(Map courtesy Wikipedia)

Nepal (MNN/NTM) — One month after the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal, the government and the United Nations have renewed a global call for food aid and shelter for those left homeless.

As aftershocks continue to be felt, the survivors are living in make-shift tents cities, and there are fears these will not survive the onslaught of monsoon season next month. Additionally, there are concerns that more rains will cause landslides and increase the threat of disease. In short, life is a struggle for those who survived Nepal’s earthquake.

Thousands of mission organizations scrambled to aid partners on the ground once word trickled out about the scope of the destruction in the rural areas. New Tribes Mission shared a missive from the pastor of Grace Church and Ministries in Kathmandu about a week after the quake. In that e-mail, the pastor said, “We are suffering and still living in tents. All our church members are also living in tents. Yes, we are suffering different ways from earthquakes in Nepal.”

He’s also leading by example. Moments before the April quake, he preached a message on gratitude. He noted in that same message, “Now here we were, thanking Jesus for His protection” in the midst of the quake.

(Photo courtesy New Tribes Mission)

In the wake of the disaster, this pastor and his wife have taken in orphans who needed shelter. “We do not know how to provide food for them. Markets also not open and also a few shop open, but it is expensive now.”

Following his plea for help, NTM moved to respond. Two NTM delegates will be in Nepal June 1-15 in order to meet with pastors and other leaders. NTM is also raising funds to partner through the local church and meet needs. The current goal is $100,000, with just over $5,000 raised.

Why? It’s part of what they do: New Tribes Mission helps local churches train, coordinate, and send missionaries to share the story of God with people who’ve never heard it before. By helping the local church meet needs, they enable the Christians on the ground to live out “a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name” during crisis.

Click here if you want to come alongside New Tribes Mission’s Nepal effort.

Cessna 206 for Brazil (Photo by New Tribes Mission)

Brazil (MNN) — For the majority of the last decade, New Tribes Mission has been working to get a mission plane for Brazil.

You may not think about it, but there are many remote tribal villages in the western side of the country.

Wonita Werley, spokesperson for NTM Aviation, says, “It’s interesting to note that Brazil is the size of the United States with Texas put in twice. So it’s vast, and there are hidden groups of people–some that may not actually have ever been contacted yet.”

In previous years there was a missionary plane that serviced western Brazil, but there came a point where they could no longer do it. Since then, NTM has been working hard to get a plane running again.

Werley explains that many of these villages already have missionaries working in them. “But the work is languishing, in a sense, because there isn’t a good supply route to sustain the missionaries once they get into these remote areas.”

If a missionary ever has to get supplies for themselves or seek medical help, they have to travel for 3-10 days through jungles complete with poisonous snakes, biting insects, and the like.

Otherwise, they could wait for months until the next supply drop.

Werley says this realization is daunting to many missionaries.

God answered a prayer

NTM will now have a plane operating in Brazil.
(Photo by NTM)

After many years, NTM finally has a Cessna 206 to be stationed in a remote city, as well as a mechanic ready to work. And until NTM has their own pilot in Brazil, they are working with pilots from other mission groups. For an outsider to get permission to fly in the country is a tedious, long process.

These legal hoops are only an echo of the legal challenges NTM has run into with getting their plane into the country.

“There have been challenges and more challenges all along the way. [It’s difficult] to work up a business plan, so to speak, that would be viable for this area of Brazil,” Werley says.

These legal challenges have slowed down the process to get personnel for the aviation program and to get the plane outfitted with necessary equipment for missionary duties. For nearly every practical step of the way, NTM has to get permission from the government.

How will it help?

For starters, teaching the Bible to remote villages includes a lot of work in language.

“Our people really need the airplane to be able to get technical help–linguistic help, translation help, even church-planting help and advice and encouragement into their tribe from time to time,” Werley says.

On top of these specialty needs, the missionaries need regular supplies for basic survival.

Despite the needs, Werley says about 80% of their missionaries in Brazil are Brazilian and don’t have the means to support the aviation program.

“We are really looking for people who have an interest and a heart for this kind of work to help us provide viable, affordable air transportation so our missionaries can get in and out. We have set up a group called Flight Crew.”

The flight crew is a way for people who are passionate about international missions (maybe aviation, specifically) to be able to participate even though they can’t necessarily travel. This program makes flying to remote villages in Brazil and other countries possible.

More challenges

NTM asks you to pray for them. Right now their plane is sitting where it originally landed in Brazil. It needs to have its import documentation completed and then permission granted to fly anywhere else.

Werley says, “The hurdles are there again. And this is not something that money, necessarily, can even help. This is something that we can only go to the Lord and seek Him and petition Him to make the paperwork happen and make the permissions available. So we really need people to pray that this plane can get where it’s going.”

She asks you to pray for pilots for NTM Aviation in Brazil as well.

“We just are looking for people that we can connect with who are interested in this sort of thing, who really want to be part of the great commission–be part of reaching these people who really if we don’t get to them, they will live and die and never know that there is hope in Christ.

“So if that is your heart, if that is the kind of work you want to be involved in, we would love hear from you and see how you can be a part,” Werley says.

To get involved with Flight Crew of NTM Aviation, click here.

(Photo courtesy New Tribes Mission)

Asia-Pacific (NTM) —

New Tribes Mission shares this story about the lengths to which people will go when they are hungry for God’s Word.

Finally, the time had come. The Bible lessons that Wapane longed to hear would be taught. She would be able to hear the stories about God and His Deliverer that had changed so many lives.

However, the lessons would be in a village nearly two hours away by foot, and Wapane, the oldest Moi woman, was now too frail to walk the trail.

Ginogui, a relative of Wapane, had heard the stories and placed his faith in Jesus. He knew he had to do something.

The predicament stared him in the face. The trail to the village where they would teach was muddy, narrow, and steep. Even if he could manage to carry her, she wouldn’t be able to cling to his back for two hours.

Ginogui prepared for the trip as he didn’t want miss an opportunity to hear the stories. But he couldn’t let go of Wapane.

He got out his largest string bag. The speakers would start at Creation and go through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, so he would be gone a long time. He put a hammock in his bag, then stopped, and smiled.

After emptying the bag, he used it to carry Wapane. For two hours he focused on the simple task of putting one foot in front of the other as he struggled to bring Wapane safely to her destination.

When she arrived, Wapane said, “I’ve come because of the Creator’s Talk. I’m really excited to hear it, so I’ve come to listen.”

Pray that people in hard-to-reach places will have opportunities to hear the Gospel. Pray for the Moi teachers as they disciple new believers.

(Photo courtesy of NTM)

Papua New Guinea (NTM) — It seems like just days ago that the news came: a Kodiak for Papua New Guinea!

And now, just four months later: Kodiak #2 for Papua New Guinea! It comes with the purchase price paid and many extras included. By the end of September, Kodiak #2 could be at New Tribes Mission Aviation headquarters in McNeal, AZ, and Kodiak #1 could be on its way to Papua New Guinea.

God has provided once again through His people to furnish this new Kodiak. What a tool it will be to sustain missionary teams in harsh regions as they bring Christ to tribal villages!

You can almost hear the sigh of relief coming from tribal teams who only get supplies every three months. Right now, “with limited pilots and aircraft, it’s hard to reach everyone,” says Adie Leedahl. Her husband, NTMA pilot Jon Leedahl, recently flew his first round of supply routes on West New Britain island as part of his Kodiak training on location in Papua New Guinea.

With Jon ready to fly when the first Kodiak arrives, the supply situation should ease up. “Every translator or church planter who Jon has flown has said that they are so thankful for [his] coming!” says Adie.

It’s not a surprise that missionaries are glad the Kodiak fleet of three is 2/3 reality! Besides carrying supplies, the Kodiak can also do medevacs, bringing great peace of mind to missionary families living in remote areas. To the most outlying locations where NTM serves, the Kodiak could make an emergency round-trip flight without refueling. For critical medical cases, it can make the over-water flight to Australia.

Don’t stop praying for the Kodiaks to be positioned as lifelines to bring the gospel to remote tribes. Kodiak #1 is nearing its final stages of preparation. Kodiak #2 will need all the same outfitting–the HF radio, satellite tracking system, other equipment and tools, ferry flight, and paperwork, along with finances to cover all those items.

Just as God is providing for the final costs of Kodiak #1, we are confident that He will do the same for Kodiak #2. It is clear that He wants isolated people to meet Him, and He is providing the transportation for it to happen!

Impact remote people groups by giving to the outfitting of Kodiak #2.

For some people, the cemetery is a place of sadness.
For others, it’s a place of hope.
(Photo by New Tribes Mission)

Mexico (NTM/MNN) — There aren’t many who relish the thought of death. It marks the beginning of something we’ve never really known before, and the end of what we’ve always known.

New Tribes Mission works with a tribe in Mexico, the Nahuatl people. They are translating the Bible into their language and constructing a literacy program to teach the people how to read.

The following story about the Nahuatl by NTM’s Ian Fallis is a story that all of us can relate to. It is also a story that can inspire followers of Christ to make a difference in the world around them.

Dark is the path that leads past the little Nahuatl village to the cemetery. “It’s a path we all must walk,” said the father of a little boy crushed to death under a truck when a jack slipped. He shrugged, and walked on. 

A shadowy path

Word of the boy’s death reached missionaries Peter and Liesl Hypki on a Saturday. They also heard why it happened: magia negra, the villagers said without a hint of doubt: black magic. Two days later, the boy’s coffin was at the head of the procession ambling down the shadowy path.

The moment the coffin began to be lowered into the grave, his father turned his back on the boy and faced east. His family followed his example, and then the whole crowd turned away. They had to: the Nahuatl people believe that if you do not, the deceased person will take your soul.

“To me, it’s the saddest part,” Peter said. “The imagery is stark.”

A path we walk with hope

It also reminds Peter of another Son who died: of Christ, rejected, dying to conquer death and bring us eternal, abundant life, and to give us hope.

This is why Peter, Liesl, and their co-workers, Rachel Chapman and Katie Moore, are there: to share this hope. In order to share God’s message clearly, they must understand how the Nahuatl people think. This is the grid through which the people will understand everything that is said about God. 

The walk to the cemetery is indeed a path we all must walk. But, Peter added, “For those who know Christ, it is a path we walk with hope.”

(Photo courtesy of NTM)

You can help Peter and Liesl share with the Nahuatl people the truth and security that exists in a relationship with Christ. Support Peter and Liesl by clicking here, or NTM translation efforts here.

Pray for the spiritual blindness to be lifted from this village.

Jim Sims, a pilot with New Tribes Mission Aviation ministry for over a decade, shared with us last week about the new airplane that God provided for the ministry

New Tribes Mission Aviation team had a KODIAK in an Asia- Pacific region, but they desperately needed one in PNG as well

While the story of God’s provision certainly is miraculous, it goes along with the kind of stories that Sims has seen, heard, and experienced during and after his time flying with NTM in Papua New Guinea.

Sims says, “New Guinea is a really interesting country. It’s one of the most diverse in terms of languages which makes it really challenging. In New Guinea alone, there’s more than 860 different language groups.”

While NTM has been successful in reaching isolated tribes in the past with the Gospel, their fleet of airplanes has become inadequate.

NTM has a long-term goal of reaching 50 people groups with the Gospel, and a short-term goal of two years to reach eight people groups with church-planting teams.

The KODIAK airplane is going to be a big part of that. Currently, NTM is raising funds for two more airplanes for PNG.

These superiorly designed mission planes are necessary because the areas where NTM is focusing have no building materials for churches and have no fuel. The KODIAK has a larger capacity for building materials and is more fuel efficient.

Sims says, “The airplane is a tool. And the main reason for us being in there is  we’re taking the Gospel to people who’ve never heard and it’s just amazing to know that in the 21st century we still have people who have never heard the name of Jesus even once.”

Their ministry plan works exponentially. Sims says, “We plan, when we go in, to present the Gospel. We present the Gospel to them, and then we help establish what we call a New Testament church.”

The church becomes a self-supporting, indigenous church that works as a hub to connect to surrounding communities.

“The ultimate goal is that we would teach these people in such a way that once a church is established that they will have their teachers and their elders and then they will have missionaries that will go out from their home churches, and they will be reaching these other people, [the] other tribes,” Sims explains.

This has not only been a necessary aspect of their ministry, but a successful one. NTM has witnessed several tribes who, after encountering Christ, adventure to other tribes to share what they’ve learned. What’s fascinating is that they often cross language barriers to do this.

Sims shares that the change seen in one tribe effectively gets the attention of other tribes. One time, a tribal leader came up the river to visit another tribe that had previously been visited by a missionary, asking for what they had that made them change.

“Basically it was the fact that God’s word had been presented up there,” Sims says, “When the tribal people themselves see the change, it’s just amazing.”

Another time, a group of people from a tribe approached some missionaries at the landing strip. One member carried a bag full of money.

They said “We know what this looks like for these other villages, and we want one too, and here’s the money. We want to buy a missionary.”

Unfortunately, the missionaries didn’t have the resources at that time to go to their tribe.

At another village they were able to visit, the tribal chief was adamant that they came in to start a church.

After they started meeting, he was sure to be the first one there, and never missed a meeting.

At one occasion, the missionaries shared some cake with the tribe, a very different food from anything they were used to.

At that meeting, the chief stood up and addressed his people, saying “We’ve never heard anything like this before. We all need to come to this teaching every day. The teaching is like cake that you gave us. I have never tasted anything like it. It is so delicious.”

He was referring to the word of God– something so delicious he’d never tasted before.

The KODIAK has potential to increase these sort of encounters. Hopefully they will prevent NTM from ever having the difficult task of turning down a village that is obviously so hungry for the Word of God.

Sims says, “These airplanes are just a tool to get us out there to present the Gospel to people who have never heard. So, it’s just exciting to be a part of it. And New Tribes Mission Aviation is part of the church-planting team and it’s our privilege to be there to support these missionaries.”

If you would like to support the fund-raising for this new fleet of aircraft for PNG, click here.

Jim Sims of New Tribes Mission worked as a fixed-wing and helicopter pilot with the aviation ministry to Papua New Guinea for 11 years. He shared some recent highlights with us.

New Tribes Mission Aviation team had a KODIAK in an Asia- Pacific region, but they desperately needed one in PNG as well. (Photo by New Tribes Mission)

For years, NTM has used Cessna 206 and 185 planes, small aircraft enabling them to reach isolated tribes all over the world.

In the early 90s, however, fuel increased in price and decreased in availability. NTM was paying $15 or more per gallon. This issue, combined with the small cargo hold, made the old fleet insufficient for the work NTM was doing.

Fortunately, a mission-specific aircraft was in the works. Quest Aircraft created a superior plane for the mission field called the KODIAK.

For a long time, NTM staff and supporters prayed for the money to purchase a fleet of KODIAK for PNG. But they had no answer.

But all of the sudden, God moved. Donors gave the money to purchase the first of three planes. When NTM went to purchase the plane, instead of waiting for Quest to build it, the plane was ready and waiting, complete with a coat of paint.

God had been working the whole time.

“We had no idea that this was going to take place, but we were informed just a short time ago that an airplane had already been built, was painted white, and was sitting at the Quest plant,” says Sims.

The KODIAK runs on cheaper fuel, has a stronger engine, carries nine passengers, and has a cargo hold big enough for a small boat.

Sims says, “This airplane was designed basically for mission work. It’s just going to be a blessing, and we’re very excited about it.”

The delivery of the PNG plane is taking place today, beginning the transition to the new fleet of aircraft.

“This is a team effort. The people that are donors and supporters: they’re our co-laborers and co-workers in this whole thing.”

The plane needs to be outfitted with seats, a cargo pod, an HF radio, and a splash of red paint. They hope to have it in operation by the end of the year.

The plane was all ready to go. (Photo courtesy of NTM)

Sims says, “As we know from God’s Word, His timing is always perfect. And so, we’re not aware that anything’s going on behind the scenes when, in fact, God already had this plane built and put together and was sitting on the ramp, ready for us to go. [This] is a huge thing because if we had to actually put in the order, it would probably be six months.”

NTM needs support to purchase the whole fleet. You can help that effort here. If you’d like to become part of the flight crew at NTM, follow this link.

The new fleet of planes is going to help NTM reach more people with the Gospel quicker. They train indigenous groups to witness to their neighbors.

Sims has many inspiring examples of this work. Watch for these stories soon. While you’re waiting, try to guess what cake has to do with the Gospel.

(Photo courtesy New Tribes Mission)

Papua New Guinea (MNN) — Poor communications and bad weather is affecting efforts to assist villages hit by flooding, landslides, and tsunamis in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea.

A government administrator in the area says there are still tremors after Saturday night’s 7.5 magnitude earthquake, as damage reports keep coming in. Jim Tanner with New Tribes Mission has served in the country for over four decades, and while the damage is bad, it could be much worse. Generally speaking, it isn’t the quakes that cause the problem, he says. “The mudslides and flashfloods take more lives generally than the earthquakes. When they have these continual rains and then the earth tremors, sometimes whole villages are just covered.”

However, as natural disasters go, this one didn’t faze their team. “We don’t have any missionaries on Bougainville, which is called the North Solomon’s.” In situations like this, sometimes teams can’t move around due to damaged roads or for other similar reasons. Again, Tanner says, “Our people are able to get in and out and not have any problems that way. They feared that a tsunami might come from this one, but it didn’t.”

(Photo courtesy New Tribes Mission)

Although they have responded to natural disaster in the past, they’re not needed now, and until that changes, it’s a normal work day Tanner says, “Most of us are doing tribal church planting. As they become proficient in the language, they do literacy to teach reading and writing, and then they start teaching.”

Not having to deal with delays is encouraging because new ministry is just taking off for New Tribes.   They’ve developed a plan to help make sure that new churches are on track to self-sufficiency. Additionally, Tanner explains, “We follow a course that goes from creation to Christ, and it’s becoming very popular. They adapted it for AWANA, and now in mostly Third World countries they’re using the curriculum and it’s having a wonderful effect.”

The first step is making that curriculum understandable in a country that is said to have over 800 languages still in existence. “Just recently we started a new ministry in the trade language which is called Melanesian Pidgin English. It’s the largest language in the country. We’ve translated nine volumes of lessons, and those are available now.” After hours of grueling literacy training, translation work, and then teaching, Tanner says often a church develops. “Then we start discipling these people and grounding them in the Word of God.”

(Photo courtesy New Tribes Mission)

Sometimes Papua New Guinea is a great adventure, especially when you see God moving. Sometimes it’s dangerously bizarre, like having active twin volcanoes nearby or mudslides taking out your house. Mostly, it’s just hard work that requires God’s grace. Prayer is a huge encouragement, especially when spared a disaster. Resourcing this team to teach helps keep the local church on track, too. Click here to meet the New Tribes team working in Papua New Guinea.

(Photo by New Tribes Mission)

Mexico (MNN) — “I never understood like this before,” a Northern Tepehuan man said after reading a portion of the New Testament translation. “When is another book going to be ready?” he asks New Tribes Mission translator Kevin Case.

Kevin and Wendy Case have 80% of the New Testament translated in the Northern Tepehuan language. The book of Hebrews is in the processes of the final comprehension check before giving it out to the people. The Tepehuan missionary team expressly asks for your prayers during this process.

The Tepehuan people live in small-scattered homesteads among the rugged mountains and canyons of Mexico. The biggest challenge to building an effective tribal church among them is their isolation, which leads to independence and mistrust caused by years of abuse and exploitation.

“It’s been very hard for the Tepehuan believers to learn to love and care for one another,” Case says. “To date, they have not been able to develop a group identity as a church.”

It is essential that the Tepehuan have God’s living Word in a language they can truly understand. Only the Word has the power to break through distrust with truth and light.

New Tribes Missions asks for prayer for the Tepehuan missionary team, the completion of the New Testament in the Tepehuan language, and for growth of a thriving, mature church among the people. Ask God to provide consistent translation help for the books of Mathew, 2 Corinthians, James, the two books of Peter, the three books of John, and Jude.

Giving a gift can help translate the Bible into more languages. Each $35 pays for a verse and teaching materials so people can read and understand God’s Word.

For more information on how you can donate to help translation efforts, click here

“Ten years ago,” Ginny says, “and we still remember that shell-shocked feeling we had…. We were greeted by endless noise, crazy smells, months of no running water in the house, intense heat, sporadic electricity, new foods and sickness…. The list could fill a book.”

Arriving at this 10-year ministry milestone causes Dan and Ginny to reflect with much joy upon the goodness and grace of God. “It is honestly only by God’s work and Hand in our lives we are still in Guinea,” Ginny acknowledges.

With a lot of excitement, Dan and Ginny share news about the plan to begin construction on a small church building. Not physically impressive or large, the church building will be just one room made of baked mud with a tin roof. If that doesn’t sound like much of a church building, Ginny hastens to explain.

“It is a huge step,” she writes, “for the chief and others to even give their permission for this building to be put up. It will give the Landuma church a permanent place to meet, as well as to hold kids’ clubs and other activities.”

Though initial approval was secured, the church building project has had some set-backs and delays. Official representatives have come and asked for a delay in the building project. Each of these officials now seems reluctant to give final approval.

So, the little church building is still waiting to be started. “Some here definitely do not want to see this happen,” Dan observes.

There is something important that you can do, and the Bryants are asking you to do it. You can stop right now and pray for the Landuma church and for the little church they are trying to build. Pray that God will give this group of believers favor with those who are in charge of approving the project. Pray that the Landuma church will be permitted to build their one-room mud meeting place for the honor and glory of God in drawing many more Landuma people to Himself and for the continued growth and encouragement of believers in their village.

Learn more about the work of New Tribes in Guinea.