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Seth loading an order

Wow, is it just us on this side of the world or did November fly super fast?!?! And it’s already December and it has been really hot here lately, so it is not feeling much like winter. We have been busy and barely seemed to catch our breath this past month. It has been a wonderful month and we have seen the Lord use us in many ways. Read our Newsletter by clicking on the link below. Thank you for being a part of our team. Enjoy the cooler weather and a latte for us. 🙂

November-2015 Newsletter

~Your Feet to the Unreached in PNG,

Seth & Nicole Stokes

Shout Out To PGH! Found this guy walking around town.

Believers from another tribal work. In town to have a baby. 🙂

These thoughts came from our time as we shared with one of our supporting churches. Our intent is not to preach, but to share some thoughts that God has challenged us with and hopefully it will challenge and encourage you as well.

The context of these thoughts came from the big decision we have to make in the not too distant future as we look into different tribal locations to go into…How do you make the decision of which one to go to? Is one tribe more important than another? What does that decision look like? Is there just one place asking for missionaries? If so, go there! But what do you do if there is more than one place (tribe/people group) that is asking for missionaries… how would you pray? What do you pray? What is prayer in the midst of this thought? Everything! We look at the endless opportunities that is PNG, and even just in our region and realize one family is not enough, one family cannot reach all of these tribes (who are asking for missionaries!), but how many is enough? It seems impossible from some aspects, but we know God is wanting all to come to the knowledge of Him (Acts 17:30, 2 Pet 3:9, Matt 28:18-20, Rom 15:20, Matt. 24:14). We came to the conclusion that prayer is the way to reach all of them. True, transparent, on your knees, dependent upon the Sovereign prayers. So the next question we asked is, what is the model for those prayers? Where do we start… and this is where God led us at this time.

(Please pray for us in this decision process…we are not at the point to do surveys yet, but we are researching and asking questions, this is a 10-15 year commitment whenever we make this decision).

Our Challenge we shared with one of our churches…

In America, we have to fill out resumes, and many people worry about job security, but in missions, especially in PNG there is not that worry. We have a drawer of letters from various tribes wanting** missionaries. Some specifically saying we want New Tribes missionaries because we learn their language (some organizations don’t do that, and just do the work in the trade language), we teach them how to read and write their language, translate the Bible into their language, and then teach them the true meaning of the Bible. Imagine you received the job you have now, or another job by having someone come to you, asking, pleading, and even offering what little they had so that you would come and work there (at that job). Wouldn’t that be backwards in our dog-eat-dog world? Now apply that to Christianity, how many times have you tried to go and share the Gospel with a friend, a coworker, a family member, a spouse… and how many times have you been rejected? How many times did it feel awkward? How many times were they just not interested? In missions, especially in PNG, we have so many people groups ready and wanting a missionary to come and give them the Gospel, no resume needed to go into these tribes, there is no competitor per se wanting to take your job (the Devil is not wanting to give them up though), and yet there are not people lining up to come and take up this task.

I read a good book on prayer last week, and it used what we call “the Lords prayer” or as it would be better put the “disciples model prayer”. The author used this prayer as an outline and an examination of yourself. The Lords prayer/ the Disciples Model prayer is famous, kids from a young age memorize these verse. Unsaved people and cults memorize this passage, and Christians have put it to rout memory losing the beauty of this passage.

Please Read: Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4 and get lost in the beauty of God’s Word again with a familiar passage.

“I cannot say “our” if I live only for myself in a spiritual watertight compartment.

I cannot say “Father” if I do not endeavor each day to act like His child.

I cannot say “who art in heaven” if I am laying up no treasure there.

I cannot say “hallowed be Thy name” if I am not striving for holiness.

I cannot say “Thy kingdom come” if I am not doing all in my power to hasten that wonderful day.

I cannot say “Thy will be done” if I am disobedient to His word.

I cannot say “on earth as it is in heaven if I will not serve Him here and now.

I cannot say “give us… our daily bread” if I am dishonest shopper.

I cannot say “forgive us our debts” if I harbor a grudge against anyone.

I cannot say “lead us not into temptation” if I deliberately place myself in its path.

I cannot say “deliver us from evil” if I do not put on the whole armor of God.

I cannot say “Thine is the kingdom” if I do not give to the King the loyalty due Him as a faithful subject.

I cannot attribute to Him “the power” if I fear what men may do.

I cannot ascribe to Him “the glory” if I am seeking honor only for myself.

I cannot say “forever” if the horizon of my life is bounded completely by the things of time.”

We are to be focused on advancing His kingdom because it is His will, and there are places that are asking for His kingdom to come to, but yet we cannot get the foot soldiers to this ground. A king declared for us to fight for places, and when a place is freely offered we will not claim it (tribes asking for missionaries), because it is not convenient for us to get there…please pray for laborers.

Our king has offered a place to expand His kingdom… and yet there are far too many comfortable subjects who won’t go. When we were raising support we heard many excuses, “we couldn’t do what you are doing”, I Seth, do not like camping, and basically grew up in Pittsburgh city, I do not like bugs and I like many sweets and restaurants America offers, from the many excuses we heard in our travels, I had more, but I cannot deny the Scripture and the leading of the Spirit, and now I am here with joy and cannot see myself doing anything else with my life. Maybe someone praying the “disciples model prayer” is not really examining himself or herself well enough, because God wants His kingdom expanded, and He has the people, yet no one wants to go to these places. Maybe someone is being led to go, but just wont surrender to the Spirits leading.

Each one of us must examine ourselves by this model prayer…have you ever prayed this prayer? If so, have you ever examined your life in how God wants you to advance His Kingdom? Have you prayed that according to His will or yours? If God’s will is that all would hear His Gospel, and He wants His kingdom advanced, and there is ground He has given and He just needs someone to go and claim it…which one of His servants will go and claim it? Who has God called to stay in the U.S.A. and who is making the excuse of not going and advancing the Kingdom of our God in a foreign land? Are you praying to see if the Lord is leading you to go? Are you praying God will send your children? Truly there are hundreds of tribes still unreached here in PNG alone, and all over the world, our King is truly worthy to receive all glory and power, and there is no greater job than His kingdom.

Please pray with us for more laborers to go to these white and plenteous fields, please pray for the big decision we have to make in the near future. Truly our prayers alone are insufficient, we need your help in this BIG decision.

Your feet to the unreached of PNG, empowered by your prayer,

Seth and Nicole Stokes

Good Friends in Madang

Hello Everyone,

Hope everyone is enjoying the fall colors back home. Enjoy a fall coffee drink and think of us! Whats new with us? Read our newsletter below and find out. Thank you for continuing to “hold the ropes” for us, we couldn’t do this without YOU!

Newsletter-10-2015

~Your Feet To The Unreached in PNG,

Seth & Nicole Stokes

We are getting to the point where we feel comfortable in all situations here in PNG; we are able to go around town, meet new people and converse with them. Transitioning from English to Tok Pisin, from a western Christian mindset to a roman catholicized animistic eastern worldview is getting to be quite seamless for us, and it is very encouraging. It is always nice to get the compliment “your Tok Pisin sounds good” from the nationals or veteran missionaries.

Our Work Crew

Seth has also had some interesting things happen to him. He got a flu that lasted for 4 days that had many similar symptoms to malaria (but wasn’t), he got his first infection (which spread into 3 open sores, sorry we wont share the pictures :)) and is finishing up a 10 day treatment of antibiotics. Nicole has a skin fungus and is on the rebound taking medicine. This all happened in the midst of several busy weeks, we had many hats like; demoing a house, then transitioning to other maintenance projects, and then the next week we had someone come from the main office to train us to learn how to use “pronto”, which is a computer system we use for the store and supply buying.

Medical Supplies For Tribes

We have focused on the store (supplies the base and tribal missionaries), solely for over 10 hours a day this past week, cleaning, logging things into the computer, counting inventory, organizing, and learning how to use the computer system effectively. The store has been doing really well the past two month since we started managing; it has been encouraging to help out with this specific ministry that blesses missionaries in the bush and in town. With the rodent problem, PNG weather, and other mishaps, it was hard to get the store to a clean and working order but now, we think it will run smoothly and be even more of a blessing to all those on the base and the tribal missionaries. Seth is always running to town trying to get all the supplies tribal missionaries ask for, we want the people in the bush to know we are here to support and encourage them as they are on the front lines.

Nicole Working on Inventory

We are getting opportunities to disciple people both in English and in Tok Pisin, both nationals and other expats as they transition. Please pray we are faithful to these relationships and sharing the Gospel when God gives us the opportunity, but this too is His will, or as we would say in Tok Pisin “sapos Bikpela i laik” (If the Lord’s wills). We also get many opportunities to exercise hospitality, with the many tribal missionaries coming and going, we make sure we keep their bellies full with good food and that they feel loved and encouraged, which can be a full-time job sometimes, but we love it.

We moved again…we had slept in over 100 beds on deputation. Now we have been to 3 of the 4 bases here in PNG, we have slept in 3 houses already here in Wewak, plus B.M. on our bush orientation. We moved this week and then we move again (hopefully for the last time till we build our tribal house, Lord willing) next week. Speaking of that, please pray for us; we are currently talking it over with a family whether or not it is of the Lord’s will that we would partner with them. The past two weeks we have spent a ton of time talking with this couple and discussing many aspects of tribal church planting and even asking the hard questions. We really like them and saw eye-to-eye on big and little issues, but it’s not a decision to make lightly, we are praying and fasting over this, please pray with us that God gives us wisdom and clear direction with this HUGE decision. If this really is what the Lord has for us, that would get us one step closer to the tribe.

We leave you with this picture and hopeful encouragement; here are 11 New Testament’s in languages in this region that HAVE NEVER had an opportunity to read God’s Word for themselves until recently, 9 of them have been completed since 2011. All of that was done by God’s will and faithfulness to His work, while using missionaries in the bush who are supported by co-workers in town, who are all supported by faithful supporters and churches like you! Thank you for doing your part of God’s Great Commission.

Recently Finished Tribal NT

Your feet to the unreached of PNG, Seth and Nicole Stokes.

Independence Day

Happy October everyone,

This month really seemed to fly! So much has happened since we came back from bush orientation. We have learned a lot about what it takes to accomplish the big picture of reaching tribes here in PNG. Open our latest newsletter (link below) to read more. Thank you for “holding our rope”, we couldn’t be here with out YOU!

Newsletter: September, 2015.pdf

-Seth & Nicole Stokes, Your Feet to the Unreached in PNG

We are back from our Bush Orientation! Wow! These past 6.5 weeks have been so amazing. How can we possibly put it all into words. At least here we give a brief update in our newsletter, also, check out Stokes YouTube Channel for some videos from our time. Yes, some are just for fun and one is for kids. We will be writing more soon. Click the link below to view our latest newsletter. Thank you for joining us in this amazing journey!

Newsletter-July 2015

The time has come; we are off to B.M. Island! Please read our last 2 blogs for the details on our trip. We will not have internet service, nor be able to post regularly like we have been able to. We “might” be able to do quick, short emails but we are not sure, that is why we are saying “good-bye” now just incase we do not get to talk to you all until September. As of right now, we will be on B.M. until the first of September or Mid-September. It all depends on the boats and if we feel we have accomplished enough of our goals while there on B.M..

We are looking forward to rubbing shoulders with the missionaries there on B.M.. Seth will have a chance to preach in Tok Pisin from a passage in 1 Corinthians. Seth will also have opportunities to play a part in the systematic discipleship as well as learn the process of rising up teachers in another language and culture. Nicole will have opportunities to work in gardens with the ladies and learn what it is like to cook with limited electricity (everything runs off of solar panels), and limited LPG. This will be her first time experiencing living in a tribal location and using solar equipment. Nicole is excited to make relationships and jump into the every day life of the women as well, she hopes they make a special craft and so she can learn a new skill (Nicole has picked up several crafty-skills at each place we have been to thus far). Seth will learn how to fish with the guys (tribal style), and then learn to fish diving at night with a flashlight, it is kind of scary since sharks frequent the island, 100 plus pound tunas are there regularly, as well as an occasional crocodile and even the really large centipedes have been found on this island. This will be another way of life, and we are excited for this opportunity.

Thank you for following us on our journey! Do no forget about us for these next 2 months! We will repost our prayer request for you to look over and pray for these next 2 months.

Please pray for us:

1. Pray we will be healthy so we can give 100% while on B.M..
2. Pray that we finish Capable High and move onto the proficient level in our language learning process.
3. Pray that we learn more fully the culture of PNG so we can better engage people at a heart level.
4. Pray we will be a blessing to the missionaries.
5. Pray we can be an encouragement to the church.
6. Pray that we can show a difference in our lives and challenge the many unsaved still found on B.M. Island.
7. Pray for safety in traveling, especially when Seth spends time with the men as they fish in the ocean (they have killed many sharks there, including hammerheads!).
8. Pray that we are wise in our conduct so that we can grow spiritually during this time and glean as much as we can from the missionaries and the church.
9. Pray we use our time wisely.
10. Pray that this time will strengthen our marriage, and reflect Christ and the church to both the saved and unsaved.
11. Pray for Seth, he will be preaching for the first time in another language during a main service while we are on B.M.. The church is going through 1 Corinthians so once we get there he will figure out what passage he will be given. Pray for boldness and clarity as he unpacks God’s Word in another language.

Your feet to the unreached in PNG, Seth and Nicole Stokes

Scraping Coconuts to Make Coconut Oil

We are off to start our Bush Orientation here in a few days! We are all packed and ready to go. This will be such an amazing time. Please pray for us. Read our July newsletter (link below) and our last two blogs for more information. Thank you for joining us in this awesome and exciting journey to answer the Great Commission for our Lord! ~Seth & Nicole Stokes

July, 2015 Newsletter

(Read our previous blog “B.O. on an Island” for details)

We did our first supply buy for ourselves this week! It was fun to run around town and find things, ask the missionaries (on B.M.) what to bring, and then pack it all up! We had to weigh each box, and then wrap it in black plastic because we are going to be on a long boat ride…everything gets wet and you are usually cold when you arrive. We did our first load and ended up with about 100kgs worth of food (should last close to 8 weeks, rice and canned goods add up), 100 kgs of personal items; clothes, cleaning supplies, etc. and we are strategically bringing about 100kgs worth of food and snacks to share with the people on B.M.. Plus we did a supply run for the missionary family who is currently on the island, pack up some much needed solar panels, as well as help with the logistics of the boat ride and crew. It is so surreal to be in this phase knowing that it is GOING to happen! Yes, it is going to happen. Many of you replied to our prayer request the other day; that we needed rain on B.M. island so we can have water. Well in God’s graciousness and Sovereignty He provided rain last night and almost filled the 2,000-gallon tanks! Maybe God orchestrated this whole thing so that we could be dependent on YOUR prayers before we ever get our location. This is just practice for you guys as we, Lord willingly, head to the tribe God is leading us to go to in the not too distant future. Thank you for your prayers, we literally could not do our work without them.

Our First Supply Load

We have also been running around, spending time with our neighbors, meeting new people and making relationships. Nicole was able to spend an afternoon with some people making indigenous trinkets. Seth also met a new friend who seemed to be very interested in talking about several topics about our purpose of being in PNG, this all came about because he was looking for someone to play basketball with. Seth invited him to church and we hope to see him this Sunday morning.

Nicole working on her Bilum with some ladies

Seth’s & Preston after B-Ball

God has been faithful, His promises are true (2 Cor. 1:20), and He is building His church (Matt. 16:18). If you want to talk or write to us, now is the time! We leave our Tuesday, which is your Monday, and then after that…it is talk to you in 2 months! Thank you for your faithfulness, we covet your partnership in this journey.

Your feet to the unreached in PNG, Seth & Nicole Stokes

What is Bush Orientation?

Bush Orientation (B.O.) is a period of time when you go into a tribal location (we will be going to an island called B.M.) and live with missionaries. You go to a place that typically has given the Gospel and has a young to maturing church. There are several goals (ideal and real) that we have during that phase; this phase also signals the end of E2 (the time you spend at the National Culture and Language level; NCLA). This is a time of isolation to dive 100% into language, culture, relationships, and tribal church planting. Several goals for this time (keep in mind these are goals which will always have room for growth and a more full understanding, not something any of us could ever fully attain):

1. Finish up language study; As we stress, there is always room to grow in the proficient level, but once capable high is attained you are, for all intensive purposes, finished and given the green light to teach.
2. Have a greater picture of cultural awareness; Culture is the ingrained blue print that makes up the grid for each individual to perceive reality, so this too is a level of understanding, not completion.
3. To glean valuable insight from the church planters to see how they did the process of church planting.
4. To learn from the tribal church; they all speak the tribal language as well as Tok Pisin so we will be able to get testimonials, ask for their insight in doing this work, and have fellowship.
5. Last but not least, this is not something we are too affected by but this time is also a time of evaluation and “practice”, we will take our supplies with us for 6 weeks and have no contact with the outside world (unless it is an emergency). We will try to go as minimal as we can so we can be with the people as much as possible. Truly this is a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Tid-Bits 

B.M. is an island approximately a square mile in size and has about 2,000 people and is 80 miles east of Wewak. Wewak is the base we are currently stationed at and will Lord willingly stay at during our time in PNG. Since it is an island, there are no airstrips and which makes it only accessible by boat. It takes approximately 3 hours in the big boat with two 90-horse power engines or with the small boat it takes about 6 hours. The weather determines whether you can go or come so you have to constantly stay in contact via radio with those on the island to see what day is a good day to come. B.M. currently has an active volcano on it, and is well known for being one of the few tribes that surf! They currently are recovering from a blight/famine/heavy storm that attacked their island, and though fresh seafood is in abundance, they still had people fainting due to lack of adequate food and nourishment. Another random tid-bit about the island is that there are several basketball courts (half courts) which will be a great way Seth can connect with the men and kids.

History 

           B.M. is an island that had and has had a Catholic history for almost 100 years. Much of the island is impacted by and follow the Catholic faith. Three New Tribes missionary families came to B.M. island in 2008 and began to learn their tribal language (previously, the catholics had done everything in the national language). In 2012, they taught through Creation to Christ (Firm Foundations Teaching developed by Trevor Mcllwain) and the B.M. church was born. Since then, the 3 men have suffered much hardship (one with his wife developing breast cancer; read our blog “giants are among us”) from various diseases, medical evacuations, persecution, and opposition from the Catholic church. All this has not deterred the missionaries who have taught the foundational teaching (Genesis-Mark) 2 times, while developing strong disciples and future elders in the church, and to top it all off they are approximately 50% completed with the New Testament translation! The church itself has had a major milestone this month, they are doing their first outreach and are finishing teaching the foundational bible lessons (FBT), Phase 1: Creation to Christ themselves! What an exciting time of replication! Pray for many souls making eternal decisions.

In Summation, While Looking Forward!

We hope this post helped you understand what we will be doing these next 6 weeks, starting July 28, 2015. We would love to hear from you this week and if you have any questions go ahead and ask away. We hope this was insightful and also helped you get a better grasp of what one of our final stages in E2 (national culture and language) looks like. This is also exciting because once we get back we can start helping out the mission and other missionaries full-time! We will be doing guest housing, driving, supply buying, liaison work, and even PGA’s (people group assessments); that will be Seth of course, he will hike with an other missionary and possibly a national pastor checking to see where would be the best place to send another missionary and plant a church. There are still 100’s of tribes asking for missionaries! We are planning to spend some valuable time with our future coworkers in Madang sometime in October, as well as experience other possibilities! As E2 comes to a close we come one step closer to E3, which is when we begin the process of tribal allocation! So many BIG things will happen these next 6 months!

Please pray for us:

1. Pray we will be healthy so we can give 100% while on B.M..
2. Pray that we finish Capable High and move onto the proficient level in our language learning process.
3. Pray that we learn more fully the culture of PNG so we can better engage people at a heart level.
4. Pray we will be a blessing to the Missionaries on B.M..
5. Pray we can be an encouragement to the church on B.M..
6. Pray that we can show a difference in our lives and challenge the many unsaved still found on B.M. Island.
7. Pray for safety in traveling, especially when Seth spends time with the men as they fish in the ocean (they have killed many sharks there, including hammerheads!).
8. Pray that we are wise in our conduct so that we can grow spiritually during this time and glean as much as we can from the missionaries and the church on B.M..
9. Pray we use our time wisely.
10. Pray that this time will strengthen our marriage, and reflect Christ and the church to both the saved and unsaved on B.M..
11. Pray for Seth, he will be preaching for the first time in another language during a main service while we are on B.M.. The church is going through 1 Corinthians so once we get there he will figure out what passage he will be given. Pray for boldness and clarity as he unpacks God’s Word in another language.
12. Please Pray that it rains! It has not rained in 1 month and the water supply is getting low, they are afraid that if the water gets too low we might have to postpone our orientation till a little later.

We love you all and covet your prayers,

Your feet to the unreached of PNG, Seth & Nicole Stokes        ~Romans 15:20