USING THE SUN TO SPREAD THE SON

Over the last few weeks in my Missionary Technology course, I have been learning a lot about electricity; specifically, solar electricity. When tribal church planters move into a tribe there will be no electricity available; therefore, they will need to be their own power company. The electricity will come from a solar-powered system. The sunlight will be turned into electricity by solar panels and then be sent to 12-volt deep-cycle batteries until they need the power. Because the electricity is going to be 12-volt Direct Current, most appliances that we commonly use in America will not be able to run since America has 120 volt Alternating Current. Probably the biggest difference you would notice if you walked through a tribal house is the outlets won’t be the traditional 3-prong style, rather they will look like the cigarette lighter outlet in your car. While I could go into more detail about inverters, power loss, wire sizes, and more, I will just know that if you have questions or want to know more you will ask me, and then we can save everyone else from all the technical stuff (although I love these details).

Someday as a missionary pilot I will have other missionaries very dependent on me to deliver their solar-powered system so they can use the power of the sun to be able to do their job. Also, every Christian is 100% dependent on the power of the Son to be able to do anything. While the sun may not provide the needed power if there are a few cloudy days, the Son will never lack power. The sun will only give so many hours of sunlight each day that will be able to charge batteries, but there is no end to the power or accessibility of the Son. I find it amazing that during the creation of the world God was thinking of how we would be able to most effectively reach remote people groups with the Gospel. With solar power, we will be able to power the equipment for literacy programs, Bible lessons, Bible translation and more; enabling us to communicate the Gospel more quickly and effectively.

Using the power of the sun to spread the Glory of the Son to an unreached people group,

Brian

Final Semester at the Missionary Training Center

Classes have begun for my final, Spring semester.  I am already learning a ton.  I have never DC-soldered before this week, for example.  I will be finishing here at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in May, and then in August I head over to New Tribes Mission Aviation (NTMA)  in Arizona.  I will spend 9 months there, honing my pilot skills, mechanic skills, and character development.  After that, I will leave for overseas (probably Brazil), after I am fully supported.  Please be praying even now for financial supporters to rise up.

Here is a description of some of my classes this final semester:

·      Animisim—I will learn about how many tribal people perceive their world, in terms of spiritual things.  They often believe in spirits (good and bad), ancestor spirits, and everything sick-related or bad-events related are because the spirits are unhappy or have not been appeased enough.

·      Biblical Parenting—How to raise children well, to become heart-focused people who honor God with their lives, words, and actions.

·      Biblical Peacemaking

·      E-linc—This continues from last semester, and I call it a discipleship group, or growth group.  Some classmates and I are paired up with experiences missionaries and we go through life together.

·      Families in Ministry—We will consider many aspects of a whole family in ministry, and develop a family mission statement.

·      Field Health—How to stay healthy overseas, how to recognize and treat sicknesses, and how  to administer medication (including needle injections!).

·      Folk Catholicism

·      Folk Islam

·      Grammar—related to phonetics and learning another language.  This will be useful for me to learn the national language of the country I will serve in.

·      Ministry Partnership Development—Developing partners in ministry (aka supporters) and keeping them informed of how I see God working in my ministry.

·      Ministry Practical—This also continues from last semester.  This is the academic side of the local ministry I am involved in, putting what I am learning of missions into practice.

·      Missionary Technology—I love this class!  I have been playing with wires, lights, and switches most of my life.  In this class, I will learn how to properly select and install a solar panel system for my tribal/overseas house, as well as surge suppression, to ensure my appliances last as long as possible.

·      New Testament Church Principles—Foundational principles for planting New Testament churches in any cultural context

·      Romans—We are going through Romans, chapter by chapter,

·      Student Teaching—Improving my ability to communicate verbally to a group.