NTM

This is a simple request.  I alternate teaching the youth at the Latin church where I serve.  Please pray that I would have wisdom and clarity in my teaching.  I am grateful that they do seem to enjoy learning.  Please also pray that I would have creativity to know what fun events we could plan as well as effective ways of motivating the students to read their Bibles and to pray.  I have put together a list of memory verses that they are working on, but sometimes it’s hard to motivate them.

Recently, I have begun to wonder if I am spreading myself too thin.  Please pray that God would give me wisdom to know when to say "no."  Then pray that I would do well whatever I do choose to do.  I especially want to make sure that I am giving adequate time to the ministry with the Latin church. 

Praise: I needed a guitar a couple months ago.  The Lord provided a used guitar with all of the features that I was hoping for and at a great price.  Thank you, Lord!

After completing one semester here at New Tribes Missionary Training Center, I have been reminded about just how unprepared I am for the task of being a cross-cultural missionary. The more topics that we cover in class, the more I am convinced that I need this training. In spite of having grown up on the mission field and having covered some of these same topics at Moody Bible Institute, I know I will be facing challenges in my future ministry that I had not considered before this semester. 
Have you ever had trouble with your boss? Co-worker? Neighbor? If so, then you may be able to relate to some of the frustrations that missionaries have with their team members. I don’t know the figures, but I do know that disunity among missionaries is a major cause of missionary attrition – a fancy word for missionaries leaving the field. That’s why New Tribes has a course called Teamwork. As we started talking about some of the issues and hearing about past failures, my reaction was, "Good grief, how on earth do any missionary teams survive?" In one particular lecture, the teacher named four or five missionaries that he knew personally who left the field because of team issues, divorced their wives, and are now not walking with the Lord. My conclusion: this is not a subject to be taken lightly. It will require the grace of God and an awful lot of patience, communication, and dying to self to make a team work well.
Lest I give you a false impression, I want to remind you that our time in the classroom is only a small part of life here at the Missionary Training Center. One of our other responsibilities is work detail. Three afternoons a week I am either cutting grass, moving rocks, driving trucks, or doing whatever else is on the "grounds crew" to-do list. I have appreciated the opportunity to get to know some of my classmates better as well as being reminded of how much of life is just plain work. As the new "snow duty supervisor" next semester I will also be responsible for getting our crew up early to clear the snow and ice from the sidewalks whenever the need arises.
Next semester is still about a month away, so let me just explain what I’ll be doing in the meantime. I am currently typing this in the home of my cousins near St. Louis, Missouri. Tomorrow I will begin a trip to Rome, Georgia, where I plan to spend Christmas. After one week there, catching up with long-time friends from Bolivia whom I haven’t seen for some time, I will head up to North Carolina. I look forward to staying there about two weeks, visiting biological and spiritual family. My Uncle Ken has brain cancer and has been suffering the side-affects of the treatment. I hope to be of some encouragement to him and his family.
Thanks for visiting again. I plan to update to let you know if my plans actually went as I had planned. As you all know, God often has a way of rewriting our itinerary.
Merry Christmas!

I’m looking for a good church where I can be involved during my time at New Tribes MTC.  I also need to find an outreach ministry where I can be used by the Lord to accomplish what He wants me to accomplish.  Please pray that the Lord would lead in both of these decisions.

I have just finished my second day of class at the New Tribes MTC. Actually, this week is all orientation; regular classes begin this coming Monday. Right now perhaps the biggest challenge is trying to remember the names of everyone I have met over the last few days. There are approximately 165 students here, some returning as second year and others joining me as first timers.

---

A few of the things that I really appreciate about being a part of the program here:

• The staff expect a high level of personal initiative
• The teaching aims at learning/transformation rather than typical formal education
• Fellowship with other missions-minded people
• The campus is beautiful
• Soccer on Mondays and Thursdays

I’m still getting adjusted to the system here, but I’m sure this will be a good semester. The weather has also been very pleasant, although I know that won’t hold long.  I’m going to buy a fan soon. 
If you are praying for me, I’d like to ask special prayer that God would lead me in two decisions: 1. The choice of a church 2. The choice of a weekly "Outreach" ministry. We are supposed to be involved in some outside-of-church ministry, so I’d appreciate prayer for that.  Thank you!

Recently, the pastor at Community Fellowship has been using John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress as a way of teaching important Biblical truths. I think the metaphor of a pilgrimage is an excellent way to illustrate the Christian life. For a number of reasons, my last couple of months here in West Chicago could probably best be compared to a spell in the Delectable Mountains – a place of rest and restoration.

---

The Delectable Mountains
Since returning from Bolivia in January, God has graced me with the chance to reconnect with many close friends. My Moody roommate of 3 years, my former soccer captain, my coach, and many other good friends have been a part of this blessing. Just a few days ago, I visited with some friends from my Bolivia days who stopped by to visit for a few hours (Thank you, Mr. Al, for coming). The older I get, the more I realize how much I need the encouragement and accountability of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
My time with Starbucks is over, once again. I don’t expect to work there again, but I do hope that I might have left a good witness of Christ with some of my coworkers. I was able to have some good conversations with some of them; I just hope they actually give serious thought to what we talked about. It makes me happy to know that two of my coworkers are believers who will hopefully continue their witness to the rest of the team there. The way God provided a decent job so quickly – and one that was so flexible – is definitely a huge motive for thanksgiving.
One of the neatest things about this last portion of my pilgrimage has been the chance to reconnect with and get plugged into the ministries at Community Fellowship Church. Only a couple weeks ago I was in Alabama as one of the leaders of a short-term trip to the city of Birmingham. That and a number of different opportunities have allowed me to make some new friendships and strengthen others that already existed. I am very encouraged by the support CF has been to me both in my faith and in my desire to serve the Lord in missions. This Sunday is my last before making the drive down to Missouri where I will be spending my next three semester training with New Tribes Mission. As a sendoff, CF allowed me to share briefly this morning with the church why I want to be a missionary and what I hope to do. I am grateful for the opportunity and hope that I may have been some encouragement to my brothers and sisters here.

Moving on
And now it’s time to move on. For those of you who do not know the man who has been giving me a place to stay, "Uncle" Dick Wyma was a missionary in Bolivia for many years before moving back here to Illinois. Of all the people I will miss here, this mentor and spiritual father to me will be one of those I miss most.
A week from today I will be in Missouri at the New Tribes MTC (Missionary Training Center). For the next three semesters, I will be taking courses in Church Planting, Culture/Language Acquisition, and more, all designed to prepare me for a future in missionary service. This means that I am only that much closer to reaching the people I will one day learn to love. I appreciate your prayers for me as I begin this next step in my pilgrimage toward the mission field. Thank you to those who are already partnering with me through prayer. You are an encouragement to me.