Watch this Awesome Video!

We want to thank all of you for your support and prayers for the recent trip that four of our guys from Northwest Community Church just took to Papau New Guinea.  Because of this trip, our team was able to finish building a missionary house in the jungle. Here is a great video that shows some of the work they were able to accomplish while they were there.  BJ and Jill and their three kids and two other couples and their children just arrived at their new tribal house this past weekend. They know A LOT of work lies ahead of them, but they are excited to finally start working with the tribe that they have prayed about for some many years.  Please join with us in praying that they will be able to accomplish this God-sized task!





This past week when we met for student ministry, we had several new youth attend.  That night, as we were talking over the day, we began naming all of the students that have come through our doors these past few months.  We named 20 students.  We are praying that God shows us how we can best reach out to these 20 students.  We know that these 20 students are not here by accident, and we are honored that we get to play a part in their lives.  Please pray that God gives us wisdom as we minister to them and that He shows us how we can best help them see their need for Christ.

"So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us.  We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.  That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me." 

Colossians 1:28-29

The Houses are Finished!

Our Team from Northwest Community Church:

Kent, Will, Dave and Scott

The Completed House!

Scott is finally home! Four of our guys (Scott, Will, Dave and Kent) from Northwest Community Church just returned home after being in Papau New Guinea for several weeks.  Their job was to finish building BJ and Jill's tribal home.

For the past year, BJ and Jill and their three kids have been living at one of New Tribes Mission's bases in Papau New Guinea.  BJ and Jill arrived in Papau New Guinea with two other missionary families.  They have spent this past year learning culture and language and surveying the land to find a tribe who is ready to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ! Several months ago, the three couples decided on a tribe and have spent the past several months gathering building materials.  Teams from the U.S. have come to help each couple build their house.  When our team from NCC arrived, BJ and Jill's house still had a long way to go.  Their hope was to finish the house by the time they left.  Upon seeing the house, they weren't sure if this was possible.  But, they worked as hard as they could, from sun-up to sun-down, barely even breaking for meals and were able to see the house finished!  So, all three families will be moving up into the tribe to begin their work in just a few weeks!

The trip was a huge success, so we thank you all for your prayers.  The tribes-people are so excited, and they don't even realize what Good News they are about to hear! As our team was building the house, the tribes-people watched their every move and followed them around everywhere. One thing that really stood out to our team is the way that these tribes-people understand community. They might not know Jesus Christ yet, but they know how to love on each other and how to selflessly help out someone in need. So many times, this is such a hindrance for us because we have so much.  We don't want to sacrifice our possessions or our time.  But, as we read in the Bible, this really is not an option:

Then he said to the crowd, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.' Luke 9:23-26

Please join us in prayer for these three missionary families that will be learning a new tribal language, explaining the Bible to them, and translating it into their language.  Humanly speaking, it seems like an overwhelming task, but we know that God can do this.

Here are some pics from their trip.

Today is the Day . . .and Why I'm a Mean Wife

Today is the day.  Scott just left us to head to the airport (big sigh).  He and three other men from Northwest Community Church will board a plane in a few hours to start the LONG trip to Papau New Guinea.

Where is Papau New Guinea?

• It is about as far away as you can get from the United States! It occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and is just north of Australia.  It is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world. It is also one of the most rural and one of the world's least explored, culturally and geographically.

Why are they going to Papau New Guinea?

• Scott's brother, BJ, along with his wife, Jill, and their three small children moved to PNG a year ago. They moved there with two other families and they have been undergoing training and surveying the land to find a tribe who is ready to hear the gospel.  They went through a missions group called New Tribes Mission, and they will be presenting the gospel to a tribe who doesn't know the name of Jesus. They selected their tribe a few months ago and have been working on building their houses.  They will be working with the Wantakia people (#reachwantakia).  

So, our four men will be helping BJ and Jill build their house!  The other two  missionary couples' houses are almost complete, and BJ and Jill's house is under construction right now.  Our 4 men are hoping to finish the job while they are there!

BJ and Jill's House

All Three of the Missionary Houses

• What will the three missionary families do when their houses are completed?

They have a HUGE task ahead of them, and need all the prayer and support they can get.  See their blog here. They will be:

1. Learning the language and culture of their tribe
2. Teaching them to read in their own language
3. Translating the Bible into their own language
4. Teaching them the Bible from Genesis to Revelation
5. Teaching them to take the gospel to the rest of the tribes and to the ends of the earth!

So, yes, a HUGE task lies ahead of these three missionary families.  We are excited that our church gets to partner with them and play a part in reaching the people of Wantakia!

We ask for your prayers as our team goes to help with this incredible task.  Here are some specific prayer requests:

• Safety in traveling.  Just to get to PNG, it will take over 2 days of travel and they will lose a day when they finally arrive in PNG. They will take 4 different flights (one of which is 15 hours long) and a helicopter ride to go up into the tribe.  For one of their connecting flights, they will only have one hour to make it through customs and make their next flight, so please pray they are able to do this.
• For the building of the house.  Please pray that our team will be able to work hard and for safety as they work to complete the Sanders' house.  
• Please pray for the three missionaries that are about to begin their work in this tribe.  Pray that the people will be receptive and that God's name will be proclaimed and glorified among the Wantakia people!

A few days ago, Scott asked if I would take him to the airport as they prepared to leave for 2 weeks.  My reply: "NO."  So, I guess I get the award for "Mean Wife."  Hear me out, though.  I want our kids to be excited about what their daddy is about to go do: he's about to go help a missionary family build their house so they can tell a tribe all about Jesus!  How exciting!  I am truly thankful that my husband gets to have this experience.  I want to CELEBRATE this experience.  If I go to the airport, I will be a HOT. MESS.  Our children will be fearing for their daddy's life instead of sharing in the excitement of what he is doing.  So, in the interest of my husband and my children, I decided he would have to get a ride to the airport so I can keep it together.  Even though I don't get to go into the tribe with my husband, I will be faithfully praying for the work he is about to do and helping our children understand that we are all called to play a role in bringing others to Christ.

People of Wantakia

Follow me on my personal blog here.

Prayer Requests

Thank you for lifting our family up in prayer.  We definitely need it.  We wanted to update you on a few things about our ministry here.

We have enjoyed getting to know the youth each week, but, as we have shared before, there are a lot of challenges.  Many of them do not know anything about what it means to have a relationship with the Lord.  We have just started breaking into small groups (girls and guys separated) for a time of discussion so that we can begin to go deeper.  Please pray with us that God opens their eyes to their lostness and to their need for Him.  Please pray that God gives us words to say so that we can accurately portray the gospel to them.

One of the kids in our youth group just lost his mother yesterday, and his father has also been in the hospital with heart issues.  Please pray with us for this family. They do not know the Lord, so we are praying that God can draw their hearts to Him through this tragedy.

Scott's parents just left last week to head to Papua New Guinea to be with Scott's brother and his family.  Scott's dad and brother will be traveling up into the tribe by helicopter and will finish getting supplies ready to build their house.  Scott will then be going with a team in March to build their house!

Please pray with us that Northwest Community Church will be able to raise support for this trip. Plane tickets alone cost about $3000, so this is a huge stretch for the families who are going.  If you would like to partner with Northwest Community Church, please contact us.  We can use all the support and prayers we can get!

Scott has started substitute teaching, and Amilee is enjoying her job.  God is providing, and we are thankful for that.

Our children are adjusting well, but they talk about their friends in Macon frequently.  It is a good time for us to explain to them how we must be willing to follow the Lord whenever and wherever. Thank you for your prayers.  We certainly need them!

Exciting News!

Happy New Year from The Sanders Family!

Scott, Amilee, Benjamin (5), Nathan (3), and Abigail (1)

Happy New Year!  This past month has been a whirlwind, but it's finally starting to sink in that we now live in Northwest Arkansas.  We just spent a much-needed vacation in Branson, Missouri with Amilee's family.  We just returned home today and it's time to start focusing on what God wants us to accomplish in 2015.

We want to share some exciting news with you. A few weeks ago, Scott went to his first missions meeting with a group of men from Northwest Community Church who are interested in taking a trip to Papua New Guinea.  In case you don't know, Scott's brother, BJ, along with his wife, Jill, and their three children (ages 4, 2, and 1) moved to PNG last January.  They have spent the past 11 months in training and they have been surveying the area to find a tribe who wants to hear the gospel.  They have finally selected their tribe and will start building their house in the next few months.  After their house is built, BJ and Jill, along with 2 other families, will move up into the mountains and begin learning their tribe's language.  After that, they will begin sharing the Bible with them through story-telling and present the gospel to them!  They will then work on translating the Bible into their tribal language.  What a huge task that lies before them! They need all the prayer and support that we can offer. To learn more about what they are doing, please visit their blog here.

So, at this missions meeting, several men from our church decided they wanted to be the ones to help build BJ and Jill's house.  Scott spent several days researching plane tickets and prices.  It will take 30+ hours of flying, along with 4 layovers and a helicopter ride, for them to reach the tribe.  And, Scott is going to be in charge of the trip!  On March 14, four men from NCC will be leaving from Northwest Arkansas to head to PNG.  They will be gone for two weeks and will be working as hard as they can to build BJ and Jill's house!  Please join us in prayer for this huge, God-sized task!

• Pray for wisdom for BJ, Jill and their teammates as they choose where they should build their house, put posts in the ground, and gather building materials.  
• Pray for safety for the four men traveling to PNG.  Also, pray that they meet the weight requirements for the helicopter!  This may sound amusing, but all of the men (including their belongings) cannot exceed 1,015 pounds.
• Pray for the four men's families that they are leaving in the States.  Amilee is excited for the opportunity that Scott will have, but is dreading being separated from him for two weeks.  Also, pray that the families are able to raise support for this expensive trip.  Airline tickets alone cost about $3000!
• Pray that the Wantakia tribe will be excited and ready to hear the gospel and that many come to know Him in the coming years.  

God is already teaching us so much.  Our faith is being stretched daily.  But, the more we are stretched, the more we realize that God doesn't want us to stay in our comfort zones: He wants us to be stretched daily, by letting go of our fleshly desires and submitting to His will.

Praying that all of us will have our faith stretched in 2015, so that we can become MORE like Christ.

"When we fight to stay in certain and controlled circumstances, seek comfort over discomfort, or need a fully mapped-out plan, can we even claim faith in God at all?" -Christine Hoover

Getting Adjusted

It is definitely a different experience to serve at Northwest Community Church, and we know that God is really going to stretch our faith as we serve here.

NCC meets in an elementary school each week, so volunteers are vital on Sunday mornings.  Every Sunday morning, a group of 10-15 volunteers meets at the school to set up everything from our greeters station to the band and stage equipment to all of the equipment for our children's and preschool ministries.  After setting up for about an hour and a half, we are finally able to start greeting people as they walk through the doors.

We are meeting a lot of new people, and God is really bringing people to NCC who have NO knowledge about Christ.  We know we have a huge responsibility in front of us as we help present the gospel to people for the very first time.  Please pray with us that God continues to open people's eyes to their need for Christ and pray for us to have the words to accurately present the gospel.

We met the youth group for the first time last Sunday night, and Scott officially took over tonight as we hosted NCC's first Cheesey Christmas Sweater Party.  We had 11 students attend. Many of the students cannot even get a ride to church, so volunteers are bringing them each week.  Two students are struggling through the loss of their mother as well. Without giving too many specifics, many of the students are in a very hard place right now and we would like to ask for your prayers as we minister to them.

For our Christmas Eve service, NCC has rented a barn for our service.  We pray that this will be an opportunity for us to present the gospel to others and help them get involved in a local church.

Scott is still filling out paperwork in order to become a substitute teacher.  Please pray that God opens the right doors for him or shows him if there is another part-time job he should pursue.

Amilee has been able to work in a financial consulting office one day a week and will also be working from home as well.  We feel so blessed that this job opened up for her, and she has loved being able to work with Adrienne Fincher as well.

Our kids are enjoying it here, but it has definitely been an adjustment for them and we are facing some battles as they work through the emotions of their world being turned upside-down. We need prayer as we work through how to parent them right now.

Thank you for your prayers.

"Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us.  Pray that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes..." 2 Thessalonians 3:1

Our First Week in Arkansas

Some pictures from our trip to Arkansas:

Chugging down an energy drink (first of many)

 Rest Area in Arkansas

When we arrived in Arkansas, Northwest Community Church surprised us by stocking our pantry!

Well, we are here!  After spending Thanksgiving with Amilee's parents, we left from Valdosta on Sunday morning and planned to break the trip into 2 days since it would be such a long drive.  On Sunday evening, however, we found out that a bad ice storm was headed for Northwest Arkansas and we were advised to go ahead and drive it all in one day.  So, we spent 18 hours in the car with three little kids and arrived at 2:30 am.

The next day, Amilee ended up going to a job interview with a financial advisement company.  This is the same place where Adrienne Fincher worlds full time.  Amilee started this job today and will be working 1-2 days a week.  We are so thankful that God has allowed her to find something part time, where she will still be able to homeschool and be with our children the remainder of the week.

Scott is in the process of applying for substitute teaching positions right now.  Please pray that God opens the right doors for him and supplies him with a part-time job so that he can work at Northwest Community Church the rest of the week.

Right now, we are unpacking and sorting through all of our belongings.  We have moved into Scott's parents house, but it is currently on the market, so we are trying not to unpack everything.

Thank you for your prayers and support.  We were overcome with emotion as we said goodbye to all of our friends in Macon, but we know we must be obedient to follow God's leading in our lives. Please pray with us that God uses us to reach out to those in Northwest Arkansas who do not know Christ.