F.A.Q.

Sometimes, as strange as it may sound, I forget that not everyone knows as much about our ministry as I do! I find myself just sort of assuming that people know who we are and what our vision is.

Well, I guess we just aren't the center of everyone's universe like I thought because we have people ask us questions sometimes that leave me thinking, "Maybe I should assume people don't know instead of assuming they do!"

Anyway, I thought it'd be a good idea to just put some quick facts on here... for you enjoyment ;)

Where are we headed?
Amazonas, Brazil (the Amazon Jungle)

Who will we be working with?
Currently there are several ABWE and New Tribes missionaries in the area that we will partner with, but we want to eventually work in the interior where no one is doing ministry. Our ultimate goal is to reach the uncontacted tribes.

How will you do that??
We were reading the Bible one day and a very strange thing happened. We realized that Jesus has already given us a pattern of ministry and we don't even have to read the latest best-selling Christian book to find out! We plan to make disciples and train them to make disciples and train them to make disciples. If we train ten people and they each train ten people and they each train ten people.... well, that's 1,000 people. That seems a whole lot more effective than if we buckle down and try to pour our lives into 1,000 people. I think that's the idea that Jesus was trying to get across!

We plan to train the Indians to reach their neighboring tribes with the Gospel. That way, when we die or if we ever have to leave the country, the ministry doesn't collapse because it wasn't based on us but on the Gospel!

Where does aviation fit in?
The terrain in the jungle is less than accommodating for efficient travel... unless of course you have an aircraft. We can travel in one hour the distance it would take to travel about one day in a boat. Enough said.

Aren't you afraid to raise your family in the jungle?
Nope. We trust that God will protect according to His will. As a matter of fact, we are excited about the privilege to raise our child(ren) on the mission field where they will learn many languages and culture from a young age.... maybe a little jealous even!

If the government won't legally allow you to work with Indians, how do you plan to do it?
We claim Romans 8:31: "If God is for us, who can be against us?"

We do anticipate obstacles and challenges but fortunate for us we serve the God of the impossible. And even greater than that, He loves these tribes with a perfect love and desires that they know Him. It'll be hard to get in the way of that. We look forward to seeing how God opens doors.

When do you hope to be there full-time?
Our goal is spring/early summer of 2012. But we make plans and let God change them!
 
How are you funded?
We rely on our ministry team which is currently comprised of 31 individual families and 5 churches. We are constantly looking for new team mates to help us reach these tribes. We need a big team! If you want to be a part, contact us or go to the "Join the Effort" tab at the top of this blog to find out an easy way to get involved.

What's your biggest need?
Prayer. Cliche? Yes. But oh so true. One of our ministry partners in Brazil once said that there have been dozens of times while he has been in the ministry that a million dollars could not have helped in his situation. The only thing that served any purpose was the prayers of fellow believers.

And here is a picture of cuteness at it's best. 

Elliott on his first trip to Brazil at 5.5 months old