Trip Interior

Our family, along with a visitor from the NTM Training program, went interior for a long weekend earlier this month. This is me with our visitor, Naomi at the hangar ready to go!

We visited some co-workers and had a first-hand look at the work they're doing. Since we've only been in this region for 4 months is was also a time to get to know those particular co-workers better, on their turf. They took turns hosting us for each meal and we slept in the vacant teacher's residence.
We all slept under mosquito nets, a first for me and the kids, but not for Josh
We used a bucket-flush toilet and there was enough pressure for water from the taps.

It was a lot different than what "interior" is like in Venezuela, where Josh grew up. There seems to have been a lot more outside influence and they also have a way to earn money (by gathering the sap from rubber trees and selling it). The residents of the village we visited live in wooden houses, had a small general store and some owned motorbikes, televisions and generators.

The exciting thing about this tribe is that they asked for missionaries several years ago, had the first missionaries move in to start learning their language in 2004 and began hearing evangelistic Bible teaching in April 2006. The people wanted the Bible translated into their language. They also asked to be taught and trained to do outreach to all the villages surrounding them. Now the people are taking the Gospel to other villages in the area and three men – Nandung, Yonsen and Akim – are being trained as Bible teachers. Josh was able to attend a teaching meeting one night and we all attended church and Sunday School on Sunday morning while we were there.

Josh and Mitchell at church - no pews here!

Spencer in Sunday School with the tribal kids

Another exciting thing about visiting this team is that they are a multicultural missionary team with the 4 families made up of a tribal couple, Koreans, Germans and Americans. Friday night there was a team fellowship and potluck. We had a GREAT time playing Spoons with them all afterwards. It was hilarious!!

Here are our boys enjoying dinner with the other MK's.

The boys decided they'd rather live interior than in town, and who can blame them, with readily available fishing holes, wide open spaces to roam and their friend and fellow MK, YoHan to hang out with.

The boys on their hike

They had a "jungle hike" with Yohan and their dads the first morning we were there and the entire time interior was a sleepover at Yohan's house! What fun! We celebrated their birthdays (Aug 4 & 5) interior and they both came home with tremendous gifts - sling shots and baskets full of rubber tree nuts to shoot from those sling shots!!

Fun at the creek
All the kids with Naomi

Spencer and his friend Yohan with some tribal kids
So proud of her coloring page!

Josh & I going into the church

Spencer with Korean friends Sean and Yohan

Julia and Sara reading

From the back

Spencer & Yohan reading together

The boys' "jungle" birthday party - the cake fell apart so we made trifle!

Julia and her Korean friend, Sara

Trying on rice farmer's hats

On the little airplane, waiting to take off!

(Little did she/we know that by the end of the flight she'd be throwing up!)

The day after we arrived home from interior, the boys attended their first day of school. We have a one-room schoolhouse with one teacher for 5 grades, so Mitchell goes 2 half-days a week and Spencer goes a half day every day. I teach them both in the afternoons.

Here's a photo of them all ready to go.