Survey Results! [Flashback:2/26/2002]

As we were flying into the Tobo airstrip my partner calls out from behind me, "Look, they wrote the number of our plane on the airstrip!!"

Sure enough, there it was, burnt in big black letters: P2-NTM. We landed, got out and started hiking up the trail to the village; one of the boys grabbed my pack and started carrying it. I asked him, "Who wrote those letters on the airstrip?"

He said, "I did."

So I asked him, "When did you do it, last week?"

To which he casually replied, "No, about noon today...I wrote it, and you came."

WE HAD ONLY BEEN THERE FOR 10 MINUTES THE WEEK BEFORE, and we never said when we were coming back...if ever. The incredible thing is, we hadn't been able to get out of Madang as scheduled, we had to wait until 1:00 p.m. because of bad weather...and even as we left, I didn't think we would be able to land, the clouds were thick with thunderstorms. But when we got to the Tobo area, it was all clear; PTL.

Our time in Tobo was very encouraging...to say the least! We arrived and gathered some language info, some cultural info, and tried to find out all we could about them. That night, all the village big men (and about 50-75 others) sat down with us in the round meeting house. They asked us who we were, and what we do. So we told them. They were very excited. They have never heard the gospel in their own language, and they do not have a Bible translation in their own language. Most of the tribes around them do have a translation and so the Tobo people feel that they are left out...that they are the last ones to receive this good news. The tribe is hemmed in by mountain on 3 sides, the nearest language group over the mountains is a two days hike (for them). Down river from them there is another language group, they are only about a days hike away.

The following day, village leaders from a few surrounding villages came to us to talk with us as well. By the end of the second day, we had received a very clear invitation to live with them, learn their language and culture, and to teach them the Bible. We were blown away when they asked us, "Do your people want grass roofs, or tin...because we can't afford a tin roof for them." They were offering to build and PAY FOR our houses! We assured them that that was not their responsibility, but ours. Amazing! We also walked out of the village with 5 big grocery bags of food...they just kept going to the gardens the whole time we were there and bringing us pineapples, bananas, passion fruit, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers,... a very generous people.

We estimate that the tribe, as a whole, has no less than 3000 people, and possibly up to 5000. All within probably a 4 mile radius. They are located in the mountains north of Lae; almost 6000 ft. above sea level, so there are no mosquitoes and no malaria. Contrary to what you might think, it is COLD at night. It was probably in the 50s at night, but nice and warm during the day. (So we are going to have to break out the long sleeves:)

ANNNDDD, the other news you all have been waiting for! It looks like we have some wonderful partners!!! They come to us from the Sepik region where they had originally planned to go. But they heard about this area that we were looking at, and we both felt it would be worth looking into. So they were on the survey as well... You want to know their names, don't you? Are you in suspense? There names are Chad and Janeene Mankins. Chad is the son of Dave Mankins, the hostage that was taken and killed in Panama...the ones we have been praying for for many years. Chad has been through SIL linguistic training, and he will be the main linguist/translator on our team. Janeene is also an MK from Columbia, her parents were missionaries with SIL when she was younger. We are very excited to have team members. We have been praying for partners for a couple years now, and it is awesome to see how God has brought us together with a common goal of reaching this particular tribe. The circumstances that have brought us together are truly of God, and none of us.

We want to thank you for your continued support and encouraging letters, emails, and packages. Your prayers are felt, and appreciated. God is definitely using all of you! When I look back to where Kellie and I were a year ago, I just marvel at all that the Lord has done: churches, support, prayers, friends, partners, a tribe...all point to an awesome God who loves tribal people and desires that they hear about HIM so that they can glorify HIM! What a privilege! What a testimony of the awesome love, power, and working of God!

We are planning on going back into the tribe in the next couple of weeks to walk from village to village and to spend time building relationships; mostly letting them know that we are there to teach the whole tribe, and not just one village. Our next update will hopefully be after all of that is finished. Keep praying, we have a lot of work ahead of us.