Category: Tanner News

Great news to end the year about the latest course taught at Green River, Papua New Guinea! A missionary retired in Australia wrote this about the course, “AWESOME.”

A few years ago, a Korean woman who manages an auto repair garage heard that one of her mechanics was a believer and teaching God’s word in a chronological order. She wanted to hear the word and invited all of her workers to join in the studies every Saturday. She and many of her workersContinue reading December 2018

A few years ago, Moses’ elder brother was killed in a tribal fight. Then his younger brother was killed a few years later in a tribal fight. His missionary asked us to protect him until the fighting stopped. He was a joy to have and a good student. He got through some courses and thenContinue reading November 2018

This conversation via messenger was this week between us and Jonnie and Josie who live in Hela Province in Papua New Guinea. They heard our evangelistic course and then attended our teachers’ training course and have never turned back. They have started a new church near their village and sent men and women for usContinue reading October 2018

July 28, 2018 We don’t get the chance very often to interview the graduates of our first course, creation to Christ. But today was a great day of hearing what God had done for 25 people ages from 8 years old to about 65. They came one at a time to tell us what theyContinue reading July 2018

We were in a remote area named Aziana. We were invited for two reasons; firstly to speak to a group of church leaders and their wives. What an earnest and eager group! What a great time in the Word.

It has been a while since we’ve sent one of these out. I (Jim) had pneumonia and then we both got a gastric bug, but we are on the mend. As you can see, this is an isolated airstrip in the Pawaia Tribe. We presently have a team of 4 teachers in there teaching CourseContinue reading May 20, 2018

One of our joys is to hear how God is using His word. Check it out.

Les Loader (right) sent this message recently from Australia:

While I am in Port Moresby I would like to buy 20 sets of the simple English Course One, Books 1 and 2 plus 5 sets of pictures.

The interest in using your material here with Aboriginal people took a large step forward today. A full-time worker with Aboriginal people here has received a copy of the books from me and has asked for extra books. He is a good man and he wants to use this material at Burketown, Australia.

Hi Everyone,

A couple weeks ago, a man named Iteve came to arrange accommodations for 20 men. They wanted to get away for some time in the Word and in preparation for their upcoming baptisms. I had the chance to speak to the group and was in total awe of God’s saving grace. Most of the men had been on drugs and alcohol before they heard the Creation to Christ Bible lessons. They were the kind of people no one expected to get saved. Obviously, God had other expectations. Iteve told the men that I had taught him Bible lessons when he was in 9th Grade and that was the year he was saved. He said “Jim was an example to me, and I’m glad I got involved in a ministry early in life. Now, you should follow my example.” (He’s now a grandfather).

The invitation from the Mibu (me-boo) people group was to do a teacher’s training course in the trade language, Melanesian Pidgin English, so they could reach other people groups beyond their language borders. Other people had seen changes in their lives and they wanted to hear the message that changed them. 45 people were expected, but there were over 100 people there to observe what was going on. God used three of His faithful servants to travel 3 days in each direction. When someone mentioned there would be a 2 day hike involved, I opted out.

We recently received this comment from a missionary in another country,

“I’ve had many opportunities to speak at different venues. I’ve also given one 3-hour seminar. Materials came from one of our former mentors in Papua New Guinea who had translated materials into simple English. I was able to have my translator read the materials ahead of time to help him with translating it as I spoke. This generated so much enthusiasm, that I was able to begin team teaching right away.”

Thanks to all of you who prayed for our trip to the mission conference. All went well and the students at the college were very attentive. We set up a table with our printed book samples and we got a lot of orders from them.

About a week ago, an email reached the headquarters office requesting a missionary from New Tribes Mission to come and speak to students at the Christian Leaders Training College about 4 hours’ drive from here. They wanted someone to come and teach the students about our Creation to Christ Bible lesson courses during a mission emphasis week.

We have another teacher training course coming up the 25th for advanced teachers. I’ve never taught it before, but I’ve been busy working at curriculum development. Pray it will all come together. We are expecting about 25 folks.

We started volume 10 in our English Bible course, but after doing 5 lessons, I had to lay it aside to work on the teachers’ course. 

The last teacher training course we had was very effective. One man wrote, “I personally was helped a great deal by attending the training. I had been taught lessons, but now I know how to teach them others. I thank God for the course.”

I was invited to speak Easter Sunday morni ng in a church in the town of Goroka. I look forward to sharing the Word with them. I just finished the oil painting of this elderly woman today. I love older people as subjects. Thanks for your prayers.

Three stories from the mission field in Papua New Guinea

It has been a while since we’ve been in touch, but God continues to do great things on this side of the world. This week we started a 4 week discipleship class with these 4 people from Hela Province. After that, they will attend a teachers’ training course so they can go back and reproduce. Pray for their growth.

It started with these two humble teachers who took our training in September.

Short stories from the mission field in Papua New Guinea

This is Max. His pastor and missionary wanted him to escort me up to the Christmas youth camp in December, but when they found out we have a teacher training course coming up next week, they asked if he could attend. It was decided that he would come early and allow me to mentor him. He is a dedicated earnest young man and it has been a joy and privilege to spend time pouring into his life. He has managed to study 17 out of the 68 lessons in just a few days. Pray God will use this time to encourage him and strengthen his faith. We look forward to see him serving Christ in the years ahead.

Notes from the mission field

Here are some stories and pics from October and November 2016!

Snippets from the mission field

Hello all,

July 4-8, Paul and I attended Connection 2016 at the Christian Leaders Training College. We were asked to attend for two reasons. We are considered a resource group and have materials to enrich the churches and I was asked to speak on how God is using our Bible Lessons around the country.

Francis and Suzi were saved after going through Creation to Christ lessons. They continued studying through the lessons on the security of the believer and the book of Acts. Now they are starting the book of Romans. They were able to attend the recent teacher training course here and got their certificates. They are bothContinue reading Francis and Suzi–July 2016

Encouraging words

Some dear friends, John and Lena Allen, came to visit. During our time together, John mentioned that he had taken our simple English Bible lessons to India and introduced them to some students attending a Christian College. One of the students had written to John to let him know that he was using the lessons to teach people and they were clearly understanding the Word.

Some of you may remember Alphonse who came to know Christ after he and his wife studied through Course 1. We hadn’t seen him since our trip to the USA for our grandson’s wedding, but he popped in to welcome us back. I asked him if they had studied any lessons while we were gone, and he said that they had finished the lessons in Course 2 and 3. I was pleased to give him the first book of Course 4 (Romans and Ephesians). We are so glad for hungry hearts.

An experiment that went terribly right 

Nathan lived across the road from us until he finished 10th Grade and went to work loading airplanes near a gold mine.

Before he left, I was doing quite a bit of traveling so I gave him a simple Engish version of our first course of Bible lessons.

He was reading it before he left, but he texted me last night to tell me he had finished it. I hadn’t taught him, but I wanted to see how the lessons would impact people who just read them on their own.

He wrote, “Good night Pop. I have completed book 2.”

Me, “Did you learn much? Has God spoken to you?”