Fall may be in full swing back home in Wisconsin, but here in Missouri, it's only just begun. The trees are still green, the air is just beginning to get cold, and just five days ago we were cooling off in the lake! Here's a few pictures from our fall so far...

Ha Ha Tonka State Park is one of the top state parks in Missouri, and is only a 10 minute drive from campus. There are caves, natural bridges, one of the largest natural springs in Missouri, and the ruins of a mansion that was built, but never finished, around the turn of the twentieth century.

Liesl and I with our friends Jerry, Faith, and Sam outside the ruins of the mansion at Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

Pete going off the rope swing at the lakefront here on campus. The landing on this one wasn't pretty.

Our friend Doug, who is going to Thailand with his wife Kellee when they are done with the training, made sticky rice with red curry for dinner one night...yum!

Pete and Sam wait for the sticky rice to be done...

On the road to Kansas City, where Liesl judged a gymnastics meet and we stayed with Liesl's best friend Sarah and her husband Ryan.

Our friends Ryan and Sarah took us to the Kansas City Royals game while we were visiting them. The home team lost to C.C. Sabathia and the Cleveland Indians, but it was dollar night (all hot dogs, peanuts, and sodas were only $1!) so we were happy anyway!


That's the brief picture tour of our fall so far...hope you all are enjoying yours as well!

And His Faithfulness...

"For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His faithfulness endures to all generations." Ps. 100:5

Step by step, day by day, the Lord is showing Himself faithful in every area of our lives. Each day brings new challenges and opportunities to trust in Him, trials to bring us closer to Him, and the opportunity to become more diligent in prayer.

The Lord has shown us that just as He was a faithful God for Israel in the Old Testament, so He is the same for us today. As we have never been accepted by God on the basis of how often we attend church, or how much money we have or do not have, or how well we do in class, but on our faith in what He did for each of us on the cross.

So as the moments of worry, doubt, or frustration come in our daily lives we remember He is so much more for us than our simple minds can comprehend. He knows about our tomorrow, and cares for us as we go through today. He is faithful!

A Day in the Life

It’s Tuesday morning. The alarm goes off at 6:35 a.m. Liesl gets up, grabs her towel and shower carrier and heads out the door to the washhouse 50 yards down the gravel road from our apartment. I fall back asleep. The alarm goes off at 6:45 a.m. I snooze until Liesl walks in just before 6:55 a.m., then spring out of bed and hit the washhouse myself, narrowly beating the 7:00 a.m. rush. This is how our days begin.

We’ve been here at the Missionary Training Center for just over three weeks now, and while it’s not Wisconsin, we’re beginning to feel at home, and even have something of a routine. Classes begin at 8:00 a.m. and end at 12:00 p.m. each day, but this past week we had a special afternoon session from 1:20-2:20 p.m. In this session, George Walker, an expert on worldviews and a fine speaker who served with New Tribes in Papua New Guinea for 18 years, elaborates on and adds to his morning classes. For two days we also had a special class on the history of New Tribes, taught by Paul Wyma, one of the members of the NTM Executive Committee. As Liesl mentioned previously, the founders’ faith and vision was challenging. Their firm belief in “God plus nothing” still shapes NTM today, as business and ministerial decisions are based firmly in faith in God’s provision, direction, and perfect Word.

Speaking of challenging, Liesl and I also have campus ministry from 2:30-5:00 p.m. Monday through Wednesday each week. Campus ministry, also known as work detail, gives us practical training in skills we may need on the field – and also keeps cost down on campus. Liesl works at the Tech Center, often filling orders of special equipment for missionaries on the field (think special fans for use in mosquito nets, fuse boxes for use in tribal missionaries’ houses, solar panel demonstrations, etc) and organizing supplies and various pieces. Luckily, she does most of her work in an air-conditioned unit (although the barn where some of the supplies are is not air-conditioned…and occasionally has brown recluse spiders in it). I, on the other hand, am on the grounds crew. I generally work with two to three other guys on a project crew, doing various jobs from digging new runoff ditches (in 98 degree heat at times!) to putting out burn piles as thunderstorms with 50 mph winds sweep in – I did that just last week.

We will each be working at two different outreaches, which will begin this week. Liesl will be working once a week at Women 2 Women, a one-on-one women’s mentoring program. I will begin working with the Orion Center, a Biblically-based science center in Camdenton next week as well, helping them develop and promote their various programs.

Our days are busy, but we enjoy them. We find time to do other things of course (like set up our own webpage through NTM! Check out the link on the right!); the homework load is light so far, which has given us time to enjoy the company of our like-minded fellow students and build relationships with some of the staff here. We have a lot to learn, from the staff, most of whom have spent 10-20 years working overseas, from our classes, taught by the staff, and from our classmates, our surroundings, and the Lord…Who has been faithful to mold our thoughts and teach us throughout each moment of our busy days.

It’s exciting to finally be here…we’ve only just begun, but we know we’ll be leaving here in no time, taking another step of faith, moving somewhere new, and, as is our prayer, seeking the Lord’s direction wherever He might have us serve Him.

We've made the move!!

At 9:00pm on Monday night, August 13th, Pete and I accompanied by both sets of our parents rolled down the dusty, gravel road as we entered the New Tribes Mission Training Center campus.

We stopped first at the Administration Building to give a phone call to our host couple, Grant and Alana Mayer, so they could come down and show us our new apartment. Each Mission Training Center (MTC) staff couple is assigned to a few new students to show them around the campus, direct them to their new apartment, help unpack, and invite them over to get to know them a little better and make them feel welcome. Most of the staff and their families live right on campus with us so we really get the chance to build a strong relationship and have positive Christian fellowship and discipleship all the time. This is an amazing blessing!

The Mayers were great! It was late, but they made sure our air conditioning was working in our apartment since it was 105 degrees the day we arrived! We brought just a few things in, our parents headed off to their hotel in Camdenton, a nearby town, and we settled in for the night.

Eight o'clock came early the next morning, but the Mayers were at our door right on time to begin unloading our truck. We quickly learned that once other students on campus realize you are moving in they all come out to help too. Our truck was unloaded in about 20 minutes!

We then began organizing everything, putting away boxes, and figuring out the best layout for the space that we have. Our apartment here on campus includes a living room/kitchen, adjoining small bedroom, and a half bath. We have no shower in our apartment, so each morning we take about a 50 yard walk across the road in front of our building to the wash house. This is where the showers are and also the laundry facilities. Our apartment is nice and cozy, but we are already learning to be grateful to the Lord of the small things. When we moved in our apartment it was already painted with brown and a nice beige on the walls, which Liesl was very excited about! You ladies know, just the fact that we don't have to sit and stare at white walls for our two years of study here was enough to get a huge smile out of me!!

With our parents help we were able to get everything unpacked and looking as much like a home as possible in about 2 days! It was such a blessing that both of our parents were able to come, I don't know how we would have gotten everything accomplished without them.

Also in this time we were able to take a tour of the campus with some of the highlights being the gorgeous lake front, the large classroom where we will be having all of our classroom training with it's flags of many different countries, the offices of all of the academic staff that we will soon get to know, the MTC library that is available to students anytime, and the bookstore conveniently right on campus so we can easily purchase our books and other things for studying.

We also spent an afternoon at our host couple's home, just up the hill from our apartment where they introduced our parents to a South American tradition of drinking an herbal mixture called Terere' mixed with cold water. It's always a good time to talk and get to know each other as you pass the drinking instrument called a bombilla around the circle of people. Pete and I both tried the drink for the first time in Bible School, it almost tastes like a very natural iced tea, but you can also drink it hot, it's yummy!

All in all we have had quite a smooth transition into this new phase of our lives. Tomorrow is Monday and we begin our orientation where we learn the ropes of living on campus, what we will be doing for our practical ministries in the afternoons, and an overview of what our classes are going to be and what is expected of us as students in the training. We are both very excited and will update again soon to let you all know more of the specifics on what we will be studying, and how God is working in our lives. We have also included a few pictures of our move, and of the campus so you can share in what we are doing.

Thank you all for your prayers for our safe journey here, and we covet your friendship, prayers, and support as we go through this first transition into becoming involved in career missions work with New Tribes Mission. God bless you all, you are in our thoughts and prayers as well. More updates to come soon!!

My brother Mike and sister-in-law Tessa were two of many that came to help us pack up our moving truck at our apartment in Waukesha, WI.

One of the views you would see as you drive into the MTC campus. It is down in a valley surrounded by the beautiful Missouri Ozarks.

This is our apartment building, we are the very first door. There are a total of five apartments in this building alone.

The small aisle we made as the boxes came in.

With our host couple, Grant and Alana Mayer

Our finished living room, directly to the right side of this picture...

our kitchen area!

The half bathroom

Lastly, a look at our bedroom, yes, this was in the "move in" stage.

Dad & Mom Hypki

We were so grateful that both sets of our parents could make the trip with us.

Dad & Mom Muscanero

Relaxing after a days work of moving in. Praise God for all He has done!

Family Vacation

Mom and Dad Muscanero rented a cottage for the whole family for a week up in northern Wisconsin right outside of Minocqua. We got in the car and drove up on Saturday night, July 7th and woke up the next morning ready to get out on the boat and do some skiing and wakeboarding. Mike, Tessa, and Madeline showed up later Sunday afternoon, and Jay and Lindsey joined the family on Tuesday night.

We had a week full of boating, sun bathing, playing frisbee, bocce ball, and croquet, which by the way is not Liesl's game...(I lost to my Mom!!)

The family pitched in together to do all the meals, we grilled out, and relaxed by the water. And when it rained we drove into town and visited the local coffee shop, which crazy as it might seem was more expensive than Starbucks!

On Wednesday night we celebrated Madeline's 1st birthday. Lindsey made the cutest pink and yellow caterpillar cake, and we gave Maddie a piece and let her go at it! She was sweet, literally as she was covered with frosting when finished. Time for a bath!!

On one of our last nights up at the cottage we had a bonfire of course making peanut butter smores, the best ever, and watching the neighbors amazing fireworks display.

Of course, Jay had to pull out his fireworks then too, and set off bottle rockets. It was quite hilarious to watch since it took him a minute or too between to light another one. The neighbors were laughing. Then Jay (with encouragement from Pete) decided to throw a whole brick of noisemakers in the fire. Well, to their enjoyment the fire exploded sending live embers everywhere! We all laughed after running full speed to get our clothing and hair away from the exploding fire.

It was a really fun and relaxing week for everyone and a great time spent with family. We look forward to keeping up the tradition each summer, this has been the 3rd year going up north with all of us. Now it has been back to work, and packing for our move to Missouri.

Both of us ready to hit the lake!!

Uncle Pete and Madeline watching Mom (Tessa) waterski

So, when we rented the boat this boat driver was part of the package deal. He was pretty cool except he kept insisting that we call him Captain.

Liesl up on the skiis, I think this is before Dad picked up the speed through the 5 foot waves!

Those are the game faces before croquet

One of our many fabulous meals!

Uncle Pete and Maddie with their morning yogurt faces!

We all had an awesome week!!

Six weeks and counting...

Welcome to July. It's been hot and humid here in Wisconsin, but that's better than ice and snow in the middle of summer...because that would be really weird. But kind of fun, in a let's-make-a-snowman-in-the-middle-of-summer kind of way.

It's hard to believe but six weeks from now we will be on our way to Camdenton, Missouri. Technically we're closer to Roach, Missouri, but who wants to admit that? Anyway, August 13th is the date. We'll hit the road early that morning, and eight or nine hours later, should arrive in the hot and humid Lake of the Ozarks country. But it will be fun, we're sure.

In the mean time, we're trying to wrap up a lot of last-six-weeks projects, from putting prayer lists and prayer cards together (watch your mail!), speaking at churches, and getting rid of our Wisconsin farmer tans so we don't get laughed at in Missouri. Ok, well, only Pete needs to work on that.

We are also continuing to pray that the Lord would provide clear direction as to where He would have us serve with NTM when we finish the training, and that He guide us in raising adequate support, and prepare us for overseas work.

Your prayers are appreciated as we pack, spend time with family, finish out our jobs, and take the next step on the path that God has laid out for us.

God Bless your 4th of July!

P.S. Here are a few pictures from our summer so far!

Pete speaking at his New Tribes Bible Institute graduation on May 18th!

On vacation in Door County, WI with Pete's family

The Hypki girls on the beach in Door County

Sharing some ice cream at Door County Ice Cream Factory

Easter

The weekend of Easter, we were able to spend time with both sides of our family.

We drove 10 minutes from our apartment on Saturday afternoon to have an early dinner with Pete's parents and sister Alissa. After a dinner of ham, asparagus quiche, spinach salad with balsamic dressing with dried cranberries, bleu cheese, and walnuts, (yes, Liesl was a fan), and raspberry tiramisu we all settled into the living room to watch Pirates 2, which yes, is not as good as one, but still entertaining.

The evening ended with a few family card games and pizza, and we headed back home with loads of Easter goodies, and leftovers.

On Sunday after church we drove up to Baraboo where we joined Liesl's family, for an Italian Easter meal, or pasta, lamb, potatoes, veggies, and spicy broccoli, which wasn't actually supposed to be spicy. We figured out that Mom Muscanero had accidentally bought the jalapeno peppers for the broccoli instead of green chilies! The majority of the family thought it was better that way, so go Mom!

After dinner we played games with Liesl's two brothers, Mike and Jay, and Liesl's two sister-in-laws Tessa and Lindsey. And as usual at the Muscanero family get togethers everyone had a great time watching our niece Madeline as she crawled around and enjoyed being the center of attention. Jay's dog Willie also loves Madeline, she's the only one of us that lets him lick her face.

It was a good weekend, we really enjoyed spending time with everyone, and hope to do it again soon.

It's official!

As of two Thursdays ago, which would be...ummm...shoot, math is hard...let's see...carry the one...got it. As of nine days ago, we have been officially accepted to attend the New Tribes Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Camdenton, Missouri. We had applied just after Christmas and were excited to finally receive confirmation we would be attending this fall. It's a gorgeous campus - set on 350 acres in the Lake of the Ozarks chain - but the campus is low on housing, so we were praying there would be room for us to squeeze in. And well, God's good, and we're going.

Classes start on August 20, so at some point shortly before then we'll begin the ten-hour drive to the southwest corner of the Show-Me State. Once there, we'll begin the first of two to two and a half years of field training and linguistic training. We're both very excited, and celebrated by making homemade pizza and drinking Cherry Coke. Which is about as close to a perfect meal as you can get when you're a 23 year-old male. I don't know if Liesl saw it that way, but well...she married me, and therefore, she married pizza too!

Anyway...the countdown's begun! Only...shoot, math again...umm...seven plus forty-two is...136 days till we move!