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.
