first day of classes

Greetings!

I just wanted to send a quick update as today was really the first full day for the new and returning students here at New Tribes Bible Institute. There was really a buzz of energy that you could feel as the students roamed the hall. Many are excited to be back and to complete this time of training that the Lord has brought them here for but still many more, brand new freshman are wandering the campus, probably wondering what comes next as they embark on what will surely be an epic journey. I was talking with some students last night, upperclassmen, about how freshman are always so eager to find their place amongst the student body. That desire leads to all kinds of behavior, some good, some not so good and some infamous. So far, mostly harmless.

Bethany and I are so grateful that what we get to call our job and career and ministry is to be a part of these students lives for the time they spend here. These students are our next set of missionaries, potentially the next set of tribal church planters, or support workers, or pastors in local churches or mature lay people in their communities. Some could even be martys or give their lives like a recent mission airplane pilot back in our adopted country of Indonesia did! It’s sobering to realize all of those possibilities.

I had the chance to meet the musical worship team that I’ll be workign with and discipling for the next year, this past weekend and this morning to kick off the day, we played our first set of praise music together. Again, that I get to do that and call it my job is incredible! They’re a great group of students and I look forward to filling you in on what our God will do in their lives. As these next weeks go by, my role in the evangelism aspect here will also increase as I work along with another teacher, Chris Darland, to equip these students to effectively communicate the true Gospel to a world who increasingly knows less and less about God and sin and the basic concepts that we who have grown up in solid churches understand.

I can’t wait to communicate more as the semester goes by. I know there’ll be many tired and frustrating times still to come, but today I’m grateful for what God has us doing. Thank you for standing with us the way you do! Please keep praying for us and for the students we serve here.

Also, some co-workers here have lent us an extra camera (ours broke in Indo) so we hope to communicate through some images as well. Look for more of those soon!