Pray

Rachel Lewis serves in Mozambique. She spent a month “visiting … church planting works in Mozambique. [It was] a great time to prepare for future church planting, help out in various ways, see how God is building His church in these people groups and fellowship with coworkers in person! … [Pray] for the spiritual needs and hunger of the Mozambicans and for more laborers to serve. (Praise the Lord, a few new people are in the works, but more are urgently needed!) [Pray] for wisdom and courage in how to work with the challenges and opportunities at hand and patience not to get overwhelmed by all the possibilities and open doors.”

Kathryn Kreiger ministers among the B people of Asia Pacific. Kathryn and her co-workers are learning the B language and culture. “[Pray] for diligence, humility and perseverance as we press on in the daily grind of language study.” Pray for unity as the team works together to understand the B culture and “make the final revisions on the B orthography (alphabet). … Pray for our friends’ hearts to be soft and receptive to the gospel in the future. Pray for us to have insight and courage to plant seeds of truth even now, as we talk and interact with our friends on a daily basis.”

Albert and Lynne Castelijn minister among the Banwaon people of the Philippines. The Castelijns and 45 Banwaon people recently worked on audio recordings of the Banwaon New Testament. They had a few of the “most intense” weeks they have experienced in their work among the Banwaon as they worked “recording, re-recording, encouraging, checking, editing and checking again. … [W]e knew without a doubt the only reason we were all getting through this was because of God’s help.” Praise God that the Banwaon New Testament audio recording is now complete! “The audio recording of the Banwaon New Testament is a major step forward as we head towards publishing the completed translation early in 2025.”

The team in West Africa has just launched a new Bible and missions training program. “We are very excited to have around 20-30 West African believers already signed up and more who are interested in our training program. Pray for those who are still undecided and those out there whom we still need to connect with! … Pray for the technical side of things to work smoothly without glitches as students start to access their courses online. Pray for unity as a team, good communication and flexibility as we know we are all learning and trying new things. Pray for each of us who will be discipling different students, for good connections [and for] insight and wisdom as to how to serve each of them well.”

Misael and Celia Rodríguez serve in West Brazil and are making preparations to live among the Kuripaco people. They went on a survey trip, met with field leadership and sent in the paperwork to obtain permission to live in a Kuripaco community. However, they have now been told that they need to resend all of the documents. As they wait to hear back, they are gathering construction materials for their future house. They also are requesting permission to use an airstrip in the region. Pray that God would continue to provide for Misael and Celia and that He would work out the details so they can live among the Kuripaco and begin learning the language and culture.

David and Bethanna Kwast serve in Asia Pacific. In September, we prayed that they would receive the necessary permissions to build their house in a particular island village. Praise God that they now have permission to begin building. “The first step in that process (which is already underway) is having people cut lumber for our houses and then let it dry. Once the wood is dry enough, we can start building! The people in the village seem excited and ready to help us with the building project. Once the houses are done, we are free to move in and start studying the [people group’s] language and culture.”

Cole and Hannah Hinderager minister among the Northern Isnag people of the Philippines. The initial chronological Bible teaching is complete. “We are beyond amazed how the Lord brought our friends back night after night. Some have expressed understanding and belief. Some are still wrestling with what God says versus the many other things they've heard and believed. But together the group has clearly said they want to keep going! … Once our friends wrap up their busy harvest season, we will start meeting again.” Praise God for His work among the Northern Isnag people. Pray for open hearts and clear understanding as they meet again to dig deeper into God’s Word.

David and Shari Ogg, now serving itinerantly, minister to the Simbari church of Papua New Guinea. “Our Simbari church brother, Raymond, shared some details about how things have been going in the village lately. … Leaders are being trained, and they have begun some midweek home groups. On Wednesdays and Fridays, meetings are happening in different homes in the village where the Simbari Bible is read and discussed.” Pray for the team as they proofread Bible study books for the Simbari church.

There is a group that is harassing the people and using scare tactics to prevent them from studying God’s Word. Pray that the people would not be scared away from listening to the Bible teaching and that the church would stand firm.

The Ethnos360 MK Care team will soon be repurposing a building at our Missouri training center! This building will allow us to serve our Missionary Kids (MKs) and their parents better by providing pre-field training, family cross-cultural transition support and education resources for their children. A big first step is tackling important renovations, but we need volunteers to help to make this vision a reality. Volunteers are needed for three week-long jobs in February.

Pray that God would lead people to volunteer for this project. Pray for the MK Care team as they make transitions to serve MKs better. Pray for MKs navigating big transitions and adjustments.

Learn more about this project.

Interested in volunteering? Fill out this form.

Ryan and Kirsten Kurvits minister among the Nahuatl people of Las Moras, Mexico. “After many hours of hard work from our co-workers Rachel and Katie, many local language helpers and a translation consultant, 1 Peter and a number of Psalms have been added to the Nahuatl translation of the Bible.” Praise God for more Scripture that will “resonate with the small, local church here.”

Pray for the Nahuatl young people attending weekly youth group. “[M]any of them are hearing God's Story for the first time. Pray their hearts would be soft to the gospel.”

Summer Zimmer shares news from a conference in Papau New Guinea (PNG). “Missionaries Jack Crabtree and Jeremy Hambrice were recently able to speak at an annual conference for the Marawaka area here in PNG. This year, nearly 500 believers from six different language groups came together to learn from God’s Word and encourage one another.” After hearing the teachings, “the churches responded by strategizing about how they could take the gospel to nearby language groups that haven’t yet heard! They were also committed to continuing to share the truth with their own people who have not yet believed. … Please keep praying for this group of churches!”

Stephen and Carolyn Crockett ministered among the Moi people of Asia Pacific and now serve itinerantly. “[T]he Moi church leaders have been teaching foundational Bible lessons to a number of unbelievers. After going through Acts, the teachers asked Stephen to put in writing good questions to ask these new believers to see if they really understood the gospel of grace and were ready for baptism. After ‘interviewing’ them, the teachers said eleven people had clear testimonies, and nine more need extra teaching. [In September,] they baptized the 11 people. What a thrill to see them doing this all on their own!”

Susie serves among the S people of West Africa. “I hear that there is a small but growing church among [the S people], and when they meet, they sing praises in [the S language]! One of my projects since being back is to take a few of those songs in audio form and write them out, making what is essentially the first hymnal or Christian songbook in [this language]!” Eventually, the team hopes to record the songs and share them on the radio. “[Pray] that this little hymnal would be used to bring the believers among [the S people] together in more unity, that it would help the church grow and that it would point others to Jesus.”

More laborers are needed for the field of Papua New Guinea (PNG). In order to support new and existing works among isolated people groups in PNG, there is a need for support missionaries to fill roles in the New Tribes Mission Dental Clinic and the Medical Clinic. These clinics allow PNG missionaries to receive dental and medical care without leaving the country. As time and resources allow, the clinics provide healthcare services to other like-minded missions and neighboring PNG communities and work with missionaries in interior locations to bring health awareness, education and services to remote areas of PNG where no care would otherwise be available. Praise God for the way He uses these ministries as an important part of the Body of Christ. Pray for more laborers.

Learn more about Dental and Medical Positions.

For information about positions in other support roles including business office, IT, education and tech services positions, email personnel-director@ntmpng.org.

Sunday, November 3, is the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians (IDOP). The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) shares, “This special day is set aside as a global prayer meeting on behalf of persecuted Christians who stand as bold witnesses to Christ in the world’s most difficult and dangerous places to follow him. The earnest prayers of the global body of believers are a testament to our unity in Christ. May God inspire us as we enter into fellowship with our persecuted Christian family.”

Watch a video by VOM and access IDOP resources.

Simon and Annika Flanagan minister to the Mengen church of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and are currently working remotely from the highlands of PNG. Mengen co-workers Vincent and Anton were able to travel to the Flanagans’ home. “Together we were able to revise 11 chapters of Genesis and get two months' worth of Bible lessons written for the church in the book of 1 Corinthians.” They were also able to discuss ideas for a new literacy program. Praise God for Vincent’s and Anton’s willingness to travel to an unfamiliar place to help with language work. Praise God for the progress made in these projects. Pray for the Flanagans as they navigate ministering remotely and balancing their time well.

Rachel Chapman and Katie Moore minister among the Nahuatl people of Las Moras, Mexico. A Nahuatl young man and believer named Efrain has started Bible school in the city. “Thank you for praying for Efrain as he is far from his family, in a new culture and studying challenging things in a foreign language.” Attending school in the city presents many challenges for someone who was raised in a rural people group. Efrain has had to learn how to use a computer, shop in a supermarket and navigate public transportation, to name a few challenges. Praise God for Efrain’s courage to enroll in Bible school. Pray that he would continue to grow in the Lord. Pray for his family in the village.

Coleton and Shawna Williams minister among the Kuman people of Papua New Guinea (PNG). “[In September,] we unloaded over 2,000 copies of the Kuman New Testament. Our co-worker, Will Tallman, and many others along the way have worked tirelessly for so many years to see this translation make its way to PNG. … Thank the Lord for the [Tallman] family’s sacrifice and diligence to see this arrive! … We will make plans to start getting these into the hands of the people. You can pray that we would have wisdom on how best to do that.”

David and Kristen Burson serve in strategic software development from the USA. They are in the process of developing software that will aid missionaries as they move into a people group and learn the culture and language. “We thank the Lord for our testers! So far, testing our culture/language software has turned up some bugs as well as ideas for making the workflow more consistent, smoother and more natural. Kristen is a real help as we discuss ideas with culture/language experts. Please pray that I’ll be able to keep making the recommended changes quickly without introducing new bugs.”

Larry and Linda Depue minister among the Simba people of Bolivia. “Please pray with us that Simba people will read and study God’s Word, chronological Bible lessons and other Scriptural material printed in their language. Please continue to pray for Linda as she translates a series of Bible studies into the Simba language. … In November, the first class of the tribal missionary Bible school will graduate. Pray for the indigenous families as they return to their communities to minister to their own people. They face many challenges.” Pray for Bolivians as they face nationwide turmoil on many fronts, fuel shortages and wildfires resulting in poor air quality.