Halfway there (This is no joke!)

Happy April Fool's Day! Because of the ironic timing of this post, I just want to begin by promising that none of the news I share in this post is a joke. What's a person to do though when the first free day in a long time falls on such a "suspicious" date?!

Thank you for all of you who have been praying for me these past months! Last time I posted, which was over two months ago (yes, I'm quite late getting this post out...promise I have good reasons), I was sharing about milestones, many of which were taking place in Papua New Guinea.

Today, I get to share with you a few exciting ones for me. I'm praising God because I've officially passed the 50% support mark! Woohoo! I'm amazed at God's faithfulness and so humbled to see the passion and willingness of individual believers and church families who are excited about being part of taking the gospel to people who've never had access to it before!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to each of you who are giving and praying! It is a joy to be serving the Lord with you!

In additional to reaching the halfway point in my support raising, I'm also halfway through my training here in Canada. I'm not sure how that is possible! (Wasn't August just last month?) These past two months have been really intense and exciting in my classes! We've dug into the "nitty gritty" of phonetics and phonemics, learning how to accurately recognize and record the sounds of any language we encounter. Lord willing, these linguistic classes will allow my team and I to develop an efficient, usable orthography (the fancy word for alphabet) and make accurate choices in the Bible translation process in the future.

Oh yeah, remember that confusing looking chart I showed you in January? (See here if you don't remember.) I understand all of those symbols now. Along with my class, I've been studying, drilling, analyzing, listing, sorting, and charting these symbols to prepare for the work ahead.

We've also been digging into the animistic worldview, and understanding the cultural barriers that are present when we begin to teach the Bible in an animistic culture. (This video gives a heartbreaking glimpse into the life of animistic people). 

Throughout each step, God is continuing to increase my passion for this work, and my excitement to GO! 

SERVING NOW

Although the training is certainly my primary focus right now, the reality is that I'm not in a waiting period to serve God "someday." I'm called to serve now, and one of my desires when I moved to Canada was to find ways to actively get involved in outreach here. 

One of the really exciting opportunities God has provided has come through my friendship with a Syrian refugee family who came to Canada last fall. Because of my prior ESL teaching experience, I volunteered to work as a language helper to guide them as they work very hard to learn English and integrate into life here in Canada. While I started out in a teacher role, over the months as I've spent time with them each week, they really have just become my dear friends.

I spend most of my time with the girls, and they have been very curious about my faith, asking question about what I believe. Although there is still a great deal of our communication that is "lost in translation" because of their limited English (and my non-existent Arabic), some seeds have been planted. Please pray for "my" Syrian family to understand the love of God and the gospel of grace! Also, pray for me as I struggle to clearly communicate and answer their questions about my faith while dealing with the significant language barrier.

Follow me on Facebook to get more regular updates, prayer requests, and pictures of my everyday life here at the training center.

Click HERE to see a summary of who I am and what I'm doing.

Click HERE to find out more about financial partnership.

Click HERE to download a pdf bulletin insert of this update.

Huge Milestones! Strong Cornerstone!

It's so great to be back into the swing of classes here at the missionary training center! I'm beginning my second semester, which will be heavily focused on linguistic training. I'll be studying the different vocal sounds that make up speech, analyzing how these sounds are put together into different spoken languages, and learning how to develop a usable alphabet for languages that are currently unwritten.

This part of the training will be hugely important when I someday move into an unreached people group and have to decipher and learn their language without any study helps, then develop a usable written alphabet to go along with the spoken language. It's an essential part of the process to bring the Word of God to them in their own language!

But WOW is it ever a huge task!! The longer I'm here in the training, the more I'm reminded that there is no way this entire 15+ year process can happen apart from God's power and direction!

I've found that one of the most exciting things is to see other families and other teams who have been trusting God in this process longer than I have, and who are reaching some incredible milestones because of His faithfulness!

I want to share a few of the milestones that I'm specifically rejoicing over this week!

Most of you who have read my past blogs have heard about the two families who, Lord willing, will be my future teammates in Papua New Guinea! The Swensons and the Noyes families have completed the same training I'm currently taking, seen God raise up financial ministry partners, and now -- drumroll, please -- they are heading to PNG this week! In fact as you read this, one of the families is likely in the air and the other is following in a couple days!

They'll spend the next 4-6 months learning the national language and culture! Then, our team will be ready to start selecting the people group with whom we will serve! (I can't wait to be able to join them in PNG!)

Speaking of selecting a people group, today (Monday) there is another team in PNG, who are moving into the tribal village with the people who has asked them to come and teach them "God's talk."

These families have been a blessing to me as I've followed their progress, rejoiced at the doors God has opened, and looked forward to celebrating these same milestones one day!

In every part of this process - training, support raising, moving into the new country, moving into the tribe, presenting the gospel for the first time, translating the Bible, and ultimately, seeing a church planted - God is the only one can make it happen!

Ephesians 2:19-22 reminds us:

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit."

I'm certainly not smart enough, brave enough, clever enough, talented enough, wise enough, or confident enough to do this; But I'm so thankful that I have a solid Cornerstone. MY GOD IS ABLE!!

Click HERE to see a summary of who I am and what I'm doing.

Click HERE to find out more about financial partnership.

Click HERE to download a pdf bulletin insert of this update.

Finished! My First Semester in Review

Happy New Year!

What an incredible year 2016 was for me, full of transitions, challenges, and innumerable blessings from God!

LOOKING BACK

After spending the spring and summer traveling and presenting the work God has called me to do, in August, I moved to Durham, Ontario, Canada to begin training at the NTM missionary training center. On December 16th, I completed my first semester. It was definitely a time of personal and spiritual growth.

I've taken classes on:

• Bible teaching 
• Cross-cultural communication
• Cross-cultural learning & teaching styles 
• Family life on the mission field
• Relationships
• Teamwork
• Singles in ministry
• Bible translation
• Time and Money Management
• and of course the infamous medical training week when I got to practice my shot-giving and suturing skills (No classmates were harmed in this class. I can't say the same for the chicken). 

I grew in my understanding of my identity in Christ, learning to recognize and surrender the parts of my identity and personality that could be a hindrance when I begin to live, work, and serve in a new culture.

I spent plenty of time outdoors, hiking in the summer,

raking in the fall,

and shoveling in the winter.

Most importantly though, I've become more convinced than ever that I'm exactly where God has called me to be, and my passion for taking the gospel to people who have never heard it before has only grown!

SO, WHAT'S NEXT?

On January 9th, I'll begin my second semester of training, diving into the linguistic studies that I will one day need in order to learn an unwritten language and develop a usable alphabet for it. Check out this picture which demonstrates the complexity and challenges that these languages can present.

Please pray that I will retain this essential information from my linguistic studies that will be so critical to the work that I will be doing in the future!

Praises from 2016:

• I've had a successful first semester at Missionary Training Center.
• I've found an amazing and encouraging new church family in Canada.
• In one year, God has provided 43% of the support that I need to serve with a church-planting team in Papua New Guinea.

Click HERE to see a summary of who I am and what I'm doing.

Click HERE to find out more about financial partnership.

Click HERE to download a pdf bulletin insert of this update.

How could it take that long?!?

“When did all of this happen?” asked the old man, who had just heard for the first time ever the entire story of redemption found in the Bible. He was speaking to a missionary who had come to his people and learned his language in order to be able to tell him story of Christ.

“Was it about five years ago?” the old man asked. “Is that when Jesus died so that I could become a friend of God?”

“Why do you think it was five years ago?” asked the missionary.

“You came hear about four years ago, so I thought it must have happened a little time before that, since you had to travel to come to us,” replied the old man, his face shining with incredible joy because of the hope he had for the first time in his life.

“No, it wasn’t five years ago,” the missionary replied, with tears in his eyes. “This happened over two thousand years ago.”

The old man, who had lived all of his life surrounded by hopelessness and living in fear of vengeful, angry spirits, looked at the missionary with complete shock.

“Two thousand years?!?” he asked, with sadness and disbelief.

How could it have taken two thousand years for him and his people to hear this story? If so many people know it, why did no one come to tell them sooner, so that his parents, his grandparents, his ancestors could have had this same hope? 

                                                                   

This is a true story. In fact, earlier this week, the missionary in this story stood in front of my class here at the missionary training center, and told it to us. And I tried to think of what my reply would have been if I had been standing in front of that old man. There really isn’t an excuse or a reason that is sufficient to explain why it would take so long for him and his people to hear it.

Or why there are still over 2,000 other ethnic people groups who are still waiting…

That story reminds me of the many reasons I’m so thankful to be here, training to go to one of those remaining people groups who are waiting to hear of Christ. It is a privilege and a joy to train and prepare under the teaching of missionaries who already have already done this work, and can share their life experiences and wisdom with me. These past two months, I’ve taken classes with a variety of focuses, including chronological Bible teaching, teamwork and relationships, and health/medical training for on the mission field. 

I've had the opportunity to practice my newly acquired suturing skills! (So far, only fowl patients...no humans.)  

I've also learned to give shots and vaccinations, although in this picture, I'm the test subject for one of my classmates.

God has been teaching me so much, through the teaching, during my time studying the Word, and also through my interactions with the staff and students here. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for me! It has been such a smooth transition, and I know that God has answered your prayers for me as I moved to Canada and adjusted to a very new schedule, a new country, a new church family, and a new community here on campus.

I'm praising God for...

1. His work in my heart through the truth of His Word, revealing areas that I need to surrender to Him.

2. Increased faith: I certainly haven’t arrived, but God is continuing to remind me over and over about His sovereignty and goodness in every circumstance.

3. Encouraging new relationships: God has been so good to give me both wonderful encouraging friends here in Canada who encourage me in my walk with Christ, as well as some opportunities to purposefully develop relationships for the purpose of discipleship and sharing the gospel. I don’t have room to share all of the stories in this update, but if you’d be encouraged by hearing a few of the specific ways God has worked out the connections and ministry opportunities, send me an email and I’ll share some of them with you.

4. The 14 households and 5 churches who God has called to partner with me financially so far, bringing my current support level to 32%. Many more people are faithfully praying for me, and I value that support more than I can say!

Please pray for...

1. Understanding and retention of the information in my classes
2. Opportunities to witness and share truth here in my new community

Click HERE to see a summary of who I am and what I'm doing.

Click HERE to find out more about financial partnership.

Click HERE to download a pdf bulletin insert of this update.

Hello from Canada!

Guess what? I'm in Canada!! Okay, so I guess I spoiled that with my blog post title. I'm so thankful to be able to say that I've successfully arrived on campus at the New Tribes Mission missionary training center in Durham, Ontario. For the next 16 months, this is where I'll train and prepare take the gospel, make disciples, and help plant a church among people who not only haven't heard the gospel, but have never had access to it in their language!

I arrived at the NTM training center on Monday, August 22 at 8 pm. The immigration and visa process at the Canadian border took a little bit longer than I had hoped but praise God, there were no problems and I even had a cheerful immigration officer who processed my paperwork. :) I had the blessing of caravanning from Ohio to Ontario with some dear friends and a fellow student (more about that and other recent blessings in my upcoming post).

My s10 pick-up truck was packed to the brim with all of my stuff, including a desk and recliner, so having extra hands to unload was a huge blessing as well!

The past few days I have been settling in, meeting staff, getting to know the campus, setting up my apartment, and completing other tasks like opening a Canadian bank account and running to Wal-Mart for some food essentials....oh, and learning to watch my speed in kilometers and tell the temperature in Celsius (Let's just say that the metric system was covered way too long ago in school!).

I'll be rooming with another female student for the entire program, and we both are overjoyed at the amount of space we have in our apartment. It was a great surprise! Some of you have asked if I'll be living in rustic, primitive conditions! Well, I'm guessing the pictures of my apartment below answer that question for you.

However, the jungle living part of the training will come later next summer, so stay tuned! (Click here for a sneak preview of the type of stove/oven I'll be building and cooking on during that part of the training).

The rest of this week, students will continue to arrive each day. What a unique and exciting opportunity to get to spend the next 16 months training, bonding, and growing with a group of  12 individuals who have a shared passion for the glory of God among all people groups, and a calling to be a part of taking the gospel to the unreached people groups in the remotest parts of the world!

I'm so ready to start this training! On Monday, we will begin orientation, and the following week we begin our classes. This semester, my classes include focuses on cross cultural learning and communication, mission field healthcare, team dynamics, and how to teach the Bible chronologically. I get to learn from individuals who have all been on the mission field for years serving on church planting teams, so their experience, insight, and wisdom will be invaluable! Every day, I'm amazed and humbled that God has led me to be involved in this work. What a joy and privilege!

Please Pray for:
1. Monthly financial partners (I'm currently at 29.5% of my total support)
2. Wisdom and guidance as I choose a church within the next month
3. Understanding, knowledge retention, and a teachable heart as I begin the training
4. God's work in the hearts of the unreached people group with whom I'll live in the future

Note: I'd love to hear from you! If you want to send a letter or package to me while I'm in Canada, here's my mailing address:
Autumn Arp
313363 Hwy 6 S
Box 707
Durham, ON N0G 1R0
Canada

Click HERE to see a summary of who I am and what I'm doing.

Click HERE to find out more about financial partnership.

Click HERE to download a pdf bulletin insert of this update.

The One Month Countdown!

One month from today, I will be leaving the country! Wow, it's hard to believe that last sentence is true! Lord willing, I will be moving to Canada on August 22 and beginning my training at the New Tribe Missionary Training Center in Durham, Ontario. This training will provide and sharpen the knowledge and skills that I need to serve with a church-planting team among an unreached people group.

Me, Craig & Sara Noyes, Paul & Ellen Swenson: Lord willing, these are the teammates with whom I'll work!

During the 16 months I spend at the NTM center, I'll be taking classes like:
        - Semantics and Translation
        - Culture and Language Acquisition Techniques
        - Global Ministry Perspectives
        - Literacy and Teaching Techniques
        - Animism and Folk Religions
        - Phonetics, Phonemics and Grammar
        - Worldviews and Church planting
        - Trekking Essentials and Round Wood Construction....and more!

With all of this ahead, I'm getting ready for a month of big transitions. This Sunday is the last one I will spend with my home church family for quite some time. This week, I will work my last day at the pregnancy center where I've loved serving for the past 1 1/2 years, so for the first time in my adult life, I won't have a paycheck coming from a job (That's faith-building!). I'm packing up my belongings and preparing to leave my apartment and my sister/roommate. I'll be honest, at times there are some bittersweet emotions that go along with these things; but in each step, I'm so confident in God's leading and I can't wait to see how He continues to provide as I continue preparing for the amazing privilege of being involved in this work.

This past month has been busy and exciting, as I've been traveling to speak in churches and meeting one-to-one with individuals to present the work God has called me to do. One of July’s highlights was having the chance to present at the CGBCI National Conference with both the Noyes and Swenson families, the dedicated people with whom I plan to serve, Lord willing.

Prayer together after our team presentation at Conference.

I’m praising God that my financial support is currently at 26.3% and continuing to increase! What a blessing it has been to have more families and churches choose to get involved and invest in the work God is going to do in Papua New Guinea! Would you please pray that God will continue to increase my support percentage, and consider if you might be called to answer that prayer by giving. If you have questions about partnering with me financially, check out this information and feel free to contact me!

Please Pray:
1. For God to raise up more financial partners who will pledge to give monthly or annually
2. For my spiritual growth and walk with God to be consistent throughout all of the transitions
3. For God's guidance in choosing a church in Canada where I can get involved and serve
4. For my future teammates and the people group among whom we will serve one day, that God will begin even now to prepare their hearts for the truth of the gospel


Click HERE to see a summary of who I am and what I'm doing.

Click HERE to find out more about financial partnership.

Click HERE to download a pdf bulletin insert of this update. 

Roller coasters and Missions

Despite growing up 20 minutes from the roller coaster capital of the world, I didn't ride one until I was 19 years old. Of course, if you've waited that long, might as well go for the tallest and fastest in the world, right? After ending the 4 minute ride, my poor brother and sister-in-law had to all but carry me to "safety" as I hyperventilated and fought back tears. Let's just say it was NOT love at first sight!! (Thanks for nothing, Millenium Force!!) I vowed never to ride a coaster again, but finally decided to try one equipped with shoulder straps that pulled tight against me. I loved it and to this day, I will only ride (or at least only enjoy) the coasters with the harness that goes over my shoulders, allowing me to feel secure throughout the ride.

So what does that have to do with what I've been up to this month? Well, to be honest, this has been a bit of a rollercoaster month, with ups and downs, blessings and trials, great joy and some tears. Some of these were ministry related and others were personal, as I walked with friends through some really heartbreaking things, then rejoiced in some provisions and amazing answers to prayer. What a blessing that God is holding me, providing the security I need to be calm regardless of the circumstances! Honestly, sometimes the falls, the turns, the twists can get my stomach in knots and my mind so focused on "finding an out" or holding on 'til the end that I miss what God is doing in the middle.

As I think ahead to all that missions work in a third world country among an unreached people group will include, I'm pretty sure there will be more figurative ups and downs than I can count (probably a lot of literal ups and downs too, since we'll most likely have to travel by helicopter/plane everywhere we go). :-)

Life will always bring pressures...but how I respond to those pressures determines whether I end up being stressed or if I grow in endurance and maturity. (James 1:5). Pray for me that I'll continue to grow in this area, and respond in faith and trust to both the ups and the downs that are ahead. 

(This seems like a good point to insert this video which shows the ups and downs of the landscape of PNG from the wing of an NTM pilot. The first airstrip shown (Simbari) was the village where a dear friend and fellow missionary worked for many years.)

                                   -----------------------What I'm doing now-------------------
Thank you to everyone who is praying for me and supporting me! God is continuing to provide and exceed my expectations as I have the opportunity to present and speak at churches. It is more exciting than I can describe to share with a congregation who doesn't realize that there are still so many ethnic people groups unreached by the gospel. Seeing the Holy Spirit grip their hearts with the reality of the need is humbling and so encouraging! I'll continue to be busy with presentations and support raising over the next two months. Then, on August 22, I will be moving to Ontario, Canada to begin training at Emanate, a missionary training center operated by New Tribes Missions. Time is flying by!


Praises
1. I'm currently at 17% of my total support.
2. There have been tender responses from the individuals in the churches where I've been presenting as they recognize the need of the unreached people groups.
3. Encouragement from God's Word when I need it most.

Prayer Requests
1. For my support level to be at 30% before I leave in August for the Emanate Missionary Training Center in Canada. (I'm praying for individuals and churches to partner with me financially). 
2. For God to use my up-coming presentations to give people a burden for the need of unreached people groups.
3. For humility and spiritual growth in my life.

Click HERE to see a summary of who I am and what I'm doing.

Click HERE to find out more about financial partnership.

Click HERE to download a pdf bulletin insert of this update.