From Isolation, Hunting and Gathering …
When NTM began working in Paraguay 70 years ago, the remote people groups were often nomadic, and spoke no language besides their own. They “survived solely by hunting and gathering, and had little or no contact with civilization,” wrote Mark Case, who serves with NTM in Paraguay today.
To Smartphones and Satellite TV
“Much has changed,” Mark wrote. “The tribal people live in villages that have schools, medical clinics, and even churches. Electricity has arrived at most villages, and it is even common to see satellite TV dishes on tribal houses. Many tribal people have cell phones and even smartphones with which they can access the Internet.”
That doesn’t mean they don’t need God. It just means they have a lot more opportunities to be distracted, and that makes the type of work NTM does just as important today as it was 70 years ago.
Still, Make Disciples
“There is one thing that hasn’t changed: Christ’s command to ‘go and make disciples’,” Mark wrote. “Our vision here is to see tribal people be true disciples, followers of Christ, who will be able to reach the next generation with the life-changing gospel.
“So, how can we position ourselves for effective discipleship in such a changing environment? Discipleship takes building deep relationships with people and intentionally encouraging people to walk with God.”
“Pray that the tribal believers will disciple one another and truly follow Christ in this changing world,” Mark asked. Pray for the missionaries and believers to effectively disciple those around them, and to be “intentional in reaching out to people and impacting people’s lives.” Pray that God gives each of us — you and the people in your church as well — wisdom and courage to do that.
The Ayore in 1947 were nomadic hunters and gatherers.
