NTM

House News

Continue to pray about our house. The house we want to buy is a foreclosure.   In order for us to get a loan, the selling bank is being asked to make some repairs. Most of the repairs are minor, but the air conditioner is not working. Pray that the bank will agree to make the repairs, and please pray that the repairs will be made quickly. The boys start school the middle of August. I would really like to have the house cleaned and painted before the boys start school. Above all, pray for God’s will to be done and that we would have peace regardless of the situation.

Danielle

Maine and back again 

Tom and Levi flew to Maine where they were met at the airport by my parents. We praise God that they were able to purchase tickets at a very reasonable price. Why are they in Maine? You might be asking yourself. They went to pick up our personal items that my parents have been graciously storing for us for years.  We are praising the Lord for the safety Tom and Levi had during the long drive back to Florida in a U-Haul truck.  We are also thankful to good friends in Maryland who shared some furniture with us that will fit nicely in our new home.  

Family Time

The month of July has been a relaxing time for our family; before that we had been traveling, visiting and house hunting. We are so thankful for the fun things that we have been able to do. Tom and the boys have especially enjoyed the anticipation of a shuttle launch, which sadly has been scrubbed for the third time. Each time the shuttle was scheduled to launch Tom and the boys have borrowed kayaks so that they could enjoy the shuttle launch from Mosquito Lagoon which is directly across from the launch pad. For this last trip Jacob decided to take his small fishing net and he had a great time catching all sorts of sea creatures, including seahorses. Levi has begun taking karate classes at a Christian dojo. He is is doing well and his instructor is pleased with the progress that he has made in just a couple of weeks. Tom and Levi were also able to  volunteer as score keepers at the US Open Karate Championships. Luke has been keeping up with his photography, Josiah has discovered legos, and I have been preparing and organizing for Levi’s homeschool (I love doing this so don’t feel sorry for me. )

House News

Right now we are waiting on appraisals and home insurance quotes. Our realtor is hopeful that we will close by the end of the month. Keep praying.

Work, School Etc.

The month of August will be a busy month for us. Lord willing we will begin the month cleaning, painting and repairing our new home so that we can move in hopefully by the second week in August. Jacob and Luke will begin attending Lake Monroe Christian Academy on August 13th and Levi will begin home schooling. One day a week Levi will attend classes at a local Christian School. Tom will begin working in the Associate Department. We are looking forward to our new ministry and we pray that God will use us to assist many folks in their endeavor to be missionaries.

Thank you for praying for our family. I cannot begin to describe how thankful we are for your prayers. Please be praying that we will find our niche here in the States. We have gone from being missionaries on the front lines to support missionaries.  When we lived among the Siawi people our lives were crazy 24/7. We always had a new story to tell. Now each day is much the same as the one previous. Pray that we will be faithful to see the opportunities that God places before us. Support missionaries are so vital and we are thankful that we can remain a part of church planting by supporting others who are on the front lines.

Because He Lives,

Danielle Brendle for the family

Thanks for praying!

Last Tuesday morning at 6:15a.m., as the sun was rising, we pulled into my parents’ driveway and Josiah proudly announced “We’re home!” Tom decided to drive straight through since our van was so packed. It was a fine trip. The boys and I slept quite a bit and Tom stayed awake drinking coffee and stopping at rest areas for a quick jog.

The day we arrived we started house hunting. We are ready, sooooo ready to be settled in our own home, and can’t wait to get back into our own routine. We have put an offer in on a house near NTM Headquarters. We could walk or ride bikes to work and school from there and we could avoid buying a second car. All the boys like the house. It has a decent sized back yard and is located in a nice neighborhood. Over all we think it would be a good house. It is out of our hands at the moment as we wait for the seller’s bank to accept or decline our offer. Pray that God’s will be done.

On Sunday we began yet another search as we started looking for a church home. We are a bit blown away by the number of options. It sure was a lot easier in the bush when we only had one choice. 

Pray for us as we continue to make plans for the boys’ schooling for next year. Luke and Jacob will be attending a small Christian school and Levi will be homeschooling.

PFO

Although we still have two months of home assignment remaining before we officially hit the office full time, Tom has agreed to run the sound and video system for the pre-field orientation meetings which will be held next week. Our co-worker Dave Simpson would usually run the sound, but he is in the middle of a series of cancer treatments. Pray for Dave and Jill and for the orientation meeting for our new associate members.

Thank you for praying and for giving and for encouraging.

Because of Him,

Tom and Danielle Brendle

Praise the Lord: we have purchased a Dodge Grand Caravan that will seat 7 and has extra storage capacity. One of our supporting churches helped to make this purchase possible. This was the first of many answers to prayer that is making our adjustment easier. On the home front, family and friends have already found beds for the boys (which we are borrowing), dishes and even recently we were given a Kitchen Aid Mixer that will help Danielle to make pizza dough, cookies etc that are milk and egg free for Josiah. 

Transitions
There are many things that we still have yet to finalize. Pray for us as we transition into a ministry with NTM Headquarters. There are opportunities with New Tribes Mission’s associate program where we could have the privilege of helping associate missionaries transition to the field. There are opportunities to serve with New Tribes Mission’s communications team aiding New Tribes missionaries in communicating with churches and supporters via e-mail, web sites, literature etc. Those are two of the many ministries that need personnel. Please pray for us as we make a decision where to serve.

This transition to a ministry in the US is not going to be easy as we have spent most of the last 11 years overseas. We will need your continued prayer and financial support if we are to continue to serve with New Tribes Mission. One thing that we have learned while serving on the cutting edge of the mission field; we were not alone and could not have accomplished what we did by ourselves. We were dependant upon many people. This list included not only our prayer and financial supporters, but also our NTM co-workers who serve the Lord in support roles; some on the field and some home in the US. Without co-workers helping to process our finances, buy supplies, help us with publications, train others.. etc., we would not have accomplished much among the Siawi people.

God has redirected our family from the cutting edge to the stateside support team. In order to continue to function as members of NTM, we will need prayer supporters as well as financial supporters. NTM missionaries who work at the home office do not receive a salary. Stateside missionaries receive support from family, friends and churches just as overseas missionaries receive support. Please pray for us as we seek to increase our present support level. We praise God for our wonderful prayer and financial support team who has faithfully continued with us through the years.

State side ministry needs:
As we consider a stateside ministry with our NTM headquarters we are faced with the need for housing in the Sanford area. We have begun the house hunting process. Pray with us as we trust God for the perfect house for our family. Pray with us for the necessary down payment and closing costs and other costs associated with buying.

Up comming plans:
Our plan is to head north at the end of March.  We have a mission’s conference in East Hodgdon, Maine March 18-22. Other than that our calendar is open. We plan to be in the Maine area March and April. In May and June we will be in Maryland. Please email if you would like to schedule us for a meeting.

Walking in the Light,
Tom and Danielle Brendle

We cannot report that our trip was uneventful, but we can report that it was exciting to see God work out the bumps along the way. When we asked you to pray, we specifically mentioned to pray about our flight from the Sepik Region. We arrived at the local airport 2 ½ hours early for the flight (in fact we had to wait outside of the airport for them to unlock the doors.) After they unlocked the doors, everyone rushed to the security desk to get an orange sticker which said that we had been security checked though we did not see even one bag inspected.   After this mad rush (I was so thankful that I didn’t lose Josiah), we stood in line at the check in counter. We were about third in line for our flight. When our turn came up, Tom handed the agent our tickets and then the agent proceeded to tell us that the plane, which only holds 36 passengers, was already full. Evidently the morning flight did not take off so the people on the morning flight had been bumped to the afternoon flight. Tom told her that we HAD to get on that flight in order to make our international connections out of the capital city the following morning. While Tom was telling our story the boys and I were praying. The agent went ahead and took our tickets, and checked in our bags that were packed at the international weight limit without charging us overweight on the domestic flight.  She did not assign seat numbers so Tom waited at the counter while she checked in the other people in line. The boys and I sat down and continued to pray. Moments before the boarding time, the agent handed Tom our tickets and written on the tickets were six seat numbers. Praise God we had been assigned seats. But, we knew that having a seat number did not necessarily guarantee us a seat as there have been occasions where more than one person have been assigned the same seat.  The next plan of action was to get our family positioned in front of the boarding gate in order to insure that we would have a seat. Thank God we have a big family with a few big boys who helped to block the door from those who were trying to maneuver their way to the front. We all breathed a sigh of relief when we sat down in our airplane seat and tightened our seat belt. Looking back at the terminal we noticed there were still many people who indeed held boarding passes and were not allowed to board the plane.

Our next bump happened in Australia. For some reason the airline agent who checked us in for our international flight from PNG was not able to check our bags all the way through to Los Angeles. This resulted in us needing to claim our baggage and then check the bags in again for our flight to Fiji. If you have traveled internationally you probably understand that rechecking baggage is not a simple procedure. In order to claim our bags we had to go through immigration and customs; waiting in very long lines. Praise God that we had a long layover.  Going through customs in Australia can be a bit tricky as the customs officials are very particular about the items they will allow in country. We had packed a lot of snacks, including homemade muffins for Josiah since we couldn’t count on him being able to eat the airline food. Usually homemade or fresh items like the muffins would have to be disposed of. Praise God we had a very gracious customs agent. We explained to him that we were transit passengers and that our son has severe allergies. He allowed us to pass through customs with our muffins. God knew that we would need those muffins. Even though we had requested special food for Josiah on later flights he still ended up having cheese and yogurt on his meal trays complete with a label that said he was allergic to milk and eggs.

Bumps can be a little unnerving. On the flights over the Pacific Ocean we were in the very back of the plane. If you have sat in the back of a large plane, you can understand the unnerving bumps that we experienced. Honestly there were times when I felt that the back end of the plane was having trouble keeping up with the front end. I certainly did a lot of praying. Thankfully all was well and I am happy to report that the boys did great on the trip. Josiah even slept for most of the 10 hour flight from Fiji to L.A.

We hit another type of bump in L.A. After clearing immigration and customs, we claimed our bags and proceeded to the transfer desk in the domestic terminal at the L.A. airport. We were a bit discouraged to have to wait in another long line. By that point, Josiah was all done with long lines. We waited and waited and our line was not moving. We eventually realized that there weren’t any agents handling the transit line. After some more waiting and some assertiveness of the passengers in line, an agent was assigned to our line. Eight hours later when we boarded our plane for Orlando, we realized that we had been upgraded to the economy plus seats. Our inconvenience in line resulted in us having lots of leg room for our last flight (which took off at 10:30p.m. L.A. time and landed at 6:00a.m. Orlando time). We were very happy to have the extra space on that last flight.

We cannot tell you how happy we are to be in Florida with Tom’s family. We are living with Tom’s parents and his brother and family are just up the street a few houses. Keep praying for us as we are still recovering from jet lag. (I am writing this at 5:00a.m. because I just couldn’t sleep any longer.) Thankfully Tom and the boys are still asleep.

Thank you again for faithfully praying for us. We will keep in touch as we transition into a new life in the U.S.A.

It is almost time to move into the New Year and the Brendle family will be entering it with a new plan. We make our plans and trust God to work out our course. Step by step we have seen God at work.

Most recently we have seen God at work directing the timing of when we are to leave PNG. Our original plan was to return to the US at the end of the school year. As we re-evaluated our present condition and circumstances this past December while we were out of Siawi on break, we have realized that we need to make a change sooner than later. We have decided in fellowship with our mission leadership to return to the US this January. Simply, we are worn out, and we can no longer have an effective ministry among the Siawi people. All of the energy that we do have is spent just living in the jungle.

This decision was not an easy one especially as we thought about leaving the Swanson family and the Siawi church. We praise God for our godly co-workers who are in complete fellowship with our decision.

A couple of nights ago, Tom called a big meeting to share our news with the Siawi people. He went up to the village with fear and trembling as he was not sure of their reaction, but he came back encouraged.

After Tom told them our plans, the people began to share their thoughts. They began with how thankful they were that we had come and shared Christ with them. They openly talked of our eventual reunion at the home of our Father in Heaven.

Tom was able to share with them how encouraged he was with the fruit he was beginning to see in their lives and how he desires to see them continue to grow and produce more fruit. He shared his desire to return for a few weeks in 2010, Lord willing. He was able to challenge them with his desire to see them walking in the truth when he returns.

When he was finished talking, Kwaelom stood and began to say what Tom had said over again, only better, using all the nuances of the Siawi language that Tom wishes he could speak. Their main concern is that Jason will be able to continue teaching through Ephesians, 1 Corinthians, 1 Timothy, etc.. They almost immediately began to discuss how to help the Swanson family as if we were already gone.

All in all Tom was encouraged by the response from the believers.

With only three weeks to pack, give away, sell or burn all of our stuff, we have been very busy. We have also had a lot of visitors wanting to spend as much time with us as they can before we leave.

Yesterday, the day after Christmas, Danielle sat on the porch with Sokwawe and Kaloku. They said that they just came to see her and to tell her that they can’t sleep because they are thinking about us leaving. They also wanted to tell her how excited they were about Jesus coming to earth for them. Their faces lit up as they recounted the story of Jesus birth. They said before they thought that Christmas was just a time to have a big feast and get stuff.

We have tickets purchased to leave January 19. Lord willing, we will arrive in Florida on January 20. We plan to spend a few weeks with Tom’s family. We will also explore ministry possibilities at the NTM Headquarters and the NTM retirement center.

After that we will take a six month furlough, visiting family, friends and churches.

• Pray for us as we look for God’s direction for our future.
• Pray for us as we seek restoration for our health and strength.
• Pray for God’s provision of a van.

The decision to leave before the end of the school year is especially hard on Levi and Jacob as they will not be finishing the school year with their friends. In fact, they won’t have an opportunity to say good bye to their friends and teachers since they won’t be returning to the school center.

• Pray that God will meet the needs of their hearts.

Our plan is to finish out the school year homeschooling the boys.

We wish you a New Year full of Jesus. Keep your eyes on Him.

Yours in Christ,

Tom, Danielle, Levi, Jacob, Luke and Josiah Brendle

Tomorrow America will face a difficult decision. As I have prayed for the election, I praise the Lord that He alone is the ultimate authority and already knows the outcome of tomorrow’s vote and what it will mean.

We in the Brendle house have been facing a difficult decision of our own. Though our decision will not have quite the same consequences of a national election, it is large for our family and friends none the less.

As you all well know, our family has been facing health issues for some time now. Being here has been very difficult for us. In July, Danielle went to the doctor and was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome as a result of having mononucleosis. Tom has been picking up a lot of pieces for the family as well as continuing our regular ministry, and he has worn himself out.

This ongoing struggle has brought us to the point where we need to make a change. After much prayer and consultation with our regional leadership, we have decided that we will be moving out of Siawi after the end of the school year. Levi and Jacob will finish school at the end of May, and then the Brendle family will be heading back to the United States. Please pray for us as we determine God’s will for our lives.

In making a decision like this, it would be easy for us to feel like we are failures or somehow not attaining God’s best. Praise the Lord that He has confirmed in our hearts that this is His will for our lives and for the Siawi church.

When we went home in January 2005 because Danielle was sick with mononucleosis, we jotted down a few things that we felt were still deficient in the Siawi church.

1. One of the key areas lacking was discipleship. The Siawis needed to know how to take God’s Word and apply it to their everyday life. Praise God our core believers are faithfully reading God’s Word and trying to walk as a believer should.
2. They needed to know how to compare God’s truth to their false beliefs and then walk in that truth. Praise God our core believers are starting to do that.
3. They needed to know how to pass on the truth of God’s Word to their children so that they in turn will be able to pass it on to their children. Praise God that we are currently teaching a group of 16 men how to make lessons for themselves and do the work of a teacher.

As we look at all that God has done and is doing, we can’t help but praise Him.

As we look ahead, we would ask you to pray for the areas that are still lacking in the Siawi church.

1. At this point there are no Siawi church elders appointed. Pray with us that God would make known the men He would have appointed to this position and the appropriate timing to appoint that leadership. Our desire would be to see elders appointed before we leave, but we are seeking God’s desire.
2. Praise God that there are portions of the Siawi New Testament translated, but there is much remaining that needs to be translated. Pray that the Siawi believers would some day have a complete New Testament in their own language.

Please pray for our co-workers, the Swanson family, as our decision affects them in many ways. They will be faced with many decisions as they face the possibility of being the only missionaries working among the Siawi people.

Please pray for the Siawi people as we will need to tell them of our decision. This news will be very hard for them to hear.

Many of you have been standing with us for more than 10 years as we have ministered to the Siawi people. Thank you! Words can not express how grateful we are to have faithful prayer supporters and financial supporters.

Twenty men attended the teacher’s meeting this morning.  The number continues to increase. We are actually praying that it will decrease as we desire to disciple a smaller group to be teachers.

Last week Tom and Jason gave the teachers-in-training a passage of Scripture to prepare for teaching. Sixteen of them did the homework.

Malachai and Yaniwi taught this morning. Tom said that they both did a good job. Tom has been checking their written work this afternoon. Some of these guys can really write well.He gave them a new assignment for next week.

Beiyam and Saisu also showed up at the teacher’s meeting today and asked if they were too late to join. Tom said they could join, but he is going to tell any other late comers that it is too late.