We hope you all had a wonderful time over Easter! We had a great time as we were able to celebrate the Easter days with our church here in Dinangat. We had a powerful service on Friday with communion and some singing and praising around the fire on Friday night. Easter morning was the climax as the believers shared their joy about their salvation. It is so refreshing to hear them talk about it and realize again how precious God’s love to us is as he did not spare his only Son and gave him up for us all so we can be free from sin. Thank you God!
Today we would like to send you the update from the Housleys who are part of organizing a Seminar for the Bible Teachers of PNG. We are so excited about it! 9 Bible teachers from Dinangat are flying out to the I. tribe today (see picture, some of them are flying first time 🙂 ) and we covet your prayers as we are expecting great things from a great God… please keep reading…
Dear Prayer Partners~
We said in the last email that we would update you this week on the C.T.T.S. (Citizen Teacher Training Seminar) that will be taking place in our home village in just a few short days! So here goes…
It is the goal of NTM-PNG not to make converts, but to make disciples and to teach them to obey all the commands that we have been given knowing that HE is with us – even to the end of the age. That is the whole commission that we have been given. Our goal is to bring more worshippers into the Kingdom and the vision looks past this current generation to the children and grandchildren who will come behind. Our desire is to train teachers not only in the “How” of doing what we do, but also in the “Why” of doing what we do. We want them to have an answer when they are confronted by various religions and methods and to be able to logically defend the gospel and their church planting methods.
For this reason, on the 10th-16th of April, Bible teachers from 8 languages and 14 different churches from 3 provinces of Papua New Guinea will gather together to learn, study, and examine what Scripture says about leadership and the Church. The bulk of the teaching will be done by national Bible teachers from the Islands province who have had the gospel for more than a decade and are able to teach others.
Our vision is to connect these Bible teachers together for mutual encouragement in the gospel, in the Great Commission, and in the goal of church planting in Papua New Guinea. Some of the modules that will be taught include:
- Ministry Values (6 classes) – Our call, Our goal, The Good News Growing Forward, Teamwork, and Our Commitment
- Phase Teaching Goals (4 classes) – The Goals of Phase 1, 2, 3, and 4 in the Chronological Teaching Method
- Leadership in the Church (2 classes) Elders and Deacons, Equipping the Saints
- Marriage and Family
- Problems in the Church
- Translation Projects
- Literacy Schools
As we said before these will not be taught by missionaries, but by the national Bible teachers who are elders in one of the churches in the Islands area. We praise God for the opportunity to join these teachers (and some wives) together and covet your prayers for their time together.
PRAYER FACTS:
- About 125 people will gather each day. This means lots of food and preparations and logistics to and from I.. We are so thankful for team at our NTM Center of the Madang region, who will be serving the teachers by providing food and lodging for their first night together before they head into our home I.
- Pray for the teachers as they finish their preparations this week. Pray for clear minds and hearts as they speak and that they will be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
- Pray for those who are coming – that they will be free form distraction and be listening to the Holy Spirit as he speaks through His Word.
- Pray for all of us missionaries who will attend (there will about 15 of us) that we will be able to encourage and facilitate as we take the back seat and watch what God will do.
- Pray that they will see the larger BODY at work and that it will draw them closer to the Almighty and encourage them in their walks with the Lord.
- Pray for GOD TO BE GLORIFIED and that we will truly WORSHIP together which is our chief end.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers for this Seminar, we appreciate each one of them! Let’s expect great things from our great God! The Schlegels.