Hello from snowy Michigan!
Today we learned that the staff here at NTBI has approved us/is recommending us to continue on in the training with New Tribes Mission! This means that we are free to fill out and send in our application to the Missionary Training Center (MTC), and can begin to think about all of those plans. Before I talk more about that, however, I’ll give a quick update about our current classes and the girls.
We continue to study through the New Testament Epistles. We started in January with Philippians, then 1 & 2 Thessalonians, and are currently in both the Pastoral Epistles (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus) and I, II, and III John. Noe, at 8am, has been going through the Daniel/Revelation class. One of the major “themes” throughout the Epistles is continual warnings and exhortations to believers to choose to walk according to who we are in Christ! Choose to walk in His light! Choose to walk as a Child of God. Choose to experience the joy of all that we have in Christ- we can experience it now, each day, as we choose to walk by the Spirit rather than walk by the flesh (our sin nature). Our sin nature is still present with us, but Christ Jesus is our Owner and Master now, giving us the freedom to pay no heed to that sin nature. Noe and I are challenged with this daily, and I would assume you are as well. Thanks be to God that even in spite of our many daily failures, there is no condemnation for us because our position as saved ones in Christ Jesus is eternally secure and unchanging! He gives us grace, grace, and more grace.
Naya and Jocellyn continue to grow like weeds. Ok, sure, weeds are “bad”… but boy do they grow fast! 🙂 Naya is getting taller, and is so very inquisitive these days about life. Jocellyn says new words every day, walks very fast (almost runs), and continues to be a little firecracker. She gets many comments on her curly, curly hair. 🙂 The girls (and us) enjoyed thoroughly a week-long visit from Grandma and Grandpa early this month! It was magical for the girls (and us) to pick them up at the train station, and we all had a wonderful time eating together (no, no more South Beach… hahaha), attending classes, drinking coffee, and having restful afternoons.
So now for a little info about MTC! We are looking forward to sitting down to work on the application. Now, of course we know that nothing is certain. But at this point we have reason enough to assume we will be accepted for enrollment this August. Our desire remains to take the Gospel to the unreached. (We actually had a missionary speaker all week who described excellently the real meaning of “unreached.” He did this because there are many who argue that “there is enough need right here in America!” Well yes, there will always be many, many individuals in every country- and in every language group- who do not know Christ. But the real meaning behind unreached is about languages [nations] where there is no proximity, no possible access to the Gospel, no local Church in that language group. This was the Apostle Paul’s view also. After the nations around Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria were reached, he made it his ambition to move on to those who had never heard.) THAT is missions to the unreached. And that is our desire.
With this vision in mind and at heart, we hope to go through the training as soon as possible! We will be making our plans to attend this August. Brothers and sisters, we are completely stepping out in faith here. We do not have the finances to attend MTC this August. Noe will be working in Seattle this summer, but we will need additional help if we are to get there in August. We are looking at approximately $5000 per semester (the course is a minimum of 3 semesters), plus an amount we have yet to calculate for our own personal living expenses (food, clothing, bills, personal needs). If you’re reading this, would you offer up a prayer on our behalf, asking the Lord to provide for us to attend in August? I’ll list our requests below. Also, if you would like to help us yourself to get to MTC financially, please let us know!
Thank you for walking with us in this “adventure.” If you know of others who would like to read this blog, feel free to pass along the address. Also, if you or someone you know would like to be put on our newsletter mailing list, please contact us: noelisa.martinez@gmail.com
In His love and joy,
The Martinez Family
Prayer Requests:
-Financial provision for MTC, to hopefully attend this August!
-Pray for us to be able to build up a strong support network of friends and loved ones (support of all kinds!)
-That we will finish our time here at NTBI well, staying focused on the present while yet planning for the near future