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Welcome to the Watters Edge

We are David and Robin Watters and we are part of God's Team planting churches among the unreached peoples of Papua New Guinea. It’s a privilege to be a part of the work God is doing through New Tribes Mission in PNG. Find out all about New Tribes Mission at http://www.ntm.org/about

We have served in many different capacities on God's Church Planting Team. Presently David is working in Tribal Supply and Robin is teaching at Numonohi Christian Academy, our boarding school for missionaries’ children. It is a real privilege to serve our fellow missionaries as we buy their supplies and teach their children. As we have served them, it has allowed them to effectively teach God’s Word to many people and see many of them come to believe in Christ as their Savior for the first time.

It has been a joy for us to do whatever we can to serve our tribal missionaries. Without a team around them supporting them, they would lose valuable time in finishing the work God has given them to do.

We have included a number of things on our site to show you how we are assisting our missionaries. Follow these links to find out all about us and our ministries. Don’t miss the video presentations on those pages. Check out Watters Ramblings to read all the latest from us, both updates about our family, as well as articles David has written to encourage and uplift our co-workers in the remote areas. You can read the most recent update below.  Don't miss our photo gallery as well as photo albums on Our Family page. Also, check out the prayer page to view updated prayer requests from us and our friends and coworkers in PNG.  If you would like to receive emails of all The Latest From the Watters, please subscribe by following the link in the left column.  I hope you enjoy our site.

 

The Latest from the Watters

  • Passing on a Godly Heritage

    Our Situation

    What kind of heritage are we passing on to our children?  As you look back at how your parents raised you, how did they do at passing on the teaching of God’s Word and modeling a Christ-like life?   For those of us with children, how well are we doing at that?  I have been really challenged with this in my own life lately.

    The Scripture:  1 Sam 3:11-14; 8:1-5

    1.       What was it that caused Samuel to become God’s “judge” and not one of Eli’s sons? (1 Sam 3:11-14)

    2.       When Samuel had children, how does 1 Sam 8:1-5 describe his sons?

    3.       What was the reason the people gave for wanting a king?

    4.       God encouraged Samuel and took credit for the rejection (8:7-8) but, from these 2 stories, what application can we draw regarding the destruction caused by not passing on a Godly Heritage to our children?

    Our Professor

     In an article about helping leaders to lead, the author made a statement that has really stuck with me.  “The one thing we learn from history is that we don’t really learn from history.”  Samuel, of all people, should have learned the importance of passing on Godly values to his children.  He had witnessed the destruction of Eli and his family and had seen the effects of Eli’s son’s rebellion on their family and the nation of Israel.  Yet, what do we see when Samuel becomes an adult and has sons of his own?  “They were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.” (1 Sam 8:3)

    It appears that Samuel did not learn from history.  I am not sure why God “bailed him out” by accepting Israel’s rejection and not letting Samuel feel the weight of his failure.  Maybe Samuel’s sons chose to rebel in spite Godly instruction, as opposed to Eli who didn’t provide that child training… the Scriptures don’t really tell us.  None the less, the reason the elders gave for wanting a king was, “your sons are not like you.”

    God’s Purpose

    What a challenge!  As I think about these stories and look at my own life, I am challenged to not allow history to repeat itself.  In God’s shepherding of our lives, He will at times use difficulty.  At times He will use a faithful brother, sister, or my blonde Holy Spirit (My wife!  J).  But His purpose is always training!  He is always teaching me to depend and rely more on Him and less on self. 

    In this area of child training the Lord has been doing a double portion of shepherding in my life in recent days.  I can see so many areas in my heart where I will repeat history, if I don’t change.  I want to raise my children to be Godly men and women who stand for the Lord and whose lives bring glory to him.  But I know there are 2 primary factors that will enable that to happen. 

    1.       I need to be pro-active in child training today!  Robin and I have been meeting with another couple going through a parenting Bible study. It has been so practical and shown us so many areas where we need to improve… consistency, not disciplining in anger, giving the moral reason why we say no, training the heart and not just disciplining actions, etc. 

    2.       I need to live consistently.  If my life does not measure up to my talk, I am wasting my breath.  Even if I manage to achieve conformity, when my children leave home, they will live by what I have modeled, not by what I have spoken.

    I trust that my journey and the testimony of God’s shepherding in my life can be an encouragement and a challenge to you.  As I finish this study, this is my prayer for all who read this.

News!! God is at work!

Injury leaves nowhere to go

The islands where the Biem people live are surrounded by steep cliffs that are so dangerous that from time to time people fall to their deaths.

So when a friend of missionaries Brandon and Rachel Buser and their co-worker Petra Depner, called them to come because his daughter Kukuom had fallen off the cliff, they expected the worst.

When they arrived they found that the 5-year-old child received no major injuries or broken major bones, but had multiple fractures in her feet and was in great pain. Brandon and Rachel treated little Kukuom as best they could and left for home.

Later that night Brandon went back, only to find the medicine lady was performing a ritual. She grabbed the hands, head and damaged feet and began to blow on each finger, ear, and toe. The little girl wailed and wanted her to stop but the ritual went on as the woman was enticing the spirit to come back that had left her because of her fall.

Brandon was frustrated that Rex would agree to have the medicine lady come as he had previously been very vocal about his disagreement with his people’s traditions, but facing his very ill daughter, he felt he had nowhere else to go. He has not yet had the opportunity to hear a clear presentation of the Gospel in his own language.

Pray for Brandon and the team working with the Biem people who intend to teach Firm Foundation Bible lessons this next year.


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About Our Ministry

NTM in Papua New Guinea

Due to the more than 700 indigenous language groups in the country and the personnel necessary to accomplish the task of reaching them, New Tribes Mission has divided the country into 4 regions. These do not necessarily follow political boundaries, they are simply how NTM has divided up the country for logistical purposes.
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