c/o Misión Nuevas Tribus, Casilla 274, Santa Cruz, Bolivia, South America bill_mann@ntm.org May, 2011
This June, we are planning on making a trip to visit the southern half of the Simba tribe. In the large
Bolivia map above, the highlighted area shows where the majority of Simba-Guaraní people live … a region
of rugged hills and valleys in the Andes foothills. The insert map shows the three long valleys of the Simba
territory, which are divided by the Pilcomayo River. Until recently, this river has served as a natural barrier
preventing much contact between the two halves of the tribe. While there are many villages in the north that
have been reached with the good news of the Gospel, the southern half of the tribe has yet to hear. In
2002, Bill was able to accompany our co-workers on a survey of this southern area, which confirmed their
isolation from the Gospel and from their people in the north. Since then, two bridges have been built,
connecting the two halves of the Simba territory; this has made the southern Simba people much more
accessible, and we have heard of several groups (including cults) who have begun to work there.
The shaded area of the above insert shows the unreached Simba people south of the Pilcomayo River.
This is the region we would like to visit for a week or two in June. We are currently prayerfully seeking the
Lord to direct us as to where He would have us live once Jesse graduates from High School next year. We
don't really know if moving south of the river would be a good option for us or not, so we are hoping that this
trip will make that clear for us. Please pray God would guide us in this trip and we would have a better idea
of His mind for our future.
Summer Plans
Please pray for our boys as they are
involved in various ministries this summer:
Jonathan – Following a visit to Bolivia in May , Jonathan is also planning to work at Camp Sagitawa for
the summer. Jonathan will be taking the leadership training there in June to aid him in his work as a
cabin leader. This ministry involves caring for boys in his cabin each week, who will range in age from 7
to 16 years, at the various camps throughout the summer. The majority of the boys are from non-
church backgrounds, and Jonathan's work with them will include teaching Bible lessons each day. As
well, Jon will be teaching various camp skills, such as archery and riflery.
Jesse – In June, Jesse hopes to attend a teen Discipleship Camp here in Santa Cruz. The main theme
of this two-week camp is 'Servant Leadership.' He is looking forward to growing in his relationship with
the Lord through the sessions and activities of this camp. Then, for the rest of June and July, Jesse
will be in Taperillas with us as we work on the translation there. Jesse is preparing to teach the Sunday
school classes for the Simba children during this time. This will be challenging as the children range in
age from 2 to 12 years, and Jesse will teach in Spanish while Kathleen teaches in the Simba language.