It has already been a busy summer! The girls have been to VBS, the van has been in the shop, and I have been out of town for the better part of a week sharing New Tribes Mission’s vision with a WHOLE BUNCH (for lack of a more appropriately quantitative word) OF PEOPLE!
I was privileged to be part of a team of 9 “reps” at the Big Ticket Festival in Gaylord, MI over the last weekend. We were given a large ministry tent and so set up what was to be a very successful portrayal of “A day in the life of a tribal missionary…” experience. We shared the vision of NTM with many people, and saw almost as many eyes widen with the realization of the desperate need for the workers necessary for the harvest. More than 900 people experienced a short period of culture and language shock as they spent time with “Piom,” our “tribal man from the Kaulong tribe.” As they walked out of our simulated village, there was a definite realization of the difficulty of language learning. But, the reality of the completion of Bible translation with NTM’s training was equally clear. It can be done! It was so refreshing to hear the many variants of “How do I get involved in that?!” People seemed genuinely excited to hear that there IS a way to reach those that have never heard in their own language. We far underestimated the effectiveness of the experience on the hearts and minds of those who were able spend a few moments with our “tribal man.”
Would you please pray with us: that those who began to see the part they might play, in seeing the many who have never had the chance to hear and read God’s Word- hear and read it for the first time, would not be dissuaded from the course they have set upon in their minds. We truly pray that our time spent with the many attendees was not wasted. Pray also, that we would see hallways filled with students eager for the Word of God this fall.