Unknown to us before, there are clear advantages for us in taking this approach. So, she is booked to arrive into Penang, Malaysia in early October. This will also be a time for her to savor the company of family and friends at home before her return to the US for another extended period. Please pray for safety as she travels alone and also for a smooth process of her visa.

Patrick was able to take time off from his summer work program in campus for a trip to Texas to meet up with the Khoos. It had been a great blessing for us with the visit from Edwin and Lay Kim from Malaysia. The Khoos were our co-workers in the ministry and who had been a source of great encouragement to us.

Over the break, we also had several occasions for some serene pontoon rides through the coves and around the Lakes of the Ozarks. At a point along the ride, Timothy was brave enough to try cliff jumping from a height of 35 feet.

Early in the new Semester, NTM had a “Kodiak” Event at Camdenton Memorial Airport. The fun fair like event is to communicate to the community the need for the Gospel of the Lord Jesus to continue to “Expand” around the world to remote people groups. This is the first of the 14 Kodiak airplanes made for New Tribes Mission to replace the current fleet used for missionary work. The kids that came including Amanda and Timothy enjoyed free rides in the Cessna’s. They had the awesome experience of a bird’s eye-view of NTM’s vast campus and the surrounding lakes.

We are into our final semester and looking forward to returning home for a time of reconnecting with church, family and friends. There are exciting possibilities opening up for us to serve in. We look to Him to be led to a ministry that is of His will. Join us in praying that He will bring prayer partners, supporters and sending churches behind us as we take the next step of faith.

We continue to see the goodness of God in our lives.

Trials and tribulations are to be expected in life. It takes faith to trust that through perseverance, its purpose is to develop maturity in faith so as to experience new and greater blessings. We have been persuaded as we see God’s lavish blessings in our lives as He led us these past 3 years.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

More praise highlights since our last updates:
Natalie and Amanda, together with the youths at Missionary Training Center (MTC) celebrated a grand Spring Banquet on campus. The theme is “Ancient China”. The missionaries spared no effort to transform the event hall into the “Ancient land of China.” We had fun providing authentic Chinese course dinner with some help from a Chinese restaurant in town. We have made close friendship with the owners of the restaurant who emigrated from Malaysia 15 years ago.

Natalie will be celebrating her high school graduation this month. We give God all the praise that she has been accepted into the College of the Ozarks with a full work-study scholarship beginning this August. We have visited the college situated at the tourist town of Branson, only two hours away from where we are. He has again provided amazingly. God is so good.

Meanwhile, she will join the youths at MTC for a mission trip to Brazil. We thank all of you who have contributed and made it possible for Natalie’s mission in Brazil. The team will leave on June 24 for one month. Please keep them in prayers.

Before we know it, another year in missionary training is coming to a close. We look forward to our summer break which starts on May 17th. For the most part, we will stay back at campus to “hold the fort” so to speak, as the student body leave for their home states. It is not all without excitement, as we expect some dear friends from BSF Malaysia for a visit. We also hope to make some short trips to visit some missionary friends who had served in the Malaysia Singapore region.

There is another semester to go before we graduate in December. The plan is for us to serve in MTC for another semester before we return to Malaysia in the summer of 2009. We look forward to reconnect with our home church and folks back home.

Please pray with us as we look to the Lord for what He has for us in future field of ministry. Pray also for wisdom as we consider Amanda and Timothy’s education needs.