Tribal Trails is a ministry of NCEM that began over 40 years ago. Recently our team returned from the foothills of Alberta, where we recorded inside a livestock stable—a very fitting location to get material for our upcoming Christmas program. The recording included members of The Singing Hills music group. They have God-given musical talent, and it was great to be on their farm. While there, we were also able to record other sisters of The Singing Hills.
This trip made me even more aware of our need for younger missionaries in our TV ministry—people with vision, dedication, and energy. Please join us in prayer for younger media missionaries to join us at Tribal Trails.
Over the years, we have seen great value in the video ministry within NCEM. Years ago our Mission produced several Native language versions of the JESUS Movie, based on the Book of Luke. One of our staff was one of the people involved with audio recording, while other missionaries were involved in various ways. Recently I visited with a stranger who said that they had found the Lord through the JESUS Movie. This person had a remarkable testimony which God used to encourage me greatly. Praise God!
Although Tribal Trails is currently in need of newer technical equipment, and younger people to use that equipment and software, we are often reminded to “put our hope in God.” Our goal is to trust God and do our best with what we have. An example of this is the recent “transition” of our Tribal Trails studio in Prince Albert. We called it “Out with the 1990s” … out with the dusty rose backdrop, as our studio underwent a make-over. We also purchased some other equipment, such as a camera drone, a cell phone gimbal, and a green screen. These will help us to improve our programs with cover shots. The green screen provides the possibility of using a background scene to illustrate what a guest is saying or singing. You may want to keep your eyes peeled for our new backdrop and various background scenes when they make their appearance in the upcoming Tribal Trails season!
We don’t claim to have this ministry all figured out, even after 40 years. Many times plans get changed last minute as, Paul Janzen, the newest part-time member of our missionary team, told regarding his apprehensiveness of his first day answering Tribal Trails spiritual help line calls:
“Joanne and I were on to answer Tribal Trails calls. This was our first time to be on the phone. The question came to my mind, ‘Am I able to help people with their situations?’ In my Bible reading earlier that morning, I found myself in Romans 1 and Psalm 42. Instead of turning to God, we can choose not to worship or thank Him (Romans 1:21,22). Or we can be like the Psalmist who turned to God, ‘Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again – my Savior and my God!’ (Psalm 42:5).
“Sure enough, 45 minutes into our slotted time we had our first caller. She talked about being discouraged and unsure of where to turn. She read from Romans 1. What? That’s exactly what I had read earlier that morning. I then read from Psalm 42:1-5. After praying, the caller thanked me for encouraging her to continue to put her hope in God. Thank You, Lord, for giving me just what I needed to be an encouragement to others.”
While we complete weekly television programs, we also are program planning for upcoming seasons. We are very thankful to God for His provision in our work. We have also begun posting our short “Next Generation” Tribal Trails videos on our YouTube page in a separate playlist. These videos have no copyright on them which makes them available for anyone to use freely. We are glad when these (and our other videos) help people to find hope in Christ and have their lives changed.
As mentioned earlier, we especially need people who are interested in doing technical work as a mission for God—people who would like to operate cameras or edit programs and short video clips. It’s a great opportunity to spread the Gospel! Even if you are not the preacher or evangelist type of person, you still have the opportunity to reach thousands of people with the Gospel message.
We have often asked God for labourers for NCEM / Tribal Trails. Pray for God to lead young adults towards this ministry. We are a small team of staff at the studio in Prince Albert, but we feel like a big team because so many of you join with us by your prayers, donations, and by watching our programs and telling others.
