Welcome / Ministries / Missions / Charlie & Ruth Patton Charlie & Ruth Patton
Missionaries to Papua New Guinea

Agency:  New Tribes Mission
Year began service:  1982
Ministry: Charlie – Missionary pilot/mechanic. In Papua New Guinea, Charlie’s primary responsibility is flying NTM aircraft in support of NTM’s church planting efforts. He also helps in the finance office of the flight program.
Ruth – School teacher/administrator. She oversees the Discovery Center of Numonohi Christian Academy which offers educational screening and remediation to students with learning difficulties.


Background:
Charlie was raised in Brazil as the oldest son in a family of six children.  His parents, Charles and Louise Patton were members at Kossuth for many years.  His father was a missionary doctor with MAF in Brazil until about 1972.  This gave him an early introduction both to airplanes and the needs of tribal people.  He placed his total trust in Jesus Christ for salvation at a young age as the result of getting caught red-handed in disobedience and having his mother talk to him about his soul’s state.  From that time on, Charlie had an interest in living for his Savior in some capacity.  His exposure to airplanes and the tool that it could be for speeding the work of evangelism to hard to reach people groups gave him a bent toward missionary aviation.

Ruth was raised in Pennsylvania, the 2nd of 8 children. She placed her total trust in Christ alone to save her after the family moved to the little village of Wycombe in the ‘50s where there was a small Baptist church.  Ruth desired to be a missionary from that very young age and go to a Bible School.  She attended Gordon College and majored in Elementary Education and Bible there.  After the salvation of her father, she had the freedom to transfer to Florida Bible College. In 1977, she married Charlie and moved with him to Tennessee.  There she got a job as a teacher’s aide in a school for children with learning disabilities and physical handicaps. She discovered a love for teaching, especially children.   With the encouragement of Charlie, she attended school at night to finish the degree in education that God had orchestrated her to start years ago.  She graduated from Milligan College in 1979 with a degree in Elementary Education and Psychology and certification as a K - 8 teacher. Later she earned an endorsement in Learning Disabilities.

Address:
PO BOX 1079
GOROKA EHP 441
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Phone:
011-675-731-4416 (home)
011-675-372-2078 (NTM Aviation office)

E-mail:
Anniversary: August 13
Birthdays: Ruth July 22; Charlie Nov 25

Prayer:

• Close daily walk with the Lord
• Safety and use of sound judgment while flying
• Wisdom and strength for Ruth as she works with staff and children
• That our 4 sons & 3 daughter-in-laws would continue to grow in their relationships with the Lord