Pray

Alan and Rachel Whatley serve as teachers at Ethnos Academy, a school for the children of staff and students in training with Ethnos Canada. “We recently attended the graduation of our Ethnos Canada training class; it's exciting to see nine more missionaries heading out into future service as the Lord leads them!” Pray that God would provide for these new missionaries. Pray that they would trust the Lord and allow Him to lead them where He would have them go. Pray that God would continue to use Ethnos Training in Canada to train and equip missionaries to serve Him.

Learn more about Ethnos Training.

Kevin and Wendy Case minister among the Tepehuan people of Mexico. A group of Tepehuan people heard a clear presentation of the gospel at a Christmas party. “One man commented afterward that it was as clear as the rooster crows in the morning.” As the Cases followed up with two families, they found that one family was still clinging to traditions of a false religion while the other family’s response was “a bit more encouraging. … Pray that the two groups will consider the truths they heard ... and not just add these truths to their present beliefs but experience the life-changing power of the gospel in their lives. … Be praying for wisdom as we move forward with the teaching in the two communities.”

Derek and Chantal Chen minister among the Tanguat people of Papua New Guinea. “Please pray for the church. They’re wrestling with the spiritual truth that putting their trust in money — and along with that, any other worldly thing — is the same as putting trust in oneself.” The Chens still feel like outsiders and get overwhelmed trying to share the Truth in an understandable and relevant way. Pray for wisdom. Pray that they would “let the Holy Spirit do His work through His Word.” Pray for guidance as they prepare for an outreach to two villages this spring.

Jonathan and Devon Ames minister among the Kuyu people of Papua New Guinea. Pray for Jonathan and Devon, Jacob and Katie DeValve and Michael and Morgan LeBlanc as they progress through culture and language acquisition (CLA). “Pray for our next CLA evals [in February]; [it] would be great if one of us gets to ‘capable mid,’ as this opens the door for literacy. … Pray for the hearts and minds of the Kuyu, for genuine, healthy relationships in the local and larger Kuyu community. [Pray] for continued excitement and positive momentum in the community as we move toward literacy and finish up CLA.”

Learn more about culture and language acquisition

Harold and Christine Hull serve in Papua New Guinea (PNG). They are looking for two families to form a church planting team with them so they can begin living and ministering among a people group in PNG. “Pray for us as we start talking with the other families on the field. [Pray] that God would show us all who He wants us to partner with and where He would want us to go.” Pray for more laborers in PNG. “There are many people groups asking for missionaries, but the laborers are few and getting fewer and fewer.”

Matt and Karissa Long minister to missionaries serving in Papua New Guinea. This past Christmas was a reminder to the Longs that “God only gives good gifts to His children.” The Longs originally asked God to make them church planters, but “instead He led us to support church planters through Member Care. That role has been a gift better than we could imagine.” Pray for the Longs as they balance their time. Pray that God would grant them wisdom as they minister to missionaries. Pray “for a hard situation in PNG that Matt is trying to help with from afar.”

Jason and Laken Cizdziel minister among the Uriay people of Papua New Guinea. “After years of preparation, language study, culture study and enduring trials of various kinds, I can now with confidence announce that there is new life [in the Uriay people group]. People are understanding and believing Yawe’s stories. … Celebrate with us. Believers, you have new brothers and sisters [among the Uriay]. Many of them.” Praise the Lord! Pray for the Cizdziels as “our work is nowhere near finished.” Pray that as the new believers continue to hear the teaching and grow in the Lord, they will not return to their old beliefs.

In 2024 we witnessed God’s continued work in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Praise the Lord for Bible translation work, chronological teaching, literacy workshops, new believers, growth in the Church, Bible dedications, surveys, discipleship and church outreaches. It is our hope that in this new year, the following statistics will help you know how to pray for the people of PNG and the more than 300 missionaries who serve with New Tribes Mission PNG.

800+ Indigenous languages in PNG

~300 People groups in PNG that still need the gospel in their heart language

80+ People/language group locations where we’ve had missionaries

400+ Churches established by NTM PNG since 1950

43 Active church plants

9 People groups identified as priority locations for new missionary teams

8 Existing works needing more team members

3 Missionary teams partnered with a national church to reach another language group within Papua New Guinea

Opportunities to Serve

Jack and Lael Crabtree minister among the Wantakia people of Papua New Guinea. They are “preparing the church to establish and appoint their own elders and deacons to shepherd the flock!” This month, “the entire church will hike to a nearby village to officially ask if they would be interested in hearing the Creation to Christ teaching in 2025! This will mark the first time the gospel has been carried beyond the borders of [the village where we live], and it will be led by Wantakian Bible teachers.” Pray for the Crabtrees as they manage their time between preparing for this outreach and meeting the needs of the church.

Check out some older videos from this team

Coleton and Shawna Williams minister among the Kuman people of Papua New Guinea. “[In December,] we had a huge ceremony to release the Kuman Bible [translated by Will and Kelly Tallman] (and Biblical comics) into the hands of Kuman speakers. Hundreds of people came to join the celebration from all over the highlands. … Believers read from God’s Word in their own language. Clear, clean, understandable and life changing.” Praise God!

At the same time, “the whole day was far from perfect, … [and] there is still so much work to be done.” Pray that God would continue to mold the church into the image of Christ.

Help Fund Bible Translation.

Chad and Martha Earl minister among the Maliyali people of Papua New Guinea. “The Maliyali people’s ancestors taught them that their physical well-being was of chief importance and that the spiritual realm played a major day-to-day part in that. … So now, as two-year-old believers, a major temptation for them is to go back to thinking that if they want their life and their family’s lives to go well, then they need to continue to follow their ancestors’ laws.” Pray that God would “uproot those lies with the truth of His Word and the power of His Spirit in these guys’ lives.”

Andrew and Sara Royer minister to students and staff at Ethnos360 Bible Institute (EBI). This past fall, EBI and Ethnos360 Training Center (ETC) had their first ever Equip Conference. The main goal of the conference was “to encourage our students to continue on” to train at ETC after they finish their two years of learning at EBI. The three-day conference was a success. “We have already seen fruit from this investment, with students deciding to move straight on to [ETC]. … It did exactly what we’re here to do — mobilize and prepare missionaries!” Praise God for an encouraging conference. Pray that God would continue to motivate students to serve Him through missions.

Learn more about Ethnos360 Bible Institute at e360bible.org.

Colin and Megan Rogers minister among the Nukak people of Colombia. They are "developing short books for the Nukak library" and recently finished a shortened literacy program for those with some reading experience. "We had 11 participants, with about six to seven attending on any given class day. … We believe the time was productive and encouraging to everyone involved! Praise the Lord!” Pray that study materials will “build awareness and excitement in the Nukak community regarding learning to read in their own language. Please pray that some of these young men will help to teach literacy among their own people in the future."

Ben and Nikki Buckner minister among the Nakanai people of Papua New Guinea. Nakanai church leaders Rodney and Bosco taught a group of neighbors “through the redemptive story of the Scriptures.” After studying Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, some put their trust in Christ for the first time, and some new believers came to a better understanding of what Christ has done for them. “Please be praying for the new believers to continue to have a hunger to know Christ more and that their commitment to follow Him would remain strong. … Please pray for the leaders in the church to know how best to meet the needs of these newborn believers.”

Tim and Robin Walker minister among the P1 people of Latin America. Money was donated for the P1 radio ministry, and a recording studio was built in one of the villages. “This is an exciting day for the P1 church. ... They will soon be joining me on the air waves and broadcasting the word of God all over their nation. We will also upload all their recorded content on our P1 website, where any of them connected to WiFi will be able to access all the material. ... The [Church] just keeps growing among the P1s.” Pray that through this ministry, many more would hear the gospel and believe.

Support missionaries in central Asia Pacific operate the Celebes Mission Home as a ministry to other missionaries in the region. “The Celebes Mission Home is a haven of rest for missionaries in Asia Pacific. This guest house sprang from a recognized need to provide a clean, comfortable and affordable place for interior missionaries to stay when they come out of their ministry locations for refreshment or paperwork.” As the work expands, there is a need for more space to host missionaries. Pray that God would provide the funds for the completed purchase, upkeep and renovation of the guest house. Praise God for the blessing that this guest house has been to missionary families in Asia Pacific.

Learn more about the Celebs Mission Home.

Give to this project.

Pray for West Africa’s new Bible and missions training program. There are currently 24 students this first semester representing eight different countries and over 15 people groups. Praise God for their desire to grow in His Word. Pray for the team as they make adjustments to the training, study, prepare lessons and “iron out the details.” The team feels “stretched quite thin,” so pray for wisdom and stamina. “Pray that we would find time to connect one-on-one with our students. … Pray for our students, above all, that their hearts would be encouraged and challenged by their time studying the Word deeply.” Help fund the training of national missionaries.

Pray for West Africa’s new Bible and missions training program. There are currently 24 students this first semester representing eight different countries and over 15 people groups. Praise God for their desire to grow in His Word. Pray for the team as they make adjustments to the training, study, prepare lessons and “iron out the details.” The team feels “stretched quite thin,” so pray for wisdom and stamina. “Pray that we would find time to connect one-on-one with our students. … Pray for our students, above all, that their hearts would be encouraged and challenged by their time studying the Word deeply.” Help fund the training of national missionaries.

As we celebrate Christmas, let’s take a moment to praise God for His printed Word. In 2024, people groups received physical copies of the New Testament and portions of the Old Testament translated into their heart language; some of these were new translations, and some were updated translations. Many held God’s Word in their hands for the very first time. Today they will be able to open their Bibles and read the story of Christ’s birth, something we can easily take for granted! Praise God for His Word for the Moi and Sekadau people of Asia Pacific, the Puinave people of Colombia and the North Wahgi, Kuman, Malaumanda and Sorimi people of Papua New Guinea.

In celebration of serving in Papua New Guinea for 75 years, New Tribes Mission PNG would like to invite you to pray with us for a series of people groups we, as a mission, are working among.

The Kovol people are a remote mountain people living among the Adelbert Mountains. They are subsistence farmers, living in small hamlets spread over the mountains and working the land to provide for their families. They are a two-day journey from town, and the ruggedness of the terrain they live in means that providing medical care, education and even bringing in supplies are extraordinarily difficult tasks.

The Kovol language had never been written down before, until the Hansen, Stanley and Stous families moved into Kovol in 2020 to begin the process of learning the language and culture. Please pray with us for the next steps in seeing a thriving church established among the Kovol people. Watch this video.