So I am just heading to bed from a long day of school, dentist, sewing, and entertaining. Today at school we had what is called a special emphasis day where we usually have a couple of speakers who talk on a subject, but we just had some of our teachers speak. In between, we had a snack break with some coffee and pastries and apples. Considering i have new teeth and all, I decided to eat an apple without cutting it to test my new pearly whites out. Turned out to be a very bad idea. One of my new teeth cracked in half as I was just finishing the apple. It almost brought me to tears, not because it hurt but because of the process it had taken to get to that point. As Jamie and I sat and contemplated on what to do, I called my dentist that had been taking care of my implant and crowns but she was not answering. Jamie then remembered something the last appointment I had about her going to Brazil to see some family. I was at this point getting a little edgy and frustrated and just decided to go to the nearest dentist that took good care of NTBI students. I went in and told my story to the lady at the front desk that I had seen a couple times before in prior visits. She then said, “okay, hold on one second and I’ll tell Dr. Jaquery” (this is the dentist that was taking care of me that we thought was in Brazil) “you are here.” Relief! She was actually leaving for Brazil later in the afternoon and she got me in and out with my fixed tooth within two hours. Thank You God!

Later today we had an open dorm night where we decorated our dorms to movie themes and show them off for a couple of hours. Our dorm chose Hook and I was chosen to be the one and only Peter Pan. Yesterday I had picked up some on sale green felt that I was going to try to make into a costume along with some green tights I had got, because you can’t be Pan without green tights. I was extremely rushed for time because I had gotten back from the dentist at 1:30 and had work in the kitchen here at school at 3:00 until 6:00 and the open dorm night started at 7:00. But I was determined. From 1:30 till 2:00 I was getting pattern ideas and inspiration off google. From 2:00 till 3:00 I had cut out the pattern and was ready to sew it together. And from 6:00 till 7:00 I sewed up my Pan shirt and hat and was ready to “Bangarang!”.

Weeeehhhhwwww. It was all worth it in the end for some laughs, food, and fellowship with my fellow classmates.

Please be praying that I would grow in my relationship with Christ and knowledge of God as I am here at New Tribes Bible Institute getting a foundation in the Word of God. Please pray that I would grasp and understand the material in the classes I am going through and that I would have a teachable heart. Please feel free to ask questions about what I am learning and how I am doing.

I want to write this letter to you, to tell you in more detail about God’s testimony in my life over the past couple of years. I was one of the first in my family to accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior while I was at a Summer Camp in the 6^th grade. I realized my need for a Savior and that I had no righteousness of my own that could get me to heaven. After I was saved, most of you know the amazing testimony of my parent’s remarriage and on that day I was baptized. I saw the importance of having Jesus in my life and I began to take my faith more seriously. While at Saddleback Church I was surrounded by encouraging friends, church and staff that helped my faith mature. Every Spring Break during High School, I had the opportunity and amazing privilege to go with the youth group to Ensenada, Mexico on a missions trip where I first saw the importance of Cross Cultural Missions.

In the end of my Junior year of High School, my dad got a job opportunity in San Jose and we moved to Livermore and we began to attend Cornerstone Fellowship. My Senior year, I didn’t know anyone but, the High School Home Groups became an opportunity for lifelong friendships. I became very vulnerable and accountable to my close small group of guys. Cornerstone took their first group of High School students to Tijuana, Mexico at a place called Caravan Ministries. It was a week long missions trip where we fellowshipped, built homes for those in need, and grew in our own faith. For most of them, it was the first time being there. Every morning and evening we had speakers bring God’s Truth into the team’s life. Brad Buser, a New Tribes Missionary from San Diego, spoke about Cross Cultural Tribal Missions and his experience with a tribe in Papa New Guinea. After hearing the Truth he brought, the urge became more prevalent to sacrifice my life to share the Gospel with those who have never had the opportunity to hear the name of Jesus Christ.

I have gathered this information about New Tribes on their website, www.ntm.org. “Of the world’s 6,500 people groups, 2,500 are still unreached. (Meaning they have NEVER heard the message of the Gospel or of Jesus Christ) New Tribes Mission helps local churches train, coordinate and send missionaries to these tribes. The NTM missionary team learns the tribal language and understands the culture, so the message of the Gospel can be presented in the language and the manner the people will understand. They translate God’s Word, teach people how to read and write their own language, and teach through the Bible chronologically, laying a foundation for the Gospel among people who have never met the God of the Bible. Missionaries disciple the new believers, equip them to lead their church, and help them reach out to other villages within their own tribe and to neighboring tribes.”

To become a missionary with New Tribes Mission, I am attending the 2 year Bible Institute and will be graduating in one more year. New Tribes Bible Institute’s mission is to train a generation to evangelize the world. “Since 1955, NTBI has existed to train the next generation of young people passionate about God’s glory and reaching the nations with the gospel of grace. God has used NTBI graduates to plant churches in countries all over the world. NTBI continues to provide a solid biblical education in a caring, personal and grace-oriented environment. Current enrollment is around 400 students and campuses are located in Jackson, Michigan and Waukesha, Wisconsin. The purpose of NTBI, as an integral part of the training program of New Tribes Mission, is to equip and establish believers in the interpretation and application of the foundational truths of the Bible.” The classroom sizes at the Bible Institute are small and more intimate. I am able to ask questions, get answers, and make meetings with my teachers if I need help. I have about 1-2 hours of homework per class a night and I take 3 classes minimum a day. Most teachers and staff are supported and have been through New Tribes Mission’s training or more bible training. It’s been amazing to be a part of a group of friends and dorm that grows together, learns together, and who are working together for the same purpose.

While I was finishing my first year at NTBI, my parents moved to Washington State because of a job opportunity for my dad. For my summer break, I came back to a new town, with a new church and new people. Community Bible Church was very welcoming as a church body under one hundred members. Pastor Dan was teaching on 1 and 2 Peter while I was there and it continued challenging me in my maturity. He was very open and available to talk to about school and what my plan was for the future, which gave both of us the opportunity to get to know each other in a short period of time. As soon I got to Washington, I began looking for jobs.  For a couple weeks, nothing looked promising but I got a call from a bike shop about thirty minutes away from Granite Falls that I applied for. I went for an interview the next morning and was working the day after. It was a very difficult atmosphere to work in just coming back from bible school, but God had a specific purpose for me being there. By my last day, one of my co-workers had become open and honest about the double life he was living at church and work. He was a born again Christian that had just been caught up with the pleasures of this world, so as a brother in Christ I confronted him one on one. He accepted my reproach and recognized the sins he was involved in. The Holy Spirit had already been convicting him and he knew he needed to change. I asked him if I could call him once a week to ask him the hard questions and keep him accountable and he gladly accepted.

My most enjoyable time over the summer was every moment I spent with my family. My parents were always encouraging, my brothers were amazingly fun just to be with, and they were all used by God to shape me in some way. The biggest molding experience was when my mom and dad chose to bring Kevin back home when he called from California living on the streets. I learned more about grace through that experience than I had my whole life and so much of the Bible came to life. Another challenge was learning to wait on God’s timing as Jamie and I talk more about marriage. As I learn more about God’s intent for marriage and what the world and culture think I am more concerned about mine and Jamie’s purity as a couple. I am also learning as well though that I must rely on God’s power daily and His view of Jamie to get us through each day as we pursue engagement in the near future.

The next training that NTM requires is at their Missionary Training Center. “NTM’s training program will equip you to be a part of the team that is prepared to meet the challenges in planting churches among unreached tribal people in remote locations. Millions of tribal men, women and children are isolated from the Gospel by a variety of barriers, including:

• Geography: Many live in remote, isolated parts of the world.

• Culture: Their worldviews, ways of life and ways of thinking are very different.

• Language: Many tribal people speak only their own language; most are fluent only in their own language.

“Missionary training at NTM’s Missionary Training Center will equip you to be a part of the team that overcomes these barriers in order to plant a church.”

So as I think back of God’s testimony in my life I thank Him for the grace He has shown me which gives me the courage to trust Him with my entire being. Psalm 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” This verse has been stuck in my head for the last couple of months and has given me the confidence to write the rest of this letter. My course is this: to become a missionary trough New Tribes Mission in the next five years married to Jamie Esmeyer. I am trusting 100% in God that He knows the best steps for me to take to get there and I am 100% confident that this is in God’s will because of His love for the world.

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