A Tax-Deductible Way to Give

A few days ago we shared with you our need. Since then, a couple of people have asked about the account we had set up earlier this year through Gateway Ministries thanks to a gentleman from Cameron's church who is affiliated with this organization. This account is still open and is tax-deductible. The reason we did not originally list it in our previous post or on our support tab was because we only receive quarterly statements. It is our desire to thank each of you every month which is why it was not originally included. We do promise to always thank you whether that be during the same month or a few months later. Know that you are in no way forgotten, but that each one of you are in our prayers. Thank you for your prayers and support. If you would like to receive a tax-deductible receipt, then please send your checks to:

Gateway Ministries
P.O. Box 574
St. Clair, MO 63077

Checks should be made out to Gateway Ministries, noting on the memo line that it is designated for Cameron and Caitlin Neace. If you give and do not hear anything from us for some time, we promise we are not ignoring you! We just have to wait for our statement.

However, while it is not tax-deductible, our New Tribes statement can be accessed anytime and is automatically sent to us every month so we will be notified of your giving through them quickly. If you would like to give through New Tribes monthly or give a one-time gift, please indicate which missionary your are supporting by including:
Cameron Neace Account #900458

And don't forget while you are doing your Christmas shopping for all the coffee lovers in your life to check out Equal Exchange because they will send us 25% of all purchases if you use the following link - we only receive the 25% from the unique URL they have given to us. http://fundraiser.equalexchange.coop/?fundraiser=NEAC001W Please share this link with those you know!

Thank you all for your support and prayers! They mean a lot to us!

United in Christ,

Cameron and Caitlin

We Need Your Help

Our Need

What we are about to share with you is a great need that we have. We've been debating on how best to share it and, after seeking counsel from others, believe that the best way is to simply make our need known and go from there. As many of you may know, we have set a monthly goal of $1,700 to cover tuition, living expenses, and savings. Additionally, we would like to ultimately begin saving for our ministry in Papua New Guinea including the start up costs.

This may seem high to you so we wanted to break it down a little bit:

$1,000 to cover our monthly tuition bill that also includes our apartment, electricity, water, laundry

$200 groceries

$160 for gas, car insurance / maintenance and phone bill

$100 that we would like to save for emergencies so that they aren't emergencies (Dave Ramsey knows what he's talking about!)

$85 that we would like to begin putting toward long-term savings

$150 for other expenses including short-term savings

Currently we are at 29% of our needed support level

 

While we do have enough saved from previous jobs and wedding gifts to complete this semester and the next, after May our funds will be out. We also know that our God is able and that He most often works through the Body. But it can be difficult for people to give when they don't know the needs. It has been said that, “While God provides for the sparrow He does not bring the food to its nest and put it in its mouth." We recognize that work is involved in raising partners and support so we're stepping out in an area that is uncomfortable and unknown to us and trust that God may use this to perhaps use you to help meet this need.

Caitlin and I have a desire to serve the Lord overseas in a cross-culture context and share the Light of Christ with those who have never and have no opportunity to hear the Good News. We desire to translate the Word of God in its entirety so that the people to whom we are ministering will have the ability to become fully mature believers just as we do. Even after just nearly five months of training, we can see how valuable these tools will be and how ill-equipped we would have been if we had gone without the training. We desire to begin our ministry overseas strong which involves us finishing strong here. We believe He wants us here and are willing to do whatever is necessary to complete the training.

We will be in Winter Park, Florida December 23rd - January 11th and then in Union, Missouri from that time on until January 16th and we would love to get together with you to talk more about what the Lord has been teaching us here at MTC and our desire to serve Him overseas. If you live in or around that area and are interested in getting together with us, please email us at cameron_neace@ntm.org

We invite you to prayerfully consider becoming our monthly partner or to give a special gift, as we prepare and train to go and share the Gospel with those who have never heard. At this time, because we are not recognized as "official" missionaries by the IRS until after we complete the training, your gift is not tax-deductible.

When designating which missionary you are supporting, indicate:
Cameron Neace Account #900458

If you would like to receive a tax-deductible receipt, we have an account set up through Gateway Ministries thanks to a gentleman from Cameron's church who is affiliated with this organization. Please send your checks to:

Gateway Ministries
P.O. Box 574
St. Clair, MO 63077

Checks should be made out to Gateway Ministries, noting on the memo line that it is designated for Cameron and Caitlin Neace. Please note: We only receive quarterly statements. So if you give and do not hear anything from us for some time, we promise we are not ignoring you! We just have to wait for our statement. (However, our New Tribes statement can be accessed anytime and is automatically sent to us every month so we will be notified of your giving through them quickly.)

Thank you so much to all of you who have been so generous in supporting us already! 

Thank you for your prayers and may God bless you! We hope to see some of you soon!

United in Christ,

Cameron and Caitlin

Off to Jail.... Ooops!

Yep, just as the title says, we went to jail. Not only that, but Cameron and I willingly go to jail every Thursday afternoon  on a regular basis. Don't worry, we are staying out of trouble. We go because this is our outreach ministry.

We've been going to the local jail since the beginning of October and it has been an awesome, albeit uncomfortable at times, growing experience for us.

The guys have been going through the book of Philippians with the male inmates and Cameron taught for the first time a few weeks ago. He did a great job and found that he really enjoyed teaching without notes! Jim, who is on staff here, had once told Cameron that if someone asked him a question about me he would (or at least should) be able to answer it without saying he needed to study and get back to them. Cameron took that example to heart and went through the first couple chapters of Philippians and just talked about our Lord.

The ladies have been going through the book King of Glory which is basically the seventy chronological Bible lessons condensed to one page each with an illustration. My first time teaching was a couple weeks ago and that was the first time I had ever taught a group of people over the age of ten. Not only that but the lesson that fell to me was the fall of Satan. Not going to lie I was pretty nervous. But it went sooooooo well! I was so pumped up afterward that I was ready to do it again!

The Lord is growing us so much through this ministry and really teaching us a lot about people. It's sometimes hard for us to reconcile that there are believers in jail but then we are reminded that we all still struggle with sin just some sin cross into the legal realm and others do not. Please continue to pray for us as we go to the jail and shine the Light of Christ.

Don't forget!  We have set up a fundraising account with Equal Exchange and they will send us 25% of all purchases! We only receive the 25% from the unique URL they have given to us so be sure to use the following link (our names are at the top of the site). http://fundraiser.equalexchange.coop/?fundraiser=NEAC001W   Please share the URL link with those you know!

United in Christ,

Caitlin and Cameron

We invite you to prayerfully consider partnering with us through regular monthly support or a one-time gift, as we prepare and train to go and share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
When designating which missionary you are supporting, indicate:
Cameron Neace Account #900458 *

*please note that your gift is not tax-deductible 

Christmas Gifts and Christmas Plans

Christmas Presents!

Shopping for Christmas presents? Do you know someone who loves coffee, tea and hot chocolate? Do you love those things things? Well what would you say if I told you that there was a way you could buy your gifts of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, snacks and more and also support Cameron and I here at the Missionary Training Center? You can! We have set up a fundraising account with Equal Exchange and they will send us 25% of all purchases! We only receive the 25% from the unique URL they have given to us so be sure to use the following link (our names are at the top of the site). http://fundraiser.equalexchange.coop/?fundraiser=NEAC001W   Please share the URL link with those you know! Support a missionary couple while drinking a cup of coffee - could you ask for anything better?! We're pretty excited about this and hope you are too!

Heading South

We are coming to Florida next month for Christmas break! We will be heading down in the wee hours of December 21st and plan to be there until January 11th after which point we will shoot back up to Union, Missouri until the 16th or so and be back in Roach in plenty of time for classes to resume January 19th which will also be our six month anniversary! So if you are near the Winter Park or Union area, we would love to get together with you during this time and share with you what the Lord has been teaching us and the desire He has placed on our hearts to serve Him in Papua New Guinea. Please email us at cameron_neace@ntm.org to set up a day and time. We can get together for coffee, a meal or whatever works for you.

Want to learn more about Equal Exchange? 

Below is some information from the Equal Exchange website that we hope will answer most of your questions. But feel free to check out their website for more information or just ask us.

"We were founded in 1986 as the first Fair Trade coffee company in the U.S. 

Our products are, and have always been, 100% Fair Trade. Equal Exchange trades only with democratically-run farmer co-operatives: businesses that are owned and governed democratically by the farmers - so that the benefits of trade can have a truly transformative effect on the lives of the farmers and their communities. Rather than supplying a commodity to a faceless buyer farther down the chain, farmers in the fair trade system develop long-term, direct relationships with fair trade organizations such as Equal Exchange. Fair traders are committed to buying from and supporting
their co-op partners year after year.

Co-ops benefit farmers in many ways:

* Small farmers can gain access to the international market directly, with a voice in the process and the ability to negotiate their own contracts and partnerships
* Cooperatives receive fair trade social premiums, which farmers-members can determine how to use. They know best what the community needs most and now they can afford to get it. (For example: health clinics, schools, offices, warehouses, processing plants for their crops.) Only by pooling community resources, in the form of these premiums, can large projects like these be successful.
* Cooperatives provide long-term stability for farmers by changing the way trade is done. Trading with individual farmers does not have this same capacity for broad social change.

Special challenges facing coffee / chocolate / tea producer

Small farmers have no direct access to the market, making them reliant on the predatory middlemen. Every middleman on the chain gets paid a bit more, with the farmer, who did all the work, being paid the least.

For Coffee:

* Volatile market prices may not meet the costs of growing coffee
* Because coffee is an annual harvest, most coffee farmers have to make their annual harvest payment last an entire year. Because conventional farmers don't receive a fair price, they often take out loans to cover their expenses in the lean months, keeping them in chronic debt.
* 25 million people grow coffee worldwide
*70% of the world's coffee is grown by small-scale coffee farmers with just 5 - 8 acres each

For Chocolate:

* 70% of the world's chocolate comes from West Africa, where forced child labor in the cocoa industry is rampant

For Tea:

Most of the world's tea is grown in large plantations, a relic of the colonial era in Asia

All of Equal Exchange's cocoa products and teas are certified organic

A small percentage of our coffee is not, but comes from farms that are transitioning to organic certification. And fair trade standards require minimal use of harmful chemicals and destructive farming practices, even in 'conventional' (non-organic-certified) products.

Why coffee, tea and cocoa? 

None of these foods can be grown in the U.S., so all are imported. Also coffee is the largest food import in the U.S. and we consume over 20% of the world's coffee. As a result, we are particularly disconnected from the sources of these staples of our 21st century diet and the farmers who grew them, many of whom face real challenges."

Linguistics Test Tomorrow!

Tomorrow morning Caitlin and I will be taking the linguistics aptitude test. While this test does not decide our future by any means, it will give us an understanding of our natural abilities in this area. We are both desiring to take the linguistics course that is offered as an optional fifth semester which would be the fall of 2016. However, this test should indicate how much head-banging-on-the-table will  be involved during that time so we can invest in padded placemats if necessary!

What is linguistics?  Linguistics is the scientific study of languages and their structure.  The test we will be taking tomorrow will consist of a fictional language in order to see if we have an aptitude for finding specific patterns within the language and are able to "solve the puzzle." This test will be timed in order to gain as accurate result as possible and we've been told that it is divided into four sections.

You may be asking, "Why is this so important?" You see, there are well over 7,000 languages in our world today.  Sadly, only 7% of have the full Bible in their own language. This leaves 93% of the languages lacking the full Word of God.  Worse yet, there are more than 2,000 languages, comprising 30%, that do not even have a single verse of Scripture written in their language!

Our desire is to create more orange in this chart by presenting a tribe in Papua New Guinea with the entire revelation of God's Word in their own language. While linguistics is not necessarily essential, it would be beneficial in assisting us in attaining this goal.

We've heard stories of people who completely bombed the linguistics test but took the course anyways and turned out to be some of the best students. Teachers tell us that it really comes down to a matter of discipline, persistence and determination. This is not to discount that aptitude in this area is certainly a help but, even if we fail, there is still hope!

The test is scheduled for the last two class periods Tuesday morning from 10:25am - 12:05pm central time. If you could pray for us during that time, it would mean a lot to us!

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

United in Christ,

Cameron and Caitlin 

** Read the update on the results of our test here

Foundational Bible Teaching - It takes TOO long! Or does it?

Here at the Missionary Training Center we have been going through a class entitled "Foundational Bible Teaching." Foundational Bible teaching is the method that New Tribes Mission uses to teach in a tribal context. This tool allows the missionaries to lay a solid biblical foundation for those who have never heard His message. We begin with God creating everything in Genesis and go all the way through to the ascension of Jesus Christ highlighting key passages and important themes that revolve around the character of God, who Satan is, and the condition of man. While the foundational Bible lessons to do not go through the entire Old Testament it does involve seventy lessons. Sometimes, depending on the culture that the missionaries are in, they may add or remove some of the lessons but the standard is seventy. Because of this some have said that foundational Bible teaching takes too long. 

Some may ask why don't we just share the Gospel? The problem with simply sharing the Gospel without laying a biblical foundation first is that the nationals may come to an incorrect understanding of who Jesus is and why He came. They may simply combine the Gospel with their current religious system (this is called syncretism) and not realize that there is only one God and what Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross means for them. As one of our teachers said in class, the tribal people are not a blank slate, they are not an empty vessel waiting to be filled with Truth. On the contrary, Satan has prepared them against the Gospel. Therefore, it is even more important to start at the beginning so that they can see the character of God and who He is and who they are.

But does foundational Bible teaching really take that long? Wouldn't it be worth taking the extra time so that the people can come to a full understanding of the biblical truth we are seeking to share with them? Yes, they only need Jesus to be saved, but how much of "Jesus" do they need to correctly understand in order to have true salvation? Is believing He is another spirit good enough? I would rather not take any chances in such an important matter and make sure they have a full understanding of who He is.

* Used with permission

In our "Foundational Bible Teaching" class, FBT for short, we were shown this chart depicting just

how much time it takes to go through the teaching compared to an average 70-year lifespan. I was blown away by the results! If you click on the picture to the right, you should be able to see the numbers magnified.

Basically, if you teach all 70 lessons at two hours each and do this 40 times it will take just over 33 weeks which is less than 2% of your awake weeks in your 70-year lifespan! It is still a ten to twenty year process to plant a self-sustaining tribal church with language and culture acquisition, literacy teaching, translation, lesson development and so on but the actual time to it takes to teach foundationally is a very small percentage of your life.

This just really struck me that it does not take as long as we may think. Yes, there is urgency in the need; there is no question about that. People are dying around the world and around the missionaries without the Good News and they are heading for an eternity separated from God forever. But we need to be careful when we allow the urgency to circumvent the necessity of communicating God's Word with clarity. There is a tension between the urgency and the clarity of the Message and this is a tension that we will have to rely on the Lord's leading for because there is no easy way to reconcile the two.

We hope you found this challenging! Thank you for your prayers and support as we continue to prepare and train to serve the Lord overseas. If you are interested in supporting us financially, please check out the support tab of our blog.

United in Christ,

Caitlin and Cameron

Bible Stories? Biblical Accounts? Does it matter?

We've often heard it said that the Bible contains some amazing stories. Most of us have been blessed to be tucked into bed after our parents read us a Bible story. I'm sure you've heard many sermons on the stories of "David and Goliath," "Daniel in the Lion's Den," and "Jonah and the Whale." Last month, during WebFast, our class was posed this question: Why do you think churches do not focus so much on the Old Testament stories as they do on the New Testament? Several excellent possibilities were suggested. One said that it could be just the sheer size of the Old Testament compared to the more easily manageable small New Testament. Another offered that it was because the New Testament is directed to the church. Still another said it could be because the New Testament is very explicit as a whole while the Old Testament is rather implicit and can be more challenging to draw principles from.

I didn't speak in class (this is a standard occurrence) but upon returning home for lunch that day Cameron and I talked about it while washing dishes. I think those three and the others that were suggested as options are possible but I think a lot of it has to do with the connotations of the words we choose to use. I remember reading something from Answers in Genesis that talked about this very issue. They suggested that the reason people do not spend as much time on the Old Testament is because of the fact that we refer to it as Old Testament stories. For example, stories are something that children read. They are often cute little tales that teach some moral principle that can be based in reality but are usually a fable. Stories are fairy tales. Therefore, when we say Old Testament stories what we could be communicating is that, "the Old Testament is just a collection of stories we read when we were children. Now the New Testament, that contains letters that were written to to the church and so that really applies to us today because it's been written to us."

Perhaps I'm reading way to much into this but I do think there is something to be said for referring to the recorded history in the Bible as stories when it may be better to reference them as biblical accounts. Just something to consider when talking to unbelievers and believers. But I digress.

Another topic we discussed along this same line was realizing who we were highlighting as the focal point or hero in the biblical accounts by the titles we refer to them by. For instance, in "Daniel in the Lion's Den" we are signifying in our title that Daniel is the focal point when in reality it should be "God Delivers Daniel from the Lion's Den." See how God becomes the central focus? In all our teachings of these narratives, we cannot lose sight of the fact that God is the focal point. I really appreciated that discussion because I realized that I was focusing more on the individuals God used than on God Himself. For example, I was focusing on Noah and the ark more than on God's provision for Noah through the Ark.

I realize that this posting is a little heavier and some might say dryer than the others but I really enjoyed learning about this and wanted to share!

Thank you for your prayers and support as we continue studying in preparation for serving the Lord overseas! If you are interested in supporting us financially, we invite you to review our Support tab.

United in Christ,

Caitlin and Cameron

We Survived!

The WebFast ended on October 24th and we survived our month of no internet, movies, and texting just fine. Not going to lie, a couple days before that Friday, Cameron started getting the "shakes" and suddenly had the urge to Google something just for the sake of Googling. But he resisted this random temptation and now can Google to his heart's content. Of course, during the WebFast we were unable to give you mid-month updates on our lives here at the Missionary Training Center. Therefore, we have highlighted some of our fun happenings during the past month below!

On September 28th, we decided our car was overdue for a bath since we still had all our "Just Married" decorations. We hosed it down, scrubbed and scrubbed and got it sparkling clean!

Cameron surprised me with breakfast for our 75th anniversary on October 1st! You may be asking yourself, "How can you have a 75th anniversary when you were married in July?" It was our 75-day anniversary! He went out to McDonald's while I was still sleeping and when he woke me up I found a feast waiting for us.

On October 4th, Cameron helped our church put in a new window. It was an all-day event on a rather chilly Saturday but he enjoyed it and they did a great job!

Do we look cold and wet in this picture? That's because we were! On October 10th, we participated in a construction activity in which we assisted in building a platform out in the woods that the class ahead of us would use in the coming weeks for some of their different classes. It rained the entire three and half hours we were out there but, after a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, all was right in the world again.

During the middle of October, we went through brief course entitled "Sustainable Integrity." The guys and girls had separate classes during this time so we could talk about issues that related to both of us. One of the guys in the class made up this poster because, after all, Aragorn is the epitome of manliness as he is a king, warrior, friend and mentor.

Saturday the 18th we went to a fall craft show that was held in the Camden County Museum. We loved walking around the museum and seeing all the old artifacts. We found this old bank teller station and Cameron jumped behind it to pose because he said it looked like the one from It's a Wonderful Life!

On Sunday, October 19th we celebrated our three month anniversary by cooking a brunch fit for a king! We made cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, french toast and juice! It was delicious and I'm pretty sure we skipped dinner! These first three months have certainly flown by!


October 22nd was an exciting day indeed because on that day we mailed the last of our thank-you cards from our wedding! We felt quite accomplished at completing such an immense task.

Eric came over on Tuesday night to show me how to cut Cameron's hair. It was really neat to learn and the best part is that we paid him in sugar cookies! Next time I'll try cutting his hair while Eric watches and we'll see how that goes!




There you go! You are now all up to date with what happened during the month of October. We'll be posting more about what we've learned in some of our classes over the next several days but wanted to start with this fun update first.

Hope you enjoyed!

Caitlin and Cameron

We invite you to prayerfully consider partnering with us through regular monthly support or a one-time gift, as we prepare and train to go and share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
When designating which missionary you are supporting, indicate:
Cameron Neace Account #900458 

October - A Few Days Early

You may be wondering why we are posting our October update a few days early. Well that's because our class is starting a WebFast this morning at 8am until October 24th at noon! Therefore, we had to get this out a few days earlier but tried to get it as close to October as possible.

Why a WebFast you may ask? Well, on Friday we completed our Worldview class and in it we not only discussed what a worldview is and the worldviews of some animistic people but also our own culture's worldview. That was very enlightening as we explored the shifts in thinking of our culture and how those were brought about. Of course, a major element of our culture is technology and it was fascinating to see just how much impact it has on us without our knowledge! Therefore, for the next month or so we will not be using the internet, texting, watching movies, or anything of the sort. The purpose of this is to help build more face-to-face relationships and to use our time more efficiently. However, they did make two exceptions in allowing us to check our school email and the MTC Intranet so we can turn in homework. So, you can put your fears to rest knowing that our studies will not be affected!

Classes have been fantastic as we've had: Learning Styles, Love and Respect, Worldview and Biblical Frameworks. In Learning Styles, we learned not just about how we as individuals learn but we also realized the necessity of having a diverse team in order to be most effective in the tribe. Truly all learning styles are needed in order to learn as a team and also minister as a team! In Love and Respect Cameron and I are having post-marital counseling. Our last semester at Bible School, a very dear and wise couple told us that they highly recommended post-marital counseling to newlyweds because that's when you really need it! Now we are going through the series and we have learned a lot thus far.

I described the Worldview class in the above paragraph but one of the things that we learned that was very thought provoking was the fact that people in the tribe are not sitting there with empty heads waiting to be filled with the Truth. On the contrary, the Enemy has filled their minds with lies directly opposing the Truth! It truly is a battle and not one to be taken lightly.

In Biblical Frameworks class we are actually briefly going through the chronological teaching that we will use in the tribe. Obviously when we actually teach the lessons in the tribe we will go slower but, for us, we are focusing on key points in Scripture that point to God's character. An example of this is when we discussed the account of Noah. I, and probably many of you, have often viewed this account as follows: mankind was bad, God wiped out mankind, God saved Noah, God placed a rainbow in the sky. However, our teacher pointed out a different aspect that I hadn't considered before that totally revolutionized my view of this account. You see God has promised Adam and Eve a Redeemer and when God makes a promise He will always keep that promise. However, in Genesis 6:5 it is recorded that every thought of man was evil. Noah was the only righteous man on the earth. Evil hates righteousness and so it was only a matter of time until Noah or one of his righteous descendents was murdered. Therefore, in order to preserve the line of the Messiah, God removed all of mankind except for Noah and His family. God's actions were merciful in order to give the world the Redeemer He had promised! God was rescuing mankind by removing what would eventually destroy us.

We had our first family visitors this month! Cameron's Uncle and Aunt stopped by a Sunday afternoon and we had a wonderful time showing them around campus and sharing with them some of what the Lord has been teaching us through our classes.

We have exciting news! Earlier this month we were added to the New Tribe Mission "give" list! This means that you now have the ability to give a one-time gift to us online. Our picture is even included which makes it even more official.

We realized that we had not yet shared with you our address! If you have been desiring to send us a letter, package or carrier pigeon, please use the following address which is also listed on the Contact tab of this page:

Cameron and Caitlin Neace
134 Main Dr
Roach, MO 65787

(Please do not include "MTC," "Missionary Training Center," "NTM," or "New Tribes Mission" as this can confuse the mail service.)

Thank you for your prayers and support as we continue studying in preparation for serving the Lord overseas! If you are interested in supporting us financially, we invite you to review our Support tab.

United in Christ,

Caitlin and Cameron

Counting the Costs

Time. Money. Family. Children. Friends. Success. Failure. How much does overseas missions cost the missionary? I think the question should rather be have the missionaries put a limit on what they are willing to pay?

We had a guest speaker, Brooks Buser come through this month who gave a challenging message to us. He spoke for less than an hour but I have replayed his words for days. He and his family have successfully planted a church among the previously unreached Yembiyembi tribal group in Papua New Guinea and have finished translating the New Testament into their language. While this is an amazing accomplishment, he didn't tell us a string of funny stories but rather told us the hard stuff. He told us that we need to be committed. Committed for the long haul, the rough road, the unexpected. He said that we need to be prepared for sacrifice. We can't do it all and we have to sacrifice some things in order to fulfill what God has called us to.

What if we are willing to pay the costs? To make such a sacrifice? We then may become a part in God's work in reaching a tribe with the Gospel and they may shed their animistic lives of bondage and hold fast to the truth of God's Word! The Word of God will turn their lives radically upside down as they understand who He is and His desires for their lives. What a joyous day that will be!

But. What if that's not how the story ends. What if, after spending years learning the language, teaching the people how to read and write in their mother tongue, translating the whole of Scripture, and creating lessons that minister directly to their worldview; what if, after all of this, you present the Gospel and nothing happens. The people are not receptive and reject the message. Have you failed? Was the sacrifice worth it? Will you still remain faithful to what God has called you to?

Hebrews 11 records the great Hall of Faith where great men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and others commended for their acts of faith. However, the end of Hebrews 11 records those who's message was not received. God does not call them failures but, rather, says that the world was not worthy of them. It continues by saying that they, "were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised." We cannot always judge success by the outward results but by the faithfulness of God's people.

Wow! Talk about convicting! Obviously, we are heading to the tribe with the goal and expectation that the people we will be ministering to will receive the Gospel but, if they don't, will we still call God faithful? I believe we will.

We strongly recommended you read this article about translation. It contains an excellent synopsis of why Cameron and I are desiring to do translation work in a tribe. It also includes some Brooks Buser's story with the Yembiyembi tribe in Papua New Guinea.

Thank you for words of encouragement, prayers and support!

United in Christ,

Caitlin and Cameron

We invite you to prayerfully consider partnering with us through regular monthly support or a one-time gift, as we prepare and train to go and share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
When designating which missionary you are supporting, indicate:
Cameron Neace Account #900458

A Typical Day at a Glance

The purpose of this mid-month post is to give you a glance into what a typical day is like for us! First, I know that we've mentioned that the Missionary Training Center campus is located right on the lake. Well here is an aerial view, courtesy of Zillow. I tried outlining the campus in red as best I could so you can see its huge size! We live toward the upper left-hand part of the campus in one of the rows of houses off of Service Lane and our classes are in that building that looks like a sideways "L" toward the middle of the map above Indian Road Drive.

Nearly every morning, Cameron has been faithful in getting up at 3am to study Greek for future Bible translation. We leave for class at about 7:30 in order to ensure that we get our favorite seats. Those seats are in the left column in the front row all the way to the right of the table. The only drawback to being in the front row is that the air conditioning pours directly on us! Hence the long sleeves we are wearing on an eighty-degree day.

At 8am we have "Hold the Ropes" named for the people who used to hold the ropes for scuba divers back in the day. In the same sense, we hold the ropes of missionaries by reading their newsletters and praying for the requests they included. We do this Tuesday - Thursday from 8am until 8:20am. On Mondays we also pray but with our ministry team and on Fridays we have chapel worship and then a speaker.

From 8:30 until 12:05 we have four class periods. So far we've had Worldview, Learning Styles, Love and Respect, and Foundational Bible Teaching. All of these have been AWESOME and have really challenged us in so many ways.

Then on Mondays and Tuesdays, from 1:15 until 5pm, Cameron has his carpentry work detail. So far he's ripped tiles out of a bathroom, cut wood, framed a wall, assisted in wiring outlets and all that entails, and painted. He's sure been busy and has learned a lot in just these first four weeks!

Meanwhile, Monday - Wednesday, from 2:15 until 5pm, I am in the Ministry Practicum office. During our time here, students are required to devote approximately eight hours a week divided into
both church involvement and a community outreach. This is under the responsibility of the Ministry Practicum team that consists of five staff members and myself. I've primarily been working on the community outreach sign-up sheet for the first semester students along with a variety of other lists, homework assignments, creating calendars and grading spreadsheets, and all kinds of other super fun things that I love to do!

In the evenings, Cameron and I will usually work on our homework and participate in some of the activities around the campus such as dancing, volleyball, bonfires, hanging out with students and staff, and other random things. Cameron will also prepare for his Sunday school lessons and I work on our church's website.

I hope that this gives you a better idea of what a typical day is like for us. We are really enjoying being here as we prepare to serve the Lord overseas! They say that this is the most thorough cross-cultural training available and I believe it as we are continually challenged in our worldviews and presuppositions. Thank you for all your prayers and support.

United in Christ,

Caitlin and Cameron

If you are interested in partnering with us financially, we invite you to check out the Support tab located at the top of this page.

Getting Involved

Today began our third and final week of orientation here at the Missionary Training Center. It seems like everyday Caitlin and I continue to grow in our longing to be overseas and reaching the world for Christ. However, we are asking the Lord to help us minister and serve where we are planted at this point in time and not just have our eyes locked towards what's on the horizon and miss the opportunities we have right in front of us.

We are continuing to get to know the staff and our fellow students through various means one of which is a dance class held once a week taught by a staff couple. We have gone twice now and have stumbled through the Two-Step, Line Waltz, Electric Slide, Dallas, and the 10-Step.
This is such a fun time and an hour and a half filled with much laughter! We've also had a couple game nights, two evenings of volleyball, a brunch potluck with some of our neighbors (as seen in this picture to the left) and so many other great times of fellowship. Caitlin and I have really enjoyed living right on the lake and have taken several canoe trips together and plan to go on many more before winter sets in.

My carpentry skills are coming along as are my demolition ones as my first project was to remove the tiles from a bathroom that had termite damage. It was quite fun breaking them apart. In addition to destroying things, this past week I was able to help put together a frame for a wall. I'm really enjoying this opportunity to learn such a useful skill. My cooking skills are being perfected as well and, to date, Caitlin and I haven't set anything on fire despite setting the smoke alarm off twice but we promise nothing was burnt!

We were blessed last week by our first visitors from my home church! Dave and Lynne Moll were in the area visiting family and spent the evening with us. It was great catching up with them and sharing some stories from our first few weeks here at MTC.

I am going to begin teaching the adult Sunday school class at Lake Area Evangelical Free Church on September 14th and I would covet your prayers! While this is an awesome growing opportunity in teaching, it is also a little intimidating. I have often desired to develop this gift but wasn't sure how since I have never practiced it to this extent. This will definitely be a growing experience but I am excited to see just how the Lord does grow me! Caitlin is also helping our new church by redesigning their website. It's a big and tricky task (computer programs do not always like to cooperate ) and she would appreciate your prayers as she works on this project.

Last night I had the opportunity to serve with a jail ministry. It was very different from what I expected and really brought home for me the reality of sin's penalty. These men are living out their penalties for whatever crime they have committed but we also have a very real penalty for our sin. It was quite an eye-opening experience. I'm going again on Wednesday to meet with some of these men one-on-one and then Caitlin is going to a women's jail ministry on Thursday night. This is far out of our comfort zones but we did ask the Lord to stretch us while we are here at MTC.

Thank you all for your continued prayers, encouragement and support!

United in Christ,

Cameron and Caitlin 

We invite you to prayerfully consider partnering with us through regular monthly support or a one-time gift, as we prepare and train to go and share the Gospel with those who have never heard.
When designating which missionary you are supporting, indicate:
Cameron Neace Account #900458