Who Won the Tour de France?

Lance Armstrong won … or did he???

Lance Armstrong was noted for winning the Tour de France. But did he really win? You see the Tour de France is a team sport even though individuals seem to get all the recognition. Lance rode for the U. S. Postal Service Team. His teammates put him in a position to win the Tour de France. To say that Lance Armstrong (by himself) won would be like saying that Eli Manning won the Super Bowl last year.

I remember watching some of the Tour de France back in 2001. The U. S. Postal Team was in the front of the peloton (the main pack of riders). Lance was in the middle of his team allowing them to break the wind for him. Two members of Lance's team dropped to the back of the peloton. At first I thought that something was wrong, but that was not the case. Once they got to the back of the pack, they rode near a U. S. Postal Service car that was following the peloton. Then they grabbed a bunch of water bottles and stuffed them in a pack on their back. After picking up the water, they made their way toward the front again. Once they had caught up to the rest of U. S. Postal Service Team, then they distributed their precious cargo to their teammates. These riders have a special name. They are called "domestics". Their sole purpose is to make sure that the rest of their team has the supplies that they need to carry them through the race.

Who is the most important member?

Many of us have heard the name Lance Armstrong, but how many of us can name even one other member of the U. S. Postal Service Team? Can you name any of the domestics on their team?

Did you know that New Tribes Mission has domestics? There are people living in towns who buy supplies for the tribal missionaries. There are pilots who fly those supplies into the tribal locations. There are teachers here in the United States who train potential tribal missionaries. Which member of the team is more important?

Lance could not have won the Tour de France without the help of his teammates. The domestics were just as much a winner of the Tour de France as Lance was. So too, tribal missionaries could not do their job without the supporting cast of "domestics" behind them.

Why the U. S. Postal Service?

Have you ever wondered why Lance rode for the U. S. Postal Service? Why didn't he form his own team and call it "The Lance Armstrong Team"? The U. S. Postal Service sponsored the team. Without their support, Lance's team would have to turn elsewhere for funds.

So which member of the team is the most important? All the riders have a vital part in the race. However, any individual rider could probably be replaced. But what if the U. S. Postal Service withdrew their support of the team? Lance and his buddies would have been between a rock and a hard place!

If there is one key individual on the team taking the gospel to the remote corners of the earth I would say that it's those people who support and pray for missionaries. As far as I'm concerned, you are the most important part of my ministry. Without my support team who sponsor in this work, I would be between a rock and a hard place!

Thanks to all who are a part of my team!

If you would like more information on how you can be part of my team taking the good news of Jesus Christ to unreached people groups, please check out my webpage for partnership opportunities.

Because of Calvary,

Bob Nyberg

It loses something in the translation

An American visitor in Austria was a bit confused when he read the following sign in a hotel catering to skiers:

Not to perambulate the corridors in the hours of repose in the boots of ascension.

The expression, “it kind of loses something in the translation” comes to mind.

When translating from one language into another language it is important to understand not only the individual words, but also sentence structure (or grammar) and the cultural significance behind the words being translated.

The other day I was reading from my Greek New Testament in John chapter 2 and I stumbled across something rather curious.

Verse 14: And He (Jesus) found in the temple [ἱερός] those who sold oxen and sheep and doves…

Verse 15: He drove them all out of the temple [ἱερός]…

Verse 19: Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple [ναός], and in three days I will raise it up.”

Verse 21: But He was speaking of the temple [ναός] of His body.

Questions immediately came to mind. What is the difference between ἱερός and ναός? Why did Jesus use ναός rather than ἱερός when referring to His body?

So I went to Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament for an answer. Trench wrote:

Both ἱερός and ναός are translated “temple” in our English versions. Although it is difficult to say how they could have been distinguished, translating them by different words would have clarified the sacred narrative and made it more precise.

He goes on to explain that ἱερός refers to the whole temple complex whereas ναός refers to the heart and center of the temple — the dwelling place of God.

The Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest translates it like this:

And Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found seated in the outer courts of the temple those who were in the habit of selling oxen and sheep and doves… He ejected from the outer courts of the temple… Jesus said to them, “You destroy this inner sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.” But that One was speaking concerning the inner sanctuary, the one which is His body.

Our Lord was saying that God the Father, the first person of the Trinity, resided in the Holy of Holies (inner sanctuary) which was Jesus’ very own body. It is no wonder the unbelieving Jewish leaders went ballistic when Jesus made claims such as this.

Yet most English translations do not attempt to bring out the contrast between these two different Greek words. Although our English Bibles are not nearly as confusing as the Austrian Hotel sign, nevertheless something gets lost in the translation.

When teaching the Word of God or translating the Scriptures into the dialect of native people, it is vital that the missionary has a good understanding of the language and culture of the people that they are trying to reach with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our students are being trained to do just that here at the Missionary Training Center. They are learning the principles of effective communication in a cross-cultural context as they sit in classes such as phonetics, tribal church planting, Bible translation, etc.

Adam and Julie Martin are working among the Akolet people in Papua New Guinea. After they clearly presented the gospel message an Akolet man named Lonsi told them, “Now I understand. For years and years I’ve been trying and trying and trying to make myself right with God, but I knew from the Bible teaching that I couldn’t do it. Only this Rescuer that God was going to send could. And now I understand how all my sin went onto Jesus and then Jesus died. Wow! I believe that. It’s so easy!”

The lights came on for Lonsi as he understood the clear and simple message of the gospel. Why? Because Adam and Julie were trained to communicate the gospel clearly. Not that long ago they were sitting in classes here at the Missionary Training Center. I had the privilege of teaching them phonetics. And God’s children are the ones who have made that possible. I could not be here without a partnership team praying for me and sponsoring me in this ministry. The prayer support of God’s children and their love gifts on my behalf make it possible for the next generation of missionaries to have an eternal impact around the world. I am so thankful for all those have touched my life and ministry by praying and giving. The result is that God’s kingdom is being built in the remote corners of the world.

Bob

Phonetics & Language Learning

We are halfway through teaching our phonetics course. We have 35 students who are taking phonetics and they seem to be doing well for the most part. Some are having struggles saying and hearing certain sounds, but that is to be expected.

It is amazing how making a phonetic mistake when speaking another language can create a world of confusion. One of my coworkers on staff here is from Brazil. He speaks English well, but he does speak it with a Brazilian-Portuguese accent. Once you get used to his accent, you can understand him quite well. But sometimes he might say something which is not quite understandable. For instance, he will often enunciate the vowel “a” (as in bat) when he really means to say the vowel “e” (as in bet). He also has a tendency to go voiceless at the end of words. As a result, when he tries to say a word like “logs” it will come out “locks.” Once you know those tendencies, you can usually figure out what he really meant to say when things don’t quite sound right in his pronunciation of English.

He told me of an experience that he had with an English speaking partner who did not know those tendencies with his accent. My Brazilian friend had just arrived in country and a very helpful American coworker decided to help him out by driving him to various stores to fill his wife’s shopping list. They had most of the groceries purchased and were down to the last item on the list. My Brazilian friend told the American that his wife needed some eggs. The American said that he knew right where to get that. So they got in the car and headed to another part of town. My Brazilian friend was somewhat puzzled why they could not buy the eggs where they bought the rest of the groceries. They pulled up to a hardware store and walked in. Then the American told the clerk that his friend here needed to buy an “axe.” Well, I guess “eggs” and “axe” are somewhat close in pronunciation.

Phonetics is definitely an important tool for anyone learning another language.

Our Spring semester is beginning to wind down. As we near the end, motivation has a tendency to decline. Both our teachers and students need the tenacity and determination to stay strong to the end.

Bob

Moving Into a Tribe

Have you ever wondered what it is like for a missionary to move into a tribal location? Before NTM missionaries move into a tribe in Papua New Guinea they typically go through a process called “bush orientation.” No, they don’t have to learn about all the different types of bushes found in the jungle before they move in. Although having experienced poison ivy the grows prolific in the bush here in Missouri, that might not be a bad idea.

I will let John Michael tell you what “bush orientation” is like in Papua New Guinea. He wrote:

So, now for a quick recap of our “bush orientation” time with the Mariama tribe: Mariama has a strong established church thanks to the efforts of the Woodard and Holmquist families over the last 11 years. This being the case, we were turned over to the Mariama Believers and put into their care, and care for us they did. They spent a lot of time teaching us their way of life which took the form of 12-hour hikes through the jungle to hunt pigs (which also turned up a couple tree kangaroos, a monitor lizard, and many other things,) teaching us how to “pul” a canoe (I promise this is MUCH more difficult than it sounds and I have the wet clothes to prove it,) scouring the jungle to find greens and work their gardens, teaching us how to build various things they use for daily life, how to hunt crocodiles, and many, many other things. Throughout all of these events they used the time to also teach us the country’s national language.

While we were greatly appreciative for all the time and energy they poured into us teaching us these things, I think we are most grateful for the time they spent discipling us and teaching and showing us how God has changed their thinking and their lives as a whole. Many of the church leaders spent time with me to talk to me about the things I need to consider as I will soon move into my own tribal location. They gave us really great advice about how to best reach the people. It was encouraging to have these relationships with Believers from a culture so different from our own. Different language, different culture, different…well, nearly everything, but ONE SPIRIT. It really was amazing.

It was not all that long ago, that John Michael and his wife Jessi were sitting here in phonetics class. Now they are preparing to begin a work in a tribal location in Papua New Guinea. Their learning did not stop when they graduated from our Missionary Training Center. The fact is, it really just began.

Your prayers are much appreciated as we train a new batch of budding missionary candidates who are following in the footsteps of John Michael and Jessi. Phonetics begins in a few days for our first semester students. That class can be a struggle for some. Please pray that we will have wisdom in how to help students pronounce these strange exotic sounds that are found in other languages.

The Wahgi People Hear the Gospel

The North Wahgi people of Papua New Guinea have been patiently listening to NTM missionaries teach through the Firm Foundations Bible lessons.

Missionary Andrew Wilson has been preparing these lessons with the help of a Wahgi man named Gabriel Mara. Gabriel came to check the lesson teaching Jesus’ crucifixion and death. As they were going through the lesson, Andrew came to the point about Jesus dying on the cross and taking our place and buying us back by shedding his blood. While checking this part with his helper Gabriel said: “Now I understand. I’m born in sin and God sent his son to die to take away sin. All the good things I have tried to do, even helping you with translation, I did it thinking that I could make God happy and go to heaven. Now I know this is wrong thinking. I can only go to heaven by believing that Jesus died and took my place and took away my sin.” Gabriel then turned to another Wahgi man and said, “You see. We try to do all these nice things, go to church, stop drinking and smoking and stop doing bad things but that cannot take away our sin. The animal sacrifices in the Old Testament only covered the sin, they did not take it away. But Jesus died and he took the sin away.”

Gabriel was the first to accept Christ as his Savior among the Wahgi people. After the lesson on Jesus death, burial and resurrection was presented several other Wahgi people place their faith in Jesus for salvation.

What a joy it is to be involved in training future missionaries to take the message of the cross to those who have not had an opportunity to hear God’s Word. It always thrills my heart to hear such stories from the mission field.

Bob

Giving Thanks

In 2007 the gospel message was presented to the Itutang village in Papua New Guinea. At that time over 300 people accecpted Jesus as their Savior and a church was born.

Just recently Bill and Kelley Housley, missionaries in Itutang, wrote:

Yesterday was our first Sunday back with our faith family here in Itutang. We LOVE worshipping with them.  My favorite part is always the thanksgiving time and yesterday was no different.  So good to just sit and listen to them praise our Heavenly Father for his daily acts of kindness towards his people.

It is wonderful to see the thankful hearts of these tribal believers!

As we approach Thanksgiving, this letter is a reminder of just how much I have to be thankful for. I am very thankful for folks who pray for my ministry here at the Missionary Training Center. And I am so appreciative all those who support my ministry and the work of reaching the lost in these remote corners of the world! Without the financial support of my many friends, family and supporting churches, I could not be involved in this ministry.

With much appreciation,

Bob

A Church is Born Among the Siar in PNG

A number of years ago Lane Sanford was sitting in my phonetics class. He is currently working the the Siar people of Papua New Guinea. Just 10 days ago he taught the final lesson in the Firm Foundations chronological series. This last lesson presents Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

Lane wrote, “After completing the lesson, I simply asked the Siars if they had any questions or comments and then I sat down,”

Jon, Lane’s translation helper, stood up. He was emotional, which is unusual for him – or any Siar, for that matter.

Jon shared how the story of the creation account revealed the true God who is perfect, all-powerful, and the creator of all things. God’s Word showed him that no matter what he thought about himself, the truth of the matter was that he was a sinner separated from God and the punishment for his sins was ready for him to bear.

Jon knew that the death on the cross was meant for him and he deserved it but Christ took his place and suffered his punishment for his sin. He said he firmly believed it, and was confident that God bought him back and that he was now in God’s clan forever.

Then Jon challenged his people by saying, “You guys, this is the truth — the only truth. And this is the time for us to decide whether we will believe this or not. You all need to decide what you will do with this Gospel; this was for you and you must decide!”

Next Tomulai stood and said he been awake all night after hearing about the suffering that Jesus experienced for him. Then Ogen stood and said simply that the death of Christ was indeed the only way to eternal life.

After that Sali had a message for Lane and his teammates. He thanked the missionaries for leaving their homes and coming to give them the truth. Lane wrote, “He was thankful for that and thankful for the truth of Christ’s death that he now understood and believed in.”

Two women, Sakman and Redi, sat together saying, “This is it. This is the only truth and only Jesus’ work for me is the truth that can save me. We are believing this truth and we will never leave it for anything else!”

Tinamidil, a quiet lady, said, “This is the only truth, that is for sure, and I believe it.”

Stiven said he believed that Jesus’ work was complete and the only way to eternal life.

Lane wrote, “The truth of the Gospel has shown its bright light into the Siars’ minds and hearts, and many have responded in faith.”

Now, after years of work to get to this point, the hard work starts, the work that continues to lead toward establishing a mature church among the Siars.

“The ultimate desire of God for the Siars is a mature and thriving church comprised of Siar men and women who are grounded, growing and dependent on the Word of God alone. What that means is that we are not standing at the end of this work with the Siars, but we are at the very beginning,” Lane wrote.

What a joy it is to see God’s Word bearing fruit as the message is being proclaimed to those who have not yet heard.

Bob