On Our Way!

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Well, it’s been a long wait, but we’re finally ready to take the next step in our plans to bring the gospel to an unreached people group! We feel that we have solid roots in our home church, and a good chunk of cash in savings.

I’ve probably mentioned all this before, but since this is my first post since the redesign of the website, I’ll go over the plan again.

We plan to go overseas with New Tribes Mission to bring the gospel and the Holy Scriptures (in their language) to an unreached tribal group. We have felt no strong pull toward any particular country as of yet, so we’ll just remain open to God’s guidance on that.

We have a long trek before we even get to the tribe, but we are definitely on our way!

  1. Preparation – This is the phase we’ve just completed! Our goal was to raise money for school and plant our roots in a local church who would support us in our desire to follow God to an unreached people group. We’ve definitely accomplished those goals!
  2. Training, Part 1 – This is where we’re headed now (after our summer as nomads… more on that below). We’ll be moving to Jackson, MI where we’ll attend New Tribes Bible Institute for 2 years. The purpose of this is to establish a solid foundation in Biblical truths so that we are better prepared for life and ministry. The school does not have any liberal arts classes, so our entire education will be focused solely on the Bible.
  3. Training, Part 2 – This phase will take place in Roach Missouri at New Tribes’ Mission Training Center. This is where we will gain practical knowledge relating directly to tribal missions. From linguistics to survival, these 2 years will prepare us for what we will come in contact with once we leave the States
  4. Support Raising – After our training, we will be headed back to Colorado Springs to renew our spiritual support, and seek financial support for our ministry. This will be one of the difficult portions of our preparation, because it involves fully trusting God to provide for our needs.
  5. Training, Part 3 – For this part of our training, we will be overseas in the country where we will be ministering. We will spend a year or two in a city, where we will learn the trade language and become familiar with the culture.
  6. Ministry – Finally we will make our way to the tribe. For a period of about 20 years we will work to learn the language, develop relationships, translate the Bible, and teach the tribal people from Genesis through Revelation. We will also be raising up leaders in the church to take our place so that in the end, the tribal church consists only of tribal people.

Our Summer Plans

Our summer will be busy, and with our son, Ace (not his real name), being only 6 months old, its adventures are wholly unknown to us!

  • We’ll start on May 27th by loading up two cars with me, Rachel, Ace, and my mom and dad. We’ll all be heading to Grand Rapids, MI to the house where Rachel grew up, which will be our home base for the summer.
  • From there I will head down to NTBI in Jackson, MI to help with some remodeling and to receive the truck with all our belongings.
  • Then back to GR for the weekend. This is when my dad breaks from the group to get back to Colorado Springs to get back to work.
  • The next week (June 6-9) I will be up at Camp Ao-Wa-Kiya in Shelby, MI for lifeguard training.
  • Then back to GR for the weekend.
  • On June 12th, we will get back in the car and make for Crossville, TN for our Narwold Family Reunion, as well as my youngest brother’s wedding. My mom will be flying back from there to Colorado Springs.
  • We, on the other hand will be driving up to West Liberty, OH to visit Rachel’s Grandma for a few days
  • Then back to GR for the (long) weekend.
  • From June 26th to July 30th, we’ll be back at Camp Ao-Wa-Kiya, where Rachel and I met. I’ll be a counselor, lifeguard, and support staffer for the different weeks, and Rachel will help in daycare and anything else she can find time for (what with a 7-8 month old to look after).
  • Then back to GR for about three weeks
  • Finally, around the 20th of August we’ll put off our nomadic ways in favor of a two year home on campus in Jackson, MI.

We’re really excited about the entire summer and can’t wait to get started! But of course we have that melancholy feeling rising up within us, reminding us of what we are leaving back in Colorado. We will sorely miss my family and our friends, neighbors and church family here, and will look forward to Christmas and other such times when we can be reunited.