NTM

Twenty five years ago Phil and I met Monty and Kathie Rasmussen on the island of Luzon in the Philippines.  Monty was our NTMA pilot, and he and Kathie worked together as a team serving our NTM missionaries in the bush.  Kathie has became a big sister to me over the years, and we often consider ourselves part of the Rasmussen family.   After serving together for several years in the Philippines, we have worked with Rasmussens here in McNeal since 1992.

Our NTMA class of 2007 arrived in August of this year.  We have six couples preparing to serve in the Philippines and Indonesia.   The men are working all day receiving technical training on the aircraft they will be flying and servicing on the field.  What kind of training do their wives receive?

In September Kathie and I began a Monday morning class with the student wives at the Koop house.  Having served with Monty since 1970, Kathie brings to the class a wealth of knowledge, experience, and years of walking with the Lord.  Together Kathie and I are editing the teaching outline she has used for years.  The topics we cover include the NTMA Wife and: Her Rights Before God, Her Walk with the Lord, Her Relationship with her Husband, Balancing Her Home and Her Work, Her Children, and Her Relationships with Her Co-workers. 

All of these topics have already been covered before in the training these ladies have received.  What makes our times together different is that we cover many of the unique challenges that will be faced by these ladies as they serve with their husbands in an aviation ministry.

Please pray for Kathie and I as we teach these wonderful ladies in preparation for their ministries abroad.  In addition, pray for these six, Bailey, Kelly, Jane, Melissa, Candy, and Missy, as well as Jonie, Kari, and Gloria as we spend time together every Monday morning.  Praise the Lord for a couple of staff ladies and one homeschooled teen who babysit  the nine children under 5 years old so that the mothers can participate in the class. 

Our sons are about hunting, cars, motorcycles, action movies, and computers. They love to terrorize the women in their lives with dead jack rabbits, show off to them when hiking in the mountains, and aggressively beat them in the game “Aggravation”.

It is so refreshing to have daughters in our family. Life is a little calmer with chick flicks, dressing up, makeup, fixing hair, shopping, playing friendly games, and attending tea parties.

Speaking of tea parties, we did just that on September 28 when I took Wendy and Nancy to the Chantilly Tea Room  to celebrate their birthdays.  After raising three sons, Phil and I are enjoying these two daughters the Lord has brought into our lives, and looking forward to having Amanda join our family in June.  Then I will no longer be part of the minority in this family.  Yahoo!

For years our newsletters have borne the title, "News from the Arizona Desert." I’m sure that speaking of the desert brings up images such as barren, dry, lifeless, brown, snakes, scorpions, tarantulas, and other such unlovely thoughts. One dictionary defines a desert as "a barren or desolate area, especially a dry, often sandy region of little rainfall, extreme temperatures, and sparse vegetation.”

Most of the year, we live in just such a place. Although we live in the High Desert at 4,000 feet elevation in a valley surrounded by mountains, this definition pretty much describes our surroundings. We see sparse vegetation, all of which has thorns or spikes on it. The soil is not sandy but is full of rocks. It is so hard that it takes all day running a tiller to turn the soil enough to try to plant a little garden. On our walks in the desert, we see snakes, tarantulas, jack rabbits, and other sundry insects that spend their days under ground and come out in the cool of the morning or evening. There is a 30-50 degree difference between daytime and night time temperatures.

All that changes once a year during monsoon season, which runs through July and August. The rain comes down in torrents, many of the dips in the roads become flooded and completely impassable, and the plants actually start to turn green. For a couple of months, the desert blooms bringing forth life that has been dormant for the past 10 months. It doesn’t come close to what many of you experience most of the year in your wetter climates, but to us the desert teeming with life is a wonderful change.

What makes the difference between barrenness and life, and transforms a seemingly lifeless waste into something beautiful? It is the presence of water! And what makes the difference in our lives between barrenness and fruitfulness? It is the time we spend with our Lord who says in John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” Just as nothing in the physical world can live and grow without water, neither can life flourish in the spiritual realm without the living water that only Christ can give. According to Psalms 1: 3, he who delights in the Lord and meditates on his Word “… will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season. And its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.”

Travis is now officially a student at Moody Bible Institute, two years after his initial application. After working this summer in Sierra Vista at two different fast food places, he moved home to pack for school on August 12. His friend Amanda flew here to meet our family on August 13 and then made the trip to Chicago with us on the 18th. She was able to visit the Moody campus with us and see where Travis would be attending school before taking a train to Michigan.

We were glad for the opportunity to take Travis to school, see the campus, meet his roommate and attend parents’ orientation where we learned more about MBI. We enjoyed our first trip to Chicago and look forward to returning for a  visit. Travis auditioned and was accepted into a drama team that ministers to young people in Chicago as well as travels to several Midwestern states. He is very excited about using his acting talent for the Lord in this type of ministry. At this point in time, his major is Mass Communication, and his dream is to write and produce Christian videos and movies that will minister to the both believers and unbelievers. Travis was happy that Moody accepted 24 of his transfer credits from last year at New Tribes Bible Institute and Cochise College.

We left Chicago, during rush hour, driving 10 miles an hour in pouring rain, headed for Monroe, Wisconsin to visit my brother Ron. It was great to spend a day together before heading back to McNeal to the work waiting for us here. Our new semester started on August 13 with six new student couples. We’ll tell you more about that next time.

To see more photos of MBI check out our photo album.

For quite a few years now, Ellen has been the Bible teacher for Valley Bible Church’s VBS program which uses materials from Group Publishing Company. In the past we have gone on a Bug Safari, on a Scuba Undersea Adventure, to Lava Lava Island, on a Serengeti Trek, and to a Mexican Fiesta. This year we went to Avalance Ranch where the theme was horses, cattle, buffalo, and western adventures.

What amazes us about our VBS at Valley Bible Church is the size of the program considering we only have an average attendance of 50 people in our church. This year our VBS consisted of about 80 children ages toddler to 6th grade, 20 junior high and high school helpers, and at least 20-30 adult helpers. Most of these kids come from unchurched families, and yet even their parents want to help in any way they can.

On Tuesdays during the school year, children from the local elementary school are dropped off by the bus at the church for Kids’ Klub. For many of these children, Kids’ Klub and VBS are their only exposure to the Word of God. Even though they don’t come to church, they keep coming back year after year to these programs, and when they are too old to attend, they want to come back as helpers. We thank the Lord for the opportunity to share the truth of God’s Word with these children who otherwise have no opportunity to hear the message of salvation.

On Monday Ellen taught the story of Rahab, teaching the kids that God is real. Tuesday we crossed the Jordan River with the Israelites and learned that God is with us. Wednesday we watched the walls of Jericho fall down and heard that God is strong. Thursday we experienced the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and learned that God is awesome. That day at least 6 of the children claimed to accept Christ as their Savior. Friday we watched as Naaman was healed of his leprosy and learned that God is in control.

Following our Friday night program, one of our adult helpers told Ellen that she had never before heard the story of Naaman being healed of leprosy. Was that really in the Bible? Ellen was able to take her to the story in the Old Testament and share with her that God used this disease and healing to bring Naaman to the knowledge of the one true God. This mother is a young believer who is in the middle of a divorce, and Ellen was privileged to share with her how God could bring wonderful changes in her life and the lives of her children, just like he did for Naaman and Rahab. We thank the Lord for the opportunity He gave to participate in VBS this year and to see God working in the lives of the children and adults.

Many of our friends will remember that Phil had back surgery in September 2004.  Recently the pain and numbness in the right leg have returned and if Phil stands too long, he seems to lose control of his leg.  Yesterday we saw the Physicians Assistant at the Neurospecialists Office.  She has ordered a  back x-ray and MRI to find out what is going on in the back.  Pray with us for the right diagnosis and treatment.  We are hoping that Phil does not need another back surgery.