Here's my Newsletter. Just click on it and then click on the "expand to regular size" button.
 

My Prayercard

Some of you got my recent Newsletter via email, but not the prayer card, so here it is. I'd really appreciate your prayers and would like to know how I can be praying for you. You can let me know by leaving a comment.

Going home for Christmas!!

(Last Sat. in Springfield, Missouri at Bass Pro Outdoor World...and I used to think I was tall...haha) Well, this semester has been a bear! In the words of the late great Yoda, "Lots of linguistical tools have I acquired, yes." Still, I have much to learn. I'm headed home for Christmas break in Boise this Saturday. It'd be great to see you if you're in Boise and/or talk to you.

Ever Been Shot?

Check it out! During our recent Health and Wellness class, I got SHOT by my buddy Eric! We also checked each other's blood pressure and looked in each other's ear with an "ear-o-scope." The purpose of this 8-day class was to help prepare us to take good care of our bodies while living in the "bush." I definitely agree that "there's no time wasted sharpening the tool."

We are now starting our Language Practicum. For 5 weeks we will all be learning different languages, praciticing the techniques we've been learning so far. I'm learning Polish with a buddy of mine. We meet with our Language Helper for 2 hours a day. (she's a Polish lady that lives in the area) We then spend the rest of the day analyzing and reviewing the things we've gathered from that day. It's a lot of work, but a great way to learn a lot of language in a short time. Please pray for me during this time, as it requires a lot of self-discipline...we schedule our own days. Thanks guys.

Here's our Arkansas team. The Teen-Missions-Challenge day went great! There were about 30 high school kids and some adults who came. It was very cool to share with them about tribal missions and encourage/challenge them in their walk with the Lord. Thanks so much for praying! We were able to give out lots of brochures for New Tribes Bible Institute and inform some people who were interested. This picture is from Sunday afternoon. We went to an airshow at Little Rock Air Force Base before heading back to Missouri. We got to see lots of cool planes and also the Thunderbirds flew (they are the Air Force's version of the Blue Angels). It was really cool having F-16's buzzing over our heads at 500 mph. It took 2 hours to get out of the parking lot afterwards, so we were a little late in getting back to school. We arrived safely at 2:30 in the morning (ahh, the joys of a road trip).  

Arkansas Teen Challenge Day

Next Saturday (Oct. 8th) some of my friends and I will be going down to Little Rock, Arkansas to do a teen-challenge day with a missions emphasis. A few different churches will be sending their high school youth and from 4:00-9:30pm we will have the opportunity to connect with them and impact their thinking. Our desire is to show them how amazing the Christian life truly is!! It should be an encouragement to them them to hear from a group of young adults (ages 21 to 24) who are on fire for Jesus. We will also be challenging them with the Great Commission and show them how they can be involved in reaching out into "all the world" with the gospel of Christ, starting right where they are at.

Please pray that God would work in the hearts of these kids, that our time with them would have a serious impact on their thinking, that they would decide to follow Christ and serve Him with their lives right now. Also pray that He might use this time to direct some of them into full-time service to reach those unreached/isolated tribal groups with the good news of Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Beautiful Morning

The Language School is a beautiful place, right on the Lake of the Ozarks. My schedule is pretty busy, but it's refreshing to get out every once in a while and just "repose" (think about God's goodness and remember why I'm here, remember who my life is all about...as a Christian, I belong to Jesus and I can rest in that relationship that I have with God). I so appreciate your prayers:

• To grow in my dependence on the Lord each day. The only way that I will be able to stay on the field and do the things I need to do, will be if I have a growing walk with Christ (that goes for all of us wherever we are).
• Continue to pray for my cousin Nat, in Iraq, whose Hummer ran over a bomb recently. Pray for healing and that he would be a powerful witness for Christ to the guys he is with.

"Yeah Grounds Crew!"

I'm on the Grounds Crew here at school! There are about 220 people here at school, each with their various responsibilities. As for me, I get to soak in the joys of push-mowing!! I love it! It's a 2 1/2 hour work-out every day that is scheduled in for me already, and with 300 acres on the property, there's plenty of work to keep us busy all the time. This elite group of land-scaping talent is comprised of a mere 8 strong men. The 4 crazy guys pictured here are "the few, the proud, the push-mowers!" (we've actually discovered a new sport that works great on steep grassy hills...we call it "lawn surfing" - you can actually get moving pretty fast!...talk about a wipe-out!) haha

Here at NTLI

Well, I'm in my 3rd week at Language School here in Missouri and it has been quite the adventure. The first thing I did was go out and buy an air conditioner. The humidity here is like 80-90 percent! (hard for us Idaho boys to breath, coming from such a dry climate) Classes have been great! We're doing phonetics right now (learning a new alphabet that will make it easier to learn a tribal language - to be able to write down their words). It's always consistent, so you can always pronounce what is written (even if you've never seen the word), very unlike English. Anyways, they tell me that I'll never be as good at spelling English words again...haha j/k. Please pray for me during this time of training. In the scope of the tribal group that I will go to some day (hopefully soon), this is my ministry to them right now, because it is equipping me to learn their language and culture a whole lot faster and more efficiently when I do arrive, so that I can present them with the life-giving Message of the cross one day. Really, for those skeptics out there, this one year of training (really four years) will cut off many years that it would take to integrate into a tribal culture if I were to have just "gone out there" and told them about Jesus. This is for real, folks. Thank you so much for lifting me up in prayer! You are such a vital part of the team God has put me on in His work of reaching those who have "no one to tell them about Jesus."
Love in Christ,
Josh

Camp Pinewood (High School Church Camp) - July 18-23

So after a whole day of "rest" from Awana Camp, I was on a bus and back up to McCall, ID to help out with High School camp for my home church's youth group and a few other youth groups. I got to be a counselor for four ninth grade guys and again, had great opportunities to invest in their lives, just through conversation, cabin times, and of course, during the many eventful activities of the week.

This was one of my favorite "outings" from the week. We all (about 70 people) hiked up to Boulder Lake for the afternoon. It was beautiful. The hike was a couple miles and pretty steep at some places. This is just below the lake. The water is running right through the rock and had carved it out! Talk about cold water. When we finally got up there, we climbed up and around and down to a nice rock ledge (about 15 feet high) which we then jumped off of into the COLD water. It was great. On my way down, I took a different route and ended up on a higher ledge about 35 feet high...what could I do but JUMP! It was great...probably the closest I've ever come to "flying" outside a plane (yeah, more like falling without style...haha).

What a great week...lots of lives impacted! And an energizer for me (in a tiring sort of way). Now that camps are over for me this summer, I'm starting to get ready to head to Missouri in three weeks. Please pray for me as there's lots to do. It has been a great summer interning with my church and being involved with various ministries. It's not over yet though, so I don't want to "check out." Please pray also that I would not wear myself out right before I head to Missouri. That would be a bad start. Good to know God is in control. May you enjoy Him today! All for now.

Awana Scholarship Camp (July 9-16)

This year at Awana Scholarship Camp, I got to be a team captain! I also got to be a high school counselor and help oversee the worship team. Here's a look at the four team captains. To lighten the mood before lunch or dinner, our activities directors would always do a "team captains competition" to keep us on our toes and to keep the kids laughing.

I had a great week and was stretched a lot, with many responsibilities, and some things that I had never done before. But it was a very rewarding week, as God did amazing things in many lives! Awana Camp has always been a favorite for me, since this was my 12th year (8 years as a camper, and 4 years on staff). Wow, time flies...God is good! Totally worth living for. Keep on keepin' on, friends!

Well, now I'm off to another week of camp (this time, our high school camp for our church youth). Appreciate the prayers! God bless.

Camp Elkanah!! (June 26th-July 1st)

I just spent this past week up at Camp Elkanah (located near LaGrande, OR) as Camp SPEAKER for their Jr. Camp (3rd-6th grade)!!! I never would've imagined that at just 22 yrs. old I would have the awesome privilege and responsibility of spending TEN sessions (1/2 hour each) with a group of 75 kids, challenging them with truth from God's word. What a thrill!! Back in April when God set it up for me to come to Camp Elkanah, I never would've expected all the wonderful experiences and challenges I would encounter at the end of my 21st year (that's right, I got to spend my birthday up at Camp!). This past week was probably one of the toughest challenges I've ever faced, as I often felt inadequate to be the one standing up front. But God continued to remind me of the very passage that I was sharing from with the kids all week:

Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths."
Day-by-day He reminded me to trust Him just as always and to look to Him to be my strength and sufficiency. Though it had its challenges, this past week was also one of the most exciting experiences of my life!

"So what made this such a great experience??" Without a doubt, I'd say it was the other counselors and camp staff who I was serving right alongside of all week! Mostly college students (18-25 yrs.) who had a passion to serve Christ and to impact the lives of these kids. It was so exciting to talk with them throughout the week and to hear what God is doing in their lives as they seek His best for each of them. Their love for the kids (rooted in their relationship with Christ) was infectious!!

To any of you who are reading this: "Thanks again for a great week! I'm praying for you as you continue serving with these last 2 camps!"

And thank you to all of you out there who prayed for me during camp. It made a big difference! So encouraging to know that you're lifting me before the Lord in prayer! He loves to work in answer to prayer as we look to Him and trust Him. :)
Some highlights from the week included:
-Talking with the kids about "Jesus stuff" outside of chapel.
-Crazy games of course! (counselor "bat relay")
-Monster Zipline (Superman-style...sorry the video didn't turn out)
-A soaking rivalry between two very persistent counselors. (& throwing my "only dry shoes" in the river on my birthday...haha ;)-
-"Find the Animals"
-Great Food!!! (thanks Mama T)

Josh's lappy from God

Praise the Lord! "Thank you" to all of you who were praying for and/or gave towards my need for a laptop. A friend from Boise gave me a used laptop back in April, and I was able to use it to catch up on many things during my last month of school! I was even able to put together my Missionary Portfolio! (I will share this with people who want to know, "What in the world are you doing anyways Josh?") That laptop was such a blessing! Praise the Lord.

When I talked to the Language School in Missouri, they told me that I needed something a bit "bigger" for the software we would be using in the Fall and that I might need a different computer. To my amazement, just after I finished school, God provided another laptop through a dear friend...this time a brand new Toshiba!!...and plenty "big" for what I need! I will use this laptop for all my newsletters and updates, as well as powerpoints to share the ministry of NTM with churches and camps, etc. It will be used for all my schoolwork next year and much more. Thank you SO MUCH to those of you who prayed and/or gave.

So here's a picture of "Josh's lappy from God" as it sits on my desk. I took this picture with my new Sony digital camera, which I got an incredible clearance deal on (during my Spring break in California). My three major financial needs right now were a laptop, color printer, and a digital camera. My computer also came with a color printer, so now all three of those have been provided. I want to thank you so much for your generosity in helping to meet those needs (you guys know who you are).

Graduation

May 7th was my graduation from Missions Institute in Baker City, OR. My parents and youngest sister, Kelsea, were able to come over from Boise (oh, and our "dog" Ivory). What a year it has been! I'm in Boise for the summer, looking forward to the many ministry opportunities I've been given. I will resume with Language Institute August 15th in Missouri.

The other day we took our class picture. This is my class of 29! Most of them will be with me in Missouri this Fall at Language Institute. It has been an amazing year and I can't believe it's already coming to a close. Please PRAY for me these last two weeks of classes (Christian Life and Discipleship - these will be great classes). Pray that I will be focused and intentional in my thoughts and actions as I seek to apply all that God has taught me during my time at Missions Institute. Thank you so much to all of you who have been so supportive of me (praying for me) all through my missionary training these last three years! All for now. (Oh, I'm the 2nd from the left on the top row, if you're wondering.)  

Jet-Boating in Hell's Canyon

Two weeks ago (April 2nd) I went to Hell's Canyon with some friends. This is the deepest canyon in all of North America and took BILLIONS of years for the Snake River to carve out....haha, just kidding. Actually, God CREATED this amazing sight not too long ago, probably right around the time of Noah.

We had a picnic and then went to see the dam, where the canyon really gets rocky and deep! When we got down there, these two guys took us for an unexpected trip in their Jetboat!! What a blast. It was like whitewater rafting with a big motor! And we got to go UP the rapids too! My friend Sarah got soaked when a big rapid crashed against her side of the boat. We even were airborn at one point (I got "butterflies"...it was great!). We got to see bighorn sheep and an eagle, and a cinnamon black bear (only 20 yards away), all in the wild. I love Idaho...and Oregon too!

My Current Class: "Tech Tips"

Right now we are doing a two-week class called "Tech-Tips." We're learning all sorts of stuff about the kind of electrical systems we will be using overseas. We have a "lab" every afternoon where we have been constructing tools that will be very useful to us in a tribe. The wiring and power-supply for my house (in a tribe) will be very different from what we use here. I will have good solar panels that will charge a group of "gel-batteries." That will power my "appliances" (computer, refridgerator, lights, etc), which use a LOT LESS energy than our appliances here in the States, because they will use DC volts (Direct Current) instead of AC volts...yeah, I know, "enough of this terminology." Well, this week, we are learning how to use all this stuff! This is a picture of our lab from yesterday where we made "nightlights" that barely use any electricity to run all night, so they will be great in our house in the tribe. Cool huh! These two weeks are "practical skills" weeks and we're learning stuff that will help us to "survive" in the jungle. It's a lot of work, but exciting stuff! By God's grace, one day I'll be fastening that nightlight to a wall in my house on the other side of the world.

This is Friday, March 25th at Huntington Beach with Rachael and Kelsea, two of my favorite sisters (Nicole is my other favorite)! We had a great week visiting Rachael. Thanks for praying for us. 

Back From CA!

I just returned from Simi Valley, CA, where I spent my Spring Break! My middle sister, Rachael, is going to Eternity Bible College down there. Our youngest sister, Kelsea, and I rode down with a friend of mine from school here in Baker. Simi Valley is his hometown and Rachael just happens to be going to his home church!! So that all worked out. Small-world-moments. haha We had a great time. It was extremely GREEN! We got to visit our cousin Ryan at Azusa Pacific University and our pastors two sons at Biola University. We also got to go to Santa Monica Pier, drive up the coastal highway during a beautiful sunset, and spend an evening at Huntington Beach. I went to In-N-Out THREE times (love that place...think I gained 10 lbs)!My week was packed full of activities, so I didn't come back "rested." But it was a blessing to be able to enter Rachael's world and see where God has her for now. :) Thankyou to those of you who prayed for our trip (14 hours both ways!). God gave us travel mercies both times around. I even made it back in time to spend Easter Sunday with my home church family (Ustick Baptist)!
Please continue to pray:
- Clear focus, as I only have 6 weeks left of school.
- For a teachable heart, to grow in the knowledge of my Lord and Savior daily (relationship)
- That we would have a powerful last 5 weeks of Awana at Calvary Baptist Church (in Baker)

Thankyou for your prayers. God bless!
Your Brother In Christ,
Josh

Spring Break!!! California!

This week is my Spring Break (March 19-27). I am picking up Kelsea (my 16 yr. old sister) in Boise and we are driving down to Simi Valley, California to visit Rachael (our 19 yr. old sister) for a week. Rachael is attending Eternity Bible College in Simi Valley.
Please Pray:
-For safe travels (it's a 14 hour trip)
-For good fellowship. This will be a great opportunity to spend quality time together as siblings...these times are getting more few and far between.
Thanks for all of your prayers and support!

Last Thursday we had split chapel. One of the volunteer staff put on a barbecue for us guys and told us to remember the importance of taking the time to just enjoy the day that God has given us. Also, to enjoy the fellowship we have with other believers. Are you enjoying Jesus today?

Let's Get This Thing Rolling!

Wow, I've got my own webpage! I hope that this turns out to be an effective way to keep you all up to speed on where I'm at, what I'm doing, and what I'm learning at any given time. I should be updating this every one to two weeks at least, so it should always be "current." I will also be sharing what I need prayer for as things come up, and including praises for answered prayer.

Josh in his "jungle camp house" back in September '04