Our Ministry
Our ministry experience in Venezuela has been varied, challenging and most interesting!
Beginning in his middle teen years, Danny worked hard as a deck hand and later as captain of the boat delivering supplies and fuel to missionaries far from civilization. It was a fun thing, lots of hard work and more responsibility then you wanted, all rolled up in one package!
Caring for our tribal friends’ health wherever we happened to be out in the jungle was always important to us. As well as giving direct medical help, we helped train several Indian friends to become medics themselves.
We also worked with our survey and planning team. It was important to determine the best place to locate in any given tribal group with a view to serving and helping the greatest number of people.
We remember with great fondness the eight years we served as dorm parents at the NTM school for missionaries children. We as MK’s serving the next generation of MK’s – how much better could it get?
To have served with the church planting team was one of the highest honors of all. There we were sharing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, and all its benefits, with our tribal friends who eventually became brothers and sisters in Christ.
Working here at NTM’s home office is very different from working in the Amazon rain forest. Whether here or there however the goal and objective remains the same. Our lives, like our parents before us and our children along with us remain committed to the goal of making God’s Good News concerning His Beloved Son available to all of the world’s peoples and people groups.
Our Family History
Both sets of our parents served overseas with NTM in Venezuela. Diana’s parents helped the tribal folks through dental health care and giving hands on traveling assistance as they learned to care for and repair their outboard motors. Hundreds and hundreds of Indian friends, officials and fellow missionaries were blessed in many practical ways through Diana’s parents out in the jungle.
Danny’s parents served in a leadership role which included representing NTM to the country under whose permission we worked.
They also had the opportunity to serve the missionaries, Indian friends and officials who frequently came to the jungle to see first hand the work the missionaries were doing. There were no “jungle hotels”, so Danny’s parents housed and hosted these groups in their home.
Seeing our parents live out their love for God, sacrificially on a daily basis made an early, deep and lasting impression on our lives as we grew up. We saw the great need first hand and wanted to be involved ourselves in sharing God’s Good News and all its benefits with our tribal friends and neighbors.
Diana’s father Russ Brewington and Danny’s parents Bob & Peg Shaylor have gone on to be with the Lord. We’re thankful Diana’s mother lives close enough that we can visit her often.
Diana has three brothers and of Danny’s siblings one brother is living.
We have three children – Dale, Doug and Dawn, all are involved in missions. Dale, our oldest, is a commercial pilot and mechanic doing missionary flights when possible.
Next is Doug. He and his wife Kara minister in South America.
Dawn our youngest works here in Sanford as well. She works with the team of dedicated missionaries who make our NTM guest facility a pleasant oasis for those who visit the home office.