Teamwork

Missionary work is not accomplished by one person working alone. This was very clear on our recent consultant trip to Asia Pacific. Not only do missionaries need help, but those who help them need training…

Let us tell you a little about each person in the photo above:

THE MISSIONARY: Rofi (gray and white shirt) is a missionary, one of a team who are learning the Da’a language so she can share the Gospel and make disciples. Rofi, like many of her teammates, is a believer from the Wana tribe. Not so long ago, the Wana were an unreached people group. Missionaries from NTM took the Gospel to the Wana and now Rofi and many of the other missionaries Bill was helping on this trip are Wanas.

LEADERSHIP:  It is a big commitment to provide timely help and training for missionaries. Field leader Doug (far left) and the Asia Pacific leadership team took the initiative to bring Bill over to help their missionaries.

THE CONSULTANT: We flew about 9,000 miles so Bill could help missionaries like Rofi make better progress in their language learning. Bill shared what he has learned over the last 35 years to train others to provide that kind of help for missionaries.

THE CONSULTANT TRAINEES: Michael and Elke came along to learn how to do the language assessments Bill was doing and how to help the learners implement some new techniques. In the end, we all learned from one another… and the missionaries received some good help.

THE NATIVE SPEAKERS: Last by definitely not least, Papa Wira and his friend are helping the missionaries learn their Da’a language, and they came to help us assess Rofi and the others’ progress. They were a big help, patient and cheerful.

But That’s Not All!

You are also a vital part of the team. Your prayers, financial support and words of encouragement keep us going!

But… How In The World…?

How can Bill evaluate missionaries’ progress in a language he doesn’t know? And how can we help them learn it faster? Good questions…

…we’ll tell you about that in our next update.

Giyang (c. 1984)

Giyang (2012)

As we are in Manila…

A text came from Giyang, Bill’s long-time friend and one of his translation helpers about meeting up for teaching on Palawan next week.

Bill had texted that he was glad to be seeing Giyang again:

“For sure, Cousin, me too, I’m truly happy. Cousin, I had thought that we would not see each other again until heaven, but surprisingly, we will see each other again while we’re still alive. I’m truly thankful.”

Curious about the original version? Sure you are!

“Asal, Egsa, sampay ako gasi, mesegya banar. Nebluan ko, Egsa, doot langit te mene megkita, temed pelahan, megkita te nega arew et biag te pe. Selamat banar.”

Thanks for praying…

Monday we head to Palawan to meet with about 30 believers and teach them from the Palawano translation. And we are asking God to help us deal with the error and confusion in the church.

Thanks for being part of our team!

-Bill and Donna

Because Everyone Deserves to Hear in Their Heart Language

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A ministry trip to proclaim his praise in the islands…

We’re going to two different islands to defend the church and to train missionaries. Wanna come? (okay, you can’t come this time, but please pray!)

First, we are going to our old island home, Palawan, to spend five days teaching Palawano men, women and youth leaders.

We have more information since we posted our Fire and Wolves update. Apparently, the cult has left, but a Filipino “pastor” has moved to our former Palawano village, and is wrecking havoc among the believers. He has split the church with a legalistic message, he teaches using “Taglish“ (i.e. a mix of Tagalog and English), and he is telling them to only use the English KVJ Bible.

(Oh, and just a reminder: Palawanos don’t speak a word of English, and most don’t understand Tagalog all that well. That’s why we translated the NT into Palawano for them.)

Well, he is also telling the Palawanos to burn their Palawano New Testaments (the #1 one way to get a translator upset.) Sadly, some Palawanos have joined him, included two of Bill’s former translation helpers. And at first, these men were saying they would not come to town to see us or to sit under Bill’s teaching.

We praise God that they have changed their minds and agreed to come. This gives us a chance to teach them with the others, and to correct the errors they’ve been taught. A total of about 20 Palawano adults and 10 youth leaders will be coming to our teaching sessions.

Next we will go to the same island in the Asia Pacific region where Bill went last October. Bill will be helping 2-3 Germans, 3 Indonesians, and 8 Indonesian tribal people in their language learning, so they can more quickly reach their goal of being able to make disciples in a new language among an unreached people group. If that sounds exhausting, you’re right–it is. In the process, Bill will be training consultants to provide this kind of help for missionaries.

More islands to come…

Stay tuned for updates on this trip and a growing number of future trips: we’re going to a conference in Colorado, and we have upcoming trips to South Asia, to another island in the Asia Pacific region, and to Thailand…

We’re grateful for all those who pray and give to make this ministry possible. And as our ministry rapidly expands, pray with us that we would connect with additional ministry partners–churches, individuals or groups–who share our passion for seeing every people group reaching in their Heart Language.

“…False teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock…” (Acts 20:29)

Wolves

The apostle Paul’s warning from the 1st century holds true for 2015. The Palawano church is under attack.

A Korean cult with false teaching has set up shop downriver from our village and has led some Palawanos astray–both believers and unbelievers alike. Upriver, a Palawano church leader who helped with the translation project has joined this cult.

A Filipino group with questionable motives wants to set up a church in our village, to claim our believers for themselves.

Vicious wolves, who don’t care for the flock.

 “Does not my word burn like fire?” asks the LORD. “Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes rock to pieces?”

Fire

There is a revival spreading among the Palawano young people. They can’t get enough of God’s Word as they study the Palawano New Testament.

At the same time, many of the Palawano church leaders are standing firm. A few men hiked downriver to refute the teaching of the Korean cult, and their teaching helped some to see that this new teaching was false.

Susing and Rinard also refused to let the Filipino church use their chapel for their meetings. They even refused to let them build their own church in the village (it helps that the tribal chieftain is a Christian!)

But these kinds of attacks will continue. So we need to uphold the Palawanos in prayer, and we need to teach and encourage the church leaders to stand firm in the truth. Missionaries cannot live in the village right now due to security concerns, so our partners are based in town and the Palawanos come to them for teaching.

Feeding the Fire

We plan to go to Palawan in February en route to another consultant trip to Asia Pacific. Bill will meet his former translation helpers and other leaders of the church in Puerto Princesa for a time of teaching from the Word, and to have a chance to encourage them and answer their questions.

Many Palawano young people will also come to town for Bible teaching. We want to turn them into spiritual warriors who know the truth of God’s Word and have a passion to defeat false doctrine by teaching the truth.

Pray for the Palawano church, for the leaders, for the youth… for all who hold God’s Word in their hands to devote themselves to the truth of its pages.

Pray for us as we prepare for this upcoming ministry trip to Asia.

Fire… to keep the wolves away.

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Join our team: Want to help with this trip or other ministry needs? Look HERE for ideas.