An update from Amy

Now that the Interface program is over we are spending the next few weeks with missionaries doing the roles we hope to come here and fulfill. The hope is this will give us a good view of how ready we are to come here and serve. We wanted to see how we fit into the big picture here in New Guinea and get a feel for what life would be like.

 I've spent the last 10 days working in the clinic here at the NTM's main center in PNG. Their main job is to keep the missionaries well and healthy because getting treatment at the local hospital is rolling the dice on whether you'll get adequate care. Not to mention that you're taking your chances catching somebody else's germs....a reused needle, the TB patient in the same open ward as you, the dirty sheets, the community bathrooms. The medical system in this country has seen better days. The closest reliable medical system is Australia--that's where most of the missionaries goes to have their children or for big emergencies. The clinic also treats many people from other mission organizations, nationals that live nearby and a few random expats working in country.

The clinic does a little bit of everything--their own lab work, microbiology labs, xrays, ultrasounds, pharmacy. I was amazed. The 2 physician clinic supports all the missionaries, both in the bush and at center. They package up medications and get them on flights to families in the bush. They are always available by email for medical questions and in emergencies, by radio. They teach missionaries how to look in ears and listen to breath sounds. If the missionary can tell that their kid has an ear infection they can give them the antibiotic they've already got on hand and save themselves a plane flight out to the main clinic. Even though it only costs $10 to see the doctor (which covers the clinic's utility bills), trips can add up quickly when the only way out of your village is by plane or helicopter. And, it's that much more time and energy that the missionary can be working on what they are there to do!

I loved getting to jump in and get my feet wet at the clinic. My experience in the ER proved to be very useful because I had seen such a wide range of illnesses. And I had never dreamed of being an ER nurse. Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of room for learning, but it was encouraging to see that I have a good foundation to build upon in that field.


I was amazed at the number of missionaries that live at the main center. It takes about 100 people to keep NTM running in that country! That includes pilots, mechanics, builders, teachers, dorm parents, accountants, tribal supply ordering people, doctors, nurses, people that run the guest house, government representatives, computer technicians, and probably a few more! It takes a large force of people to keep church planters and translators in the middle of nowhere healthy, fed, clothed, sheltered and able to communicate with the outside world! 

Ryan and I are looking forward to coming back and being a part of the work God is doing here. It has been so good to see it all happening first hand. Please pray God would give us clarity on timing and location to serve him as we continue with this trip. Next week we are going to Hoskins to see what life there would look like. That is where Ryan was headed before the cancer scare set Him back a bit. We are still thinking that is where we would like to be long term and are hoping that our time will confirm or eliminate that. Pray that we would see what we need to and that we would be an encouragement to the missionaries there. Thank you for praying with us so far. God has been good and this has been a very good and fruitful time.

Amy Carpenter

The thoughts God has provoked......

We just spent a week in a village called Simbari, visiting with the missionaries and believers there, and seeing what it means to give your life to reaching a people that are lost.  The testimonies and stories were powerful and stirred our hearts. God is moving everywhere and it is amazing to see.

Simbari...., to get there we boarded a small plane and we flew about an hour out of town through the mountains and then saw this little grass airstrip in the middle of the jungle. It seems like the middle of nowhere but I guess it's somewhere because there are people that live, work and play there. Some of them don't know anything different. There are even brothers and sisters in Christ there! Also, two missionary families have been there for 10+ years. They told us that Jesus is building His church among them as they watch it grow in number and in depth.

But wait...aren't the missionaries the ones sharing the gospel and doing the translation work? Sure, they're there. And, sure, they are working very hard. But, they would tell you over and over that it is despite them that the church was born and is growing. The Lord is using them as imperfect human beings to bring the good news to people who had never heard it before. They, as missionaries, just keep showing up and keep doing the work the Lord has put before them. This makes me ask, "where does the Lord want me, right now, to keep showing up, to persevere in life?"

Sitting through the Simbari church service was probably the highlight of the whole 7 week trip. Several men and women gave testimonies. One young man spoke from Mark 7:15, "Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean'". I've never heard these Scriptures referenced in a testimony before, but they spoke right to the heart of what he had wrestled with his whole life. You see, PNG is very "missionized". There are lots of "churches"; and I put that in quotation marks because these churches do not teach salvation by grace through faith. These churches claim to be Baptist, Bible, Missionary, Assembly of God, Four Square, Methodist, Jehovas Witness, Seventh Day Adventist, Catholic, Lutheran, etc.

Some of these I expected to share salvation through works but not all. It was hard to see a "baptist" church preaching that God sent Christ to allow you to appease him and conform to his demands. Across the board, over and over we heard of "churches" that taught salvation by works. At one "church", it's "don't drink alcohol, don't smoke, don't chew buai, go to church on Saturday, don't drink Coca-cola (yes, this absurd!). At the one down the road it's "don't drink coffee, don't eat pig". So, this is the religious environment this young man giving his testimony grew up in. This Scripture was the road to freedom in Christ for this man. He heard the gospel because someone went to him. He had seen the stars and the mountains and knew that a mighty God existed. But, before someone spoke to him the words that Jesus has shared with us, he did not know eternal life in Christ.

I think what was so amazing was that some websites and organizations list PNG as 95% reached. When you get on the ground and start talking with the missionaries and believers there they just laugh at that. I think we've come to realize even more that just because there is a church in a place does not mean the gospel is being preached nor does it mean there are believers.

It is so much like home in the USA... knowing the name of God does not mean you are saved, doing things to appease him doesn't mean that either. You have to know you cannot appease God, and that the very best thing in you is wicked. Not even knowing Jesus' name and that He is God's Son means you are saved. You have to know Christ died for you because there is no way to God except through him.  Not only do you have to know God loves you, died for you and paid for the wickedness, but you have to accept it as well... You have to humble yourself before God, admit your status before Him as a sinner, and accept Christ's death on your behalf as a covering for your sin.

Please pray for the peoples of New Guinea, that they would understand that they cannot come to God with their own sacrifice like Cain did. They have to come to Him with His sacrifice. Christ. Pray that they would see through the false gospel being proclaimed and know the truth. Pray that God would give wisdom to those working there to share this truth, that they would know how to tell these peoples in their own language what God has done for them. That they would be able to do so in a way that is understood fully. None of this is possible without God making it so. He needs to open hearts and minds and enable those telling the story to do so well.

 More than anything pray for laborers for the fields are white and the laborers are few.

Luke 10:2-3 The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore to send out workers into his harvest field, go I am sending as Lambs among wolves.

Please pray for us we are ready and willing to go. Please pray for divine appointments over the next month as we visit other places and talk with missionaries. Ask that God would show us what we need to make wise decisions about the timing of returning and where we would serve.

Thank you,
Ryan and Amy

Hello again! Live from PNG, update #2.

Hi all....or "apinun" as they say here in melanesian pigin,

We are still alive and well...no sickness, no accidents, no more earthquakes (first day we were here, there was one that registered a 5.6). We did have a slight problem with a couple vehicles and the road that we have to travel to get to the highway. Can you say rainy season, dirt roads and ruts up to your thigh? You can read about it at www.ntm.org/news. The situation is now resolved after the Lord brought 2 days of uncommonly strong wind and sun.

From Amy: Language learning is going well. After several sessions with Lina and lots of afternoons sitting with ladies in the village I can mostly understand Ryan's random mutterings in pigin. We've finished our classes in phonetics and chronological Bible teaching. God is a big God who has been working to draw people to Himself and point people to Christ since Genesis, despite their consistent wandering from Him. I am thankful the Lord has shown Himself to me even when I think I've got it all figured out on my own.

We wrote a paper and had a class about the eternal destiny of the person that has not heard the good news of the gospel. AKA the people that live all over this country. They are heavily "missionized". There have been lots of denominations over the years that have set up churches here. However, the vast majority of them teach that you can earn an eternal life with God by doing the "right" things. They mix their tribal animistic beliefs with a list of do's and don'ts and call it salvation. They teach in Pigin or English. These are 2nd or even 3rd languages for people here.

Pigin only has 600 words with many of the words having 6 or more meanings. Even if these churches were teaching truth, these factors make it very difficult to communicate in a way that would lead to deep understanding. There are over 400 language groups in this country alone that have no access to the Truth. Yikes, there's some food for thought.

From Ryan: It has been so good to get to know some of the village guys here and to brush up on pigin. God has definitely been stirring my heart even more with the need here so many people with no chance of knowing our God and no chance of an eternity with Him. The fosters told us of a man that recently recieved Christ as His savior here, I got to meet him the next day. He was a pastor at the local baptist church for the past 15 years and he never understood the truth that you can't appease God by doing things. He thought that Christ died to allow us to make God happy with us. He showed us how to get rid of our bad blood (more on that later) and washed away his bad insides in the river by baptism.

So they believe it is by Christ dying on the cross showing us how to be saved, and us getting baptised that we get rid of the badness in us. We can then do a few other things and God is happy with us. So close to the truth but even farther than they were before because now they think they have the answer. God has been good for sure , please pray that he would soften hearts and prepare the way and for more laborers for the fields are white. These stories only press on me more the truth of Gods command to Go into all the world! His promise that He will build his church makes it worth all the sacrifice and effort on our part. He is faithful and keeps all of his promises.

Update on the Foster's, the missionaries in the local tribe the Bene Bena with 60k people in it and now there are around 35 believers!  They just finished the 6 month long "creation to Christ" teaching: 25 people showed up on the last day. Only about 10 had been coming consistently. There are now 9 new believers that we will get to worship with in Heaven!!! One of them is another one of our language helpers. She had been attending church at a local place that had services in pigin and taught salvation by works. Keep in mind these are a fairly stoic individuals...Her reaction to the completed teaching was, "it is just so clear now..."Praise the Lord for her.

So what's next? Tomorrow we climb into a 6-seater plane and will go further up into the highlands. We're going to stay with a tribe for the weekend. There is a newer church there and 2 missionary families that are currently working on translating the New Testament. Wahoo! We are looking forward to the testimonies of the believers there and to encouraging the missionaries as well. Please pray we would be a blessing to them over this next week.

Please pray for God to reveal himself this next week to us and for safety
Fell fee to forward this to anyone you think would want to read it too!

Much love. Thanks for writing us and praying for us.
Ryan and Amy Carpenter
Ephesians 3:14-21

Hello from Papua New Guinea

Hello friends and family!

After about 30 hours of travel we have safely arrived here in beautiful Papua New Guinea. We were greeted by temperatures in the 80s, the curious eyes of the nationals and the team of 12 missionaries that serve here at Interface. Our team of 15 includes folks from all over the USA, Germany, and the UK ranging in age from 19 to 32. Two nights ago, we shared with each other about how the Lord provided a way for each of us to come here. You were part of our story and for that we are so grateful. Many others here praised God because of your prayers, your financial gifts, and your encouragement to us along the way. Thank you!

Amy: We're over our jet lag and are settling into some routine here. It feels a little like camp in some senses. We live in a cabin, have community bathrooms, and eat all of our meals together in the dining hall. We are in class part of the day--it's a classroom with open windows that look out over the mountains. We're living at about 5,000 feet. Oh yeah, back to what's going on in class...we've begun some lessons in phonetics and chronological Bible teaching. Phonetics? you may ask. It's because we're getting a small taste of what it takes to learn a tribal language. As for the chronological Bible teaching...that is how missionaries in the tribes begin to teach nationals the gospel.

Today we visited the local village for the first time. Thatch roofs, women hand-washing clothes, and pigs running around included a few of the sites. There is a small handful of believers in this village. Many others have confused "Christian" (aka Mormon, Jehova Witness) beliefs with their own animistic beliefs and have come up with a whole new religion. To get past this confusion the current missionaries are re-teaching the basics of the gospel in the heart language of the people every morning right now. Pray for new believers by the end of next week. As for my own heart, the Lord is telling me not to fear and to truly to ask Him for a deepened passion for only Him. He is to be number one and there are not to be any number two's, three's, or four's. "I am the LORD your God...you shall have no other gods before me." Pray that I would readily receive His answer.

From Ryan: I am still finding it hard to believe that this is real, and that we are here, thank you all for being a part of this over the past three years. Without each one of you this wouldn't be a reality. As we were in the plane flying from Port Moresby to Goroka I was overwhelmed with it all. The past three years have been very bittersweet. It was so hard to prepare to go only to have health issues derail what I was certain God had called me to. On the other hand I am sitting here in New Guinea looking to God for direction with an amazing wife by my side. I can only say thank you Lord.

Even though I haven't been here in over 15 years the sights and smells are so familiar and bring back many childhood memories, it is good to see and feel it all around. Even as all this is happening my heart is heavy with the number of people here who have still to hear the gospel. We went to the village today to meet people and look around. The air heavy with smell of wood fires mixed with the faint sweet smell of coffee beans drying and tobacco smoke greeted as as we climed the slippery and muddy clay trail to the village. Bamboo and grass huts of various age and construction  along with things like pig jawbones from hunts long past hanging from trees surrounded us.

I was quickly reminded how far from Texas and the US I was as three small childeren ran by playing in the mud, while men walked around carrying bows and machetes as if on guard. One woman walked by with a twelve foot tree trunk on her head and a bag of sweet potatoes over her shoulders. This place is so unlike home in every way except for one. These are people without Christ and they need Him just as much as we do. God is stirring my heart it is so good to be here learning how to make a difference and how to touch lives with my own. What is our place in this need? What does God have for Amy and I? We are both looking to God to bring us a clear picture of that while e are here. Please pray with us that we would see clearly what He has and not mix his message with our own faulty beliefs as is seen so often here.

Once again I am thankful for all of you helping us get here God is moving in both of us and it is because of your help that that is possible. God is so GOOD and I am glad He is in control of this all. All in His time I keep reminding myself. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. I am in awe of it all, and extremely grateful. Thank you.

Please write to us at this email address while we are here! We'd love to hear from you :) We will write again as soon as we can.


The Carpenters
Ephesians 3:14-21

The Journey Begins

Happy New Year friends!! We hope your year is off to a great start. We are probably on a plane somewhere between here and New Guinea as you read this. We fly out early on the 1st. We can hardly believe it is true.  We thought we would post a quick update here so you can read through it.  Please write to us at itf.ryan.carpenter@ntm.org, as this will be our email while in NG. 

As many of you know, the last couple months of our lives have been filled with wedding planning, New Guinea trip preparation, support raising and work.Our wedding was amazing. Thank you to all who could come and be part of it. You were a real blessing to us. The reception in Michigan was also great. We got to visit with a lot of family and friends and enjoy the foot of new snow on the ground! 

Amy has continued to work part-time in the ER at Parkland and Ryan has worked with Free City International. It kept us fairly busy to say the least. Last month Amy took care of one of the original Northway members in the ER who came in with a hemorrhagic stroke. Praise the Lord she is back home now after surgery and many days in the ICU. 

The Free City Soccer league really took off in the refugee community. Through Free City's Soccer League Ryan got to got to know over 46 refugees from 11 countries: Iran, Iraq, Liberia, Congo, Bhutan, Burma, Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Kenya and Rawanda. It was good soccer and good fellowship. Ryan really enjoyed getting to know some of these guys. They have incredible stories and we have posted some of them on the blog. You can check it out at FCFL.us. 

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-13 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: "a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, a time to love, and a time to hate"; What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

In October, we were in front of the Dallas campus of The Village Church being confirmed into ministry by the pastors and elders there! Pastor Steve and Pastor Brandon prayed over us and asked the body to pray and be a part of sending us to New Guinea.  Many of you made your way down front to pray over us. For Ryan this was somewhat of a culmination of a long journey to be released to go to New Guinea. For us, it is more of a beginning as we start to walk this road together. We were truly overwhelmed by your presence and your prayers. And for that, we say "thank you!" 

Acts 6:6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

Acts13:2-3 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

1 Timothy 1:6&7 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

We've been sharing at home groups, Bible studies and Sunday school classes the last couple months. Every time it is a reminder of where the Lord has brought each of us individually and now where he has brought us together.  It has been refreshing to meet with many of you. We really love how God has brought us to the same conclusion of what he wants from our lives. We are from such different backgrounds and yet through parents who loved the Lord and the individual experiences in our lives, we have been taught the truth of God's calling for us. 

Ephesians 1:15-19 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe.  

A couple weeks ago, we shared at Amy's grandparent's Sunday school class. Someone asked how we were paid. When I told him we received no salary from anyone, he could hardly believe it. Then he asked how did we live. We told him it was through people like him, who believe God is leading them to partner with us. As the Lord leads and as we make our needs known, people will pray regularly and/or give on a monthly basis. That is what makes it a reality. He then commented that it was amazing to him that someone could have the faith to move to the other side of the world trusting in people's giving to keep them there and provide for them there.

Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 

This is probably the 500^th time we have heard this from someone in the past year. We return to the same questions each time. Do we really have the faith? What is that faith really in? It isn’t in people's giving nature, or in the economy, or in our own abilities. Our faith is really in our belief that God will not ask us to do anything that he won’t provide for. God owns the cattle on a thousand hills right? Everything in this world is His right? So it is and He has the power to do anything. What do we do with that? We believe and move forward. If He finds joy in giving us good gifts and He also provides for the sparrow and He will not lead where He will not provide then…. What do we have to fear? The same is true for you who give.  

Luke 12:6-7 "Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." 

God is showing himself to be our provider even in the midst of the wrestle. He is still the same God who brought down manna from heaven for the Israelites in the desert, who provided a substitute ram as Abraham's sacrifice, who guided the Israelites by day and by night, who fed 5000 men from 12 loaves and 5 fish, and who provided a way for us to spend eternity with Him. In the last couple weeks, the remaining money for our trip has come in.  Thank you to all of you who made this possible. It is so encouraging to see and we thank the Lord for you and pray for you. 

Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." 

All the money that we needed for this trip has come in, just over $13000, it is so amazing to see how God provides. He has done so through many of you and we are very grateful. Amy and I have taken this as a real confirmation of our direction and His purpose in that.  The next step for us will be to raise the monthly support needed. Right now we have $1,165 a month promised in monthly support, with $980 of that actually coming in. New Tribes recommends that we have $4,187/month before we begin full time with them in August. This is really our biggest need at this time. We will be living off of this support throughout training as that is full time and there is not time to work. Please pray that God would lay this on people's hearts and move them to give. None of this is possible without people like you joining us in this endeavor, we need partners to do all of this. Please prayerfully consider this as well.

Malachi 3:10 "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."  

He isn’t going to ask some of you to give to our ministry without providing for you as well. God loves to give us good things like a father to his children. Even in knowing this I struggle with having this faith. I really do, right now I am struggling with it as our finances are not what they need to be and I am asking Amy to join me in this effort. It was a lot easier when it was jut me. Now I have to trust God to not only provide for my needs but for those of my wife as well. When days are tough and I want to take control of it all I have to look to God and say it is yours. I am yours. She is yours please take care of us. 

 Psalms 37:4, 25 "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart...I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

 A little more about our trip! We will be at the Interface Training Center for a program called Interface for the first 4 weeks. We will spend time learning (reviewing for Ryan) Pidgin English, learning about cross-cultural church planting in a tribal context, and ministering to the local tribe. We will then head to NTM's headquarters where Amy will work for a week in the clinic there with Dr. Bud. Meanwhile, Ryan will assist with the current construction and maintenance projects. The final 2 weeks, we'll travel to the missions center in the islands region of NG. There is a supply depot, a clinic, a guest house and a boarding school for missionary kids. We're visiting because we could move there after completing training.  

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." 

Pray that we would gain much wisdom and insight from the missionaries that are currently serving in New Guinea. Pray for divine appointments. Pray that we would go as learners and that we'd be able to bless and encourage the workers there. We are hoping to find out what our next step will be. Ryan feels ready to go now as an associate but I am not as ready for this. We both know that if we are not at the same place in this then we need to wait and are praying that God would bring unity in it. We have looked into doing the training New Tribes provides stateside before we go full time but would like to see how we fit with those working in New Guinea, in the Islands Region. Pray God would settle in our hearts what the next step is, and make it clear if we are ready to head there now to if we need to take more time to prepare.

Acts 20:24  But I do not count my life as  any value, if only I may finish the my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the good news of Gods grace. 

The next time you hear from us we will be in New Guinea! Here's our schedule:

January 1: Flight leaves Dallas

January 3: Interface
February 1: Amy work in clinic/Ryan work on current construction projects at headquarters

February 28: Back in Dallas
August 14 Leave for full time training with NTM,  or continue on to New Guinea

Our Hopes

Mark 5:13 14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Mark 16:15 He said to them; "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

  Our ministry and purpose for serving in Papua New Guinea is to be a direct support to those who are working hard to ensure that every "tribe and tongue" have a chance not just to hear but to understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their own language. A task that is amazing and difficult at the same time.

Things like fixing generators, building homes, or other such projects will be my focus, while Amy will provide medical checkups, and emergent care for the region. Our job is to do whatever we can to allow those planting churches and discipling new believers to do so without distraction. All with the hopes of removing the stress and allowing those serving in the tribes to focus on what they are there to do.

Each of us can play a part in touching the lives in the lost reaches of the world. We can do this by supporting those who are on the forefront of the mission frontier. Taking the weight of worry off their shoulders and allowing them to focus on the task at hand, the presentation of the gospel, the translation of the scriptures, and the ministering to those in need, and the discipling of the believers .

Let’s join together each doing the piece God has assigned to us without abandon. Each part of the body fulfilling its God given function whether it be praying, giving, or going. If each with a burden prays, and each with the ability gives, and each one called goes then together we can reach the last tribe with the message. Each of us has a burden to bear lets do so with the grace, wisdom, and strength of our God. Running the race as though to win the prize of every last village being reached with the gospel.

Ephesians 4:15-17 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Supplication, Support, and Sharing

Hello! This is Ryan here. We wanted to send you all a basic idea of what the future holds for Amy and I. We are getting married and then traveling to New Guinea (NG). We are currently raising support for that trip, for the full-time training with New Tribes Mission (NTM), and for our time in NG after that. Together we hope to shine Christ to the world, appealing to them to “be reconciled to God.” The doors are open, and we need you to help us move forward.

2 Corinthians 5:17-20 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassador, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.

This is Amy. Howdy! For those that I haven’t talked to recently and to those who don’t know me yet, I have been an ER nurse at Parkland Hospital for 3 years, mentoring Somali refugees, getting involved at The Village Church and participating in a triathlon or two. About a year ago, the Lord led me to begin seriously looking for a nursing opportunity overseas, one where I could serve people who have not heard the gospel. Over the years, the Lord brought me to that place through an eye-opening mission trip to Sudan, Perspectives course, Scriptures and various friendships. I am thrilled to continue traveling this road with Ryan and look forward to partnering with you.

Philippians 1:3-7 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace.

We hope to go to unreached peoples who have no access to the Bible and where the gospel has yet to be presented. We have decided to go to New Guinea, the world’s most primitive and untouched place. With 1600+ languages and 2100 dialects, it is the most linguistically and culturally diverse place in the world. Over 900 of the world’s 2300 unreached people groups are found there.

Romans 15:20-21 Thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, "Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.

We will be a part of a team of 130 families planting churches in over 30 language groups. We will be living at a center, which houses a boarding school, clinic, supply depot, guest houses and technical support facilities. Ryan will provide the technical, mechanical, and construction support for those families and the tribes they are in. Amy will provide the routine and emergent medical care for them. We will also serve as mentors for the missionaries’ children at the boarding school. We want to allow those in the tribes translating the Bible, presenting the gospel, and discipling believers to focus on the task God has called them to do.

Ephesians 4:15-16 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Life is a gift from God and we are excited to be able to lay ours at His feet. We are confident that He has not called us to something that He will not provide for in every way. It is His provision, love, and guidance that allows us to reach out to the lost in this world. And, it is His drawing them to Himself while shining through us that makes any of this work. We need to be constantly depending on Him in prayer for everything.

Philippians 4:18-20 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

We have sought the counsel of our church leadership and those currently serving with NTM. Based upon their recommendations and our own convictions we have decided to do the full training offered by NTM. NTM has what is recognized by mission organizations around the world as one of the best and most intensive and exhaustive Mission Training Schools (MTC). With classes meeting from 8-5, five days a week, and studying too, there will be little room for anything else over the next two years. We are excited to dive into the training and prepare for our future in ministry.

1 Peter 1:13-19 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

We are thrilled that a majority of this school’s staff are seasoned missionaries who have faithfully walked the road we will be taking. They’ve planted churches among the most remote, unreached peoples of the world and discipled pastors and elders, while raising godly families. Under their discipleship, we plan to learn from their stories and wisdom how to run the race well to the end.

Acts 20:24 But I do not count my life as any value, if only I may finish the course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the good news of God’s grace.

We are about to set out on a journey that is very difficult. It will test us and our walk with the Lord in every way. Our goal in this time of training is to learn to love each other well through our love for the Lord and to prepare our hearts and minds for ministry. In many ways our love for each other in marriage can be a true and bright reflection of the Lord’s sacrificial love for the world. It is this very love for the Lord that is necessary for us to be able to walk together faithfully through whatever the future holds. Our ministry starts and ends with our love for the Lord and for each other.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

We cannot walk this path alone. Please join with us in reaching these people and lift us up to the Lord constantly. As we set out on this journey we are aware of the spiritual warfare and danger involved. We are driven to our knees in dependence on God and we ask that you join us there. We will keep you updated on our needs and what God is doing around us. In all of this we deeply covet your prayers.

Ephesians 3:18-19 Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication to that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador.

We also ask you to partner with us financially. We are currently at 20% of our recommended support, which is $4897 a month. We are asking for support from people like you who believe in what God is doing through us and want to be a part of it. This may sound like a lot, but it’s really not much. If 200 of you committed to $25 a month ($300/year), our financial needs would be met. We also need $11,500 by the end of November to cover the cost of our trip to New Guinea this spring. We can’t wait to see God provide through you. We have enclosed two documents that explain what the support money covers and how you can give. Please let us know if you have any questions. You can email us at ryan.amy.carpenter@gmail.com Or, call: Ryan, 574-850-0343; Amy, 214-499-5233. Ideally, we’d like to sit down and chat with you!

2 Corinthians 9:7-8 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Thank you,
Ryan Carpenter &
Amy Smith