NTM

Hi Everyone,

It’s a great day to be in AZ! The kids are out washing the cars (ours and Nan & Pop’s) inside and out but wouldn’t you know I just looked out the window and a rain/dust storm is heading our way. Isn’t that just how life goes sometimes? When we need rain, just wash the car and it’ll come.

Tim & I just got back this past weekend from a couple of days in the Mountains together. Drew had gone camping with some friends, Marie was at Volleyball camp, and Ben was at Agape Youth Ranch (horsemanship camp), so we took off one night late after work. We arrived at our campsite at about midnight and figured out that our pump for our water wasn’t working. We had gallons and gallons of water but no way to pump it out. Not a good thing in the desert. When we got up the next morning, Tim worked on it and got it fixed and we had an AWESOME couple of days hiking and reading. A friend of ours had surprised us and fixed our generator for us so we even had air conditioning up there some of the time! It was such a gift from the Lord. When we were packing up I was telling the Lord how thankful I was for the time of camping with no real mishaps. Those times for us seem to be few and far between. He must have been listening to my prayers with His tongue in cheek knowing that we were going to hit a tree on our way out of the campground!

I was trying so hard to navigate like a man would in guiding Tim out of the lot. He tries to teach me each time we go but I can’t quite get the hang of it so far. It reminds me of the song in "My Fair Lady", "Why Can’t a Woman, be More Like a Man?". I think it’s to help men learn patience. So, try as I might, we scraped the tree and it bent the generator muffler pipe, bent the bumper, tore off a piece of stuff that holds the thing together in the back (I know, I’m not very technical) and scraped it up in the back. Tim said it was amazing how he goes back and forth in just minutes from loving the RV to wanting to burn it to the ground. Being a 1981, it tends to have problems even when I’m not navigating. I tell Tim all of the things I work on in the RV never have any problems. The curtains and seat covers look really nice and never fail! He doesn’t think that is very funny.

But I wouldn’t trade the two days for anything in the world! I was so thankful for our time together with no cell phone service and no one around. We really did get to rest while we were there so thank the Lord with us….and pray for our poor RV. 

Ben has been working each Monday this year at Agape Youth Ranch to earn a scholarship to their advanced horse riding camp. It’s a two week camp where they learn to improve their riding skills, learn to rope and learn to vault (stand on a horse hands free while it’s moving). They also help do all the chores and they use the skills to teach them more about their relationship with God and character building. It was a great experience for him and a really huge boost to him after his hard year in school with peer pressure. Here is a photo of Ben carrying the American flag for the closing ceremonies. He was voted to do this by the other campers. He was so nervous he would drop it in the dirt…

Marie has been babysitting, practicing for volleyball, going to volleyball camp and baking bread this summer. She is trying to earn enough money to pay for her own cell phone for the next year. Her bread is so beautiful I had to show you a photo.

Drew has been home since May and he has been trusting the Lord for some fires to earn money to go back to Bible school. He did get to go out on one fire in June, but then we have had the wettest summer that we have had in years! Usually the lightning from the monsoon season here starts a few wild fires in the mountains (we’ve been evacuated from camping before because of this)and it is good money because you can work 16 hours a day until the fire is out. It seems a bit weird asking the Lord to start some fires so he can work, but I just ask for them to start in the mountains where no one lives to clear out the undergrowth.  In the mean time, he has been volunteering here at NTMA helping on the maintenance team working on a project, volunteering at the fire station when they need help, and volunteering anywhere else that needs help. The Lord is doing neat things in his heart while he learns to trust God in what He wants for him to do. He is trusting the Lord to finish Bible school, then go to school to be a paramedic, and then continue on with NTM and go overseas. Would you please pray for fires, or if your not comfortable with that  then paying jobs here in the desert or clear direction from the Lord as to what he should do? He has a return flight back to Jackson on August 12th so we are trusting the Lord to help him know what to do before then.

To those of you who were interested enough to read this whole long letter…thank you. Thank you for your love and care for us and your prayers and for loving us enough to be our partners together in this ministry.

We love you too,

Sue for all of us

We wanted you to see this photo of Drew with this life size replica of Goliath.  As many of you know, Drew is attending New Tribes Bible School in MI.  In his Old Testament History class, which my brother Rich Bruce teaches, they made this replica for an assignment and object lesson.  This is, in a nut shell, one of the things they were learning while studying this famous story found in the book of 1 Samuel chapter 17…"Goliath is a picture of unsaved mankind: intimidating, callous, and hostile toward the things of God. King Saul is a picture of a believer walking in his own strength. He limited God in what God could accomplish through him by his unbelief. David is a picture of a believer walking in complete reliance on God. Through his faith in God, he is miraculously able to slay the giant by God’s grace. It is a beautiful picture of the believer’s spiritual struggle against the influence of this world."  Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Drew while he has been at Bible College.  He has been learning so many valuable things that will give him a great foundation throughout his life.  Please continue to pray for him as he works at Cracker Barrel and tries to keep up with his studies.

"I grew up in the farm country of southern MI. Was raised  in a Christian home and was saved at the age of 8 one night after family devotions. I have always had a love for the outdoors and at one time was considering studying wildlife Biology. My older sister Karen attended NTBI and convinced me to check it out. I decided to attend there for three very good reason. One, it was cheap. Two, it was close enough to home I could come home and hunt on the weekends. Three, the food was pretty good. While at NTBI, the Lord showed me through His Word that as believers it is our responsibility to have a part in reaching the lost. The Lord used the teachers and staff to create a desire in my heart to help get the Gospel to unreached tribal groups. With the intentions of going to the country of Venezuela, I continued on with the New Tribes training. It was while I was at the second phase of training that the Bible School in Jackson contacted me and asked me if I would consider joining there maintenance team. After seeking council from others and much prayer, I really felt like this was the direction the Lord was moving me. I started serving here in Feb. of ’06 and it only took me two years to find the woman of my dreams. I proposed April 1st and Jessie and I were married July 12th.

Another awesome thing that is happening in our family right now is Drew’s high school graduation. He graduates on May 23rd from Valley Union High school. We are having an open house for him on May 24th at our house. Of course you are all invited… Arizona’s not that far!  He is planning to attend NTBI in Jackson for two years and then attend college to possibly become a teacher/youth pastor and work with youth overseas. Please pray for our family as we adjust to him being away and for him as he expectantly steps out by Faith into new territory.

We are praising the Lord that we have another graduating class here at NTMA. Six more families are finishing up their training here and heading out to various fields of service. One couple goes overseas as soon as May 12th. This means they are saying goodbyes, packing, and facing many unknowns and various pressures. Please be in prayer for them as they adjust to their new lives and pray that they will be an encouragement and testimony of Grace to the missionaries in the various tribal locations around the world. Pilot families have a unique opportunity in their ministry to fly into many places and be the only outside contact the missionary has seen for awhile. We are praying that these families will be an “oasis” for our coworkers by showing Christ’s love through their lives.

We also wanted to show you a picture of the Kodiak airplane that came to NTMA recently. We were all privileged to get a ride and I must say, it is a remarkable airplane.  I half expected a stewardess to come and serve me drinks during our flight!  This photo is of Sue and Ben with other members of NTMA like Pat Dye ("God at the Controls"), her son Larry and his son Austin and Jim Fergusson.  Our first Kodiak should be arriving here at NTMA in the beginning of next year. This second photo is of Tim and one of the founders of NTMA  (mentioned above) Jim Fergusson. “Uncle Jim” was the pilot at Jersey Shore, PA, where NTMA began and where Tim grew up and decided he wanted to be a missionary pilot. By God’s Grace, NTMA has grown from a few pilots and one small airplane, into one of the largest flight organizations in missions today. We are amazed that we get to be a part of it and thank you for being a part of it also. Please continue to pray for us and NTMA for unity and love for one another.

We are so happy to be able to announce to all of our friends and family that Jessie is getting married on July 12th in Rives Junction, MI.  Save the date! 
She is marrying her best friend from Bible school, Randy Loker. They have been dating about a year and were good friends before that.
Randy is on the maintenance staff at NTBI. He is a builder, hunter and “Jack of all trades”. He has a servant’s heart that shows his love for Christ. He finished all of New Tribes’ training and has been working at the Bible school for the past two years.
Jessie is busy preparing for graduation from NTBI, finishing classes, working, and now planning a wedding.
Please pray for all of us as we do this “ long distance”. Many of you know what that is like. My Mom heart longs to be with Jess during this really special time of her life. They are doing awesome with the planning and we are looking forward to being with her at graduation and go wedding dress shopping. Whoo hoo!

Please note the article on our home page from NTM about our helicopter pilot in PNG. 

These phone calls are hard for us to receive but we are so thankful for no injuries.  Please pray for Tim and the team here and in PNG as they work together and trust the Lord for wisdom in this situation.

What a way to end your high school football career!  Drew’s team won the Arizona 1A division State championship!  It was so neat that Tim has been able to coach and be a part of this special time in Drew’s life. 

We all traveled to Phoenix two weekends in a row to play in the semi finals and finals.  Phoenix is four hours away from where we live so we weren’t sure how many fans would actually show up, but since it was the first football state championship playoff game that Valley Union High School has been to in 21 years, many people came out to support the team.   Drew’s team went out undefeated with a 10-0 record.  Great job VUHS!

Drew & Tim also had the opportunity to go hunting together this year.  Drew had been drawn for the Jr. hunt and it was his last year to hunt in that category.  He called on the last day of hunting and said he had shot a 500lb squirrel…it was an elk, but somehow he thought I would fall for that.  What does that say about me???  Anyway, they had a great time together and Tim is hoping to get Marie and Ben to take the hunting course next.

We wanted to send you this short video of our new pilot/mechanic families and their thoughts on the orientation they just went through here at NTMA.  One of the student families made it. 

The paintball and skeet shooting scenes are part of the afternoon orientation and they are in classes all morning. 

Tim dressed up as a girl on the last day of classes because he was teaching a class on "women’s ministries" and he thought they might hear it better if it came from a woman.

Here is the site where you can watch the video.  You may have to download something in order to view it, we did.

http://gallery.mac.com/brian_pruett#100253