On The Move…

…At Summer’s End

The end of the summer found all of the Pryor families “on the move”. Our son and daughter-in-law, Cameron and Katy Pryor, moved to New Tribes’ Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Missouri, where they continue to be equipped for tribal mission work. Our son-in-law and daughter, Justin and Autumn Bartron, moved from one island to their ultimate island of service in the Asia-Pacific region, where they continue with their language learning. Bethany moved back to New Tribes Bible Institute in Wisconsin after spending the summer working in Texas and visiting us in Mexico. We moved into a smaller, more economical house in Chihuahua, now that we only have Matthew at home.

Moving, whether across town or across the globe, is a common aspect of missionary life and it can be stressful and challenging. However, it is always an opportunity to trust God at a deeper level through the changes He brings into our life. Please remember all of our family in prayer, first that we would always look to Him for direction and also that we would consistently rest in the knowledge that He is in control of every aspect of our lives.

…This Month

As we write this update, we are moving around once again. But, this time it only involves a short trip to the States to accomplish several ministry and personal goals.

The biggest ministry goal involves David’s ministry. He has been asked by New Tribes’ leadership to share his experience and background and broaden his understanding of New Tribes’ other fields by working more closely with our International Security Coordinator. David’s ministry will continue to be primarily focused on being the Security Coordinator for Mexico, but he will also be involved in occasional projects and training outside the country. In respect to that, we came to the States this month so David could attend the latest Safety Seminar being given to our missionary candidates at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Missouri. There he helped with and observed the course in order to learn of all the changes and updates so that we may implement the latest safety training with our personnel back in Mexico. Considering the volatile security environment in which we operate in Mexico, such training is vital to wisely carrying out ministry there.

While at the MTC, we talked with several students who are interesting in serving in Mexico. We trust we were able to answer their questions and alleviate their concerns about conditions in the country, and we hope to stay in touch with them via email. Please join us in prayer for more workers for the harvest fields of Mexico. There are 40 unreached tribal groups in Mexico, so their is still much work to be done there.

Our time at MTC was not only profitable from a ministry standpoint, but it was enjoyable on a personal level, too. While there we were able to spend time with Cameron, Katy and grand daughter Gracia who are there in training. As it turned out, the guest apartment we stayed in was the very same apartment we lived in 5 years ago while going through the training ourselves. Not only that, but it was right next door to Cameron and Katy’s apartment!

Once we finished our time at MTC, the Lord gave us another blessing by allowing us to take a weekend trip up to see Bethany at the Bible Institute in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Coming from the dry, high desert country of Chihuahua where we live, the vibrant mix of fall colors on the trees of Wisconsin was breathtaking.

We are now working our way back to Mexico, with a stop-over in San Antonio, Texas. Last Sunday we were able to share with a church in the area all that the Lord is doing among the tribal people of Mexico. We trust that God used our time there to challenge His people with the need to reach the unreached peoples of Mexico while we still have the opportunity.

The only thing keeping us in the States now is our vehicle. When we were in the States over the summer, a Christian foundation gifted us funds to buy an all terrain vehicle to replace our tired, worn out van. With those funds we were able to obtain a 2006 Subaru Tribeca SUV at auction, including an unlimited mileage, 4-year warranty. That warranty is paying off as the vehicle is in the shop having its transmission replaced. We would appreciate your prayers that it get repaired quickly and we can get back on the move again and return home to Mexico.

…Back Home

Having been on the road going on 3 weeks now, we are anxious to get back to our ministries in Mexico.

Our Bible studies with Hector and Magda are going well. Hector seems to have made a shift in his view of salvation from works to grace, but has yet to verbalize that he is putting his trust 100% in Jesus’ finished work on the cross for his salvation rather than his own self works. Please pray for Hector in two aspects. First, that he will clearly see that salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone and no works on our part are of any value at all. Second, that if Hector has already trusted in Christ for his salvation, that he would be so moved with gratefulness that he would not be able to keep it to himself!

Our friend Rosa Maria, who trusted Christ at the beginning of the summer, continues to show a deep desire to be discipled. But, her busy schedule as a retiree running a burrito stand with her sister keeps her very occupied. Pray that she would not allow the cares of this world to keep her sidetracked and prevent her from learning more about her Savior.

…With The End In Sight

As tiring as travel can be at times, it does have its good points. Whiling away the hours waiting to get to a destination allows one many opportunities to contemplate the things of the Lord. On this trip, we have been reflecting on God’s goodness to us in allowing us to be a part of His plan. We feel very thankful to play even a small part in that Great Plan. We are also thankful to have great partners in ministry like you who glorify God through your gifts, prayers and encouragement. Getting to serve God together in His harvest is a huge privilege!  Thank you for allowing God to use you in is way.

While we have been on the road, our Guarijio tribal team had the privilege of baptizing several new believers. What a joy to see these tribal people wanting to publicly identify with Christ after their salvation. Note the grinning young man on the right side of the photo who is helping baptize his grandfather. His name is Vicente and he is a Guarijio who recently graduated from our Bible Institute in Chihuahua. He has now joined the tribal team and is helping translate the Bible into his own language. This young man grew up thinking he would never do anything more than just grow illegal crops, one of the few options open to poor people in the mountains. But, after he trusted Christ as his Savior, he dedicated his whole life to serving his Lord by taking the Good News to those who are still unreached, starting with his own people. Wouldn’t it be something if all believers had that same attitude and held nothing back in sharing the Savior with those around them? May the Lord help each of us be worthy of the name “Christian” as believers in and followers of Christ.

Yours for His Glory,

David & Sherri