A New Adventure

We have some exciting news. We are headed to Papua New Guinea in a few weeks to learn about tribal missions! The trip is a little sudden... but we've been thinking and talking about missions for a long time. It seems like the time has come for us to take a step forward and see where it might lead.

The trip is with a ministry called New Tribes Mission. They work in remote areas that do not have access to the Gospel. Missionaries move into a tribe and spend 2 or 3 years learning the language. Then they translate enough of the Bible to teach chronologically from Creation through the work of Christ on the cross. When they are finally able to present the Gospel they often have enough converts to plant a tribal church. Their goal is to ultimately train and disciple these believers so that they can continue the work on their own. They work themselves out of a job!

Our trip in January will take us to a tribal region in Papua New Guinea. We will spend 3 weeks learning about tribal ministry through classes and exposure to the local tribe/community. The final week we will be flown into a more remote area to live in a tribal setting.

I'm a little scared. I've never done anything like this before. You're probably wondering if I have lost my mind!

Here are a few sections from our prayer letter. (Not yet in print!) It helps explain why we are doing what we are doing.

"Most of you know us well, and you know that "missions" has been a part of our vocabulary for years. After college, we both participated in short-term trips and considered missions as a career. Last summer, we felt a stirring in our hearts to consider missions again. We did not know what it would look like, but we began to pray and seek counsel from leadership in our church. Then, in October, our church hosted a missions conference that featured the organization New Tribes Mission. Throughout the conference we were challenged to consider our role in the Great Commission. We learned that 40.9% of the world is still unreached. That’s 2.74 billion people (4,069 separate people groups)! (1)

As we looked into Scripture, we saw that Revelation speaks multiple times of every tribe, tongue, and nation worshiping the Lord in heaven (2). Jesus also commissioned us to “make disciples of all Nations… baptizing… and teaching them” (Matt. 28: 19, 20). He even said that the end will not come until the gospel of the kingdom is proclaimed throughout the whole world (Matt. 24:14).

The missions conference challenged us with the obvious need of unreached people. These people do not have access to the gospel even if they want it. What a contrast to the United States where a person can stop by a local church, turn on the radio, or open up a web page to find out about Jesus. We learned that in remote parts of the world, tribes are asking for missionaries to come---even offering money to "buy a missionary". But there are not enough missionaries to help them.

Is it possible that God could use us to meet that need? We feel unequipped for the task. And yet God's "strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:10). We are overwhelmed to think of leaving our home and our family, yet God says to us "Follow me" (Jn. 21:19) We cannot imagine giving up our conveniences and American lifestyle. But could God be asking us to "take up our cross"? (Matt. 16:24) We understand that our lives are not our own, but our flesh is weak. We need your prayers!

As we sensed God working in us to be willing to go, we decided to take steps in that direction and see if He opened the way. We applied for a trip with New Tribes Mission for January 2010. The trip involves three weeks of training and tribal exposure (the camp is located on tribal land), as well as a week of living with a more remote tribe. We applied late, but we were accepted within days of the cut-off, in spite of Emily's page-long list of health concerns. Both of us were given permission to take a month off from our jobs. (A month!) Though it is costly, we hope that the trip will give us an idea of how and where we could be used, as well as an increased love and understanding of the unreached.

It is clear to us that God has given us an opportunity to view His work in the world "up close and personal". Beyond that, we have no idea where He might lead. We are happy to stay at home, but willing to go if He asks.

We are sending this letter because we cannot do this alone. Would you please pray for us? Would you pray that God will give us courage and strength for the trip? Would you ask Him to show us where we fit in His Great Commission?"