Merry Christmas!

Three cheers for a creative blog title! :)

We are in Seattle, having a lovely Christmas break. We're so thankful for the opportunity to visit family, friends, and churches. Our training is wonderful, but we were definitely ready for this month of refreshment.

Rather than post a Support blog this month, we wanted to just simply wish you and yours a wonderful celebration of His birth! Thank you for reading our blog, for supporting us in whatever way(s) the Lord has laid on your heart. We cannot express our thanks enough for all of you who are walking this road with us!

Merry Christmas!!

With lots of love,

Noe, Lisa, Adannaya and Jocellyn

Turkey Trot

Lisa ran  a 5k with
two ladies from church

You know, sometimes the days go by slowly. Other times we look back and realize how 'quickly' our training has been flying by! We know that in the big scheme of things, this time of training at the MTC is such a short chapter, much like a Turkey Trot (a 5k running race). Like the race, there are minutes that are laborious, minutes that may even be painful, and minutes that - wait, where did those minutes go!? Every minute of the race counts, and no matter what happens within them, the goal remains the same: to cross the finish line!

Every day of our training counts, and no matter what happens within them, the goal remains the same: taking the Gospel to unreached ethnic/language groups (Matthew 28.18-20)! And so we seek to make the most of our time here, whether it be practical, hands-on skills like language learning tools or small engine repair; or spiritual and life principles of church planting and learning a person's culture and worldview.

And you know what is perhaps the most motivating element of a race? Your fellow runners!! This is why we need a strong support team to "run alongside" of us! You may have noticed that we are incorporating some blog entries about specific areas of support. A few days ago we posted the most recent support blog, "Prayer Support." Please take a look at it, and ask the Lord if this is an area you might get involved in.

Exciting news! We recently were offered some air miles to fly home for Christmas! We had prepared ourselves to stay here, so we spent quite a few days waffling over the decision and gathering advice (should I mention that every single person/couple we asked recommended that we go? hmm...). On Saturday we decided to accept the offer, and so we will be in Seattle for Christmas! We're going to try and keep it a surprise for Naya, purely just for fun. :) We will be in Seattle Dec. 14th - Jan. 10th.

Noe and classmates doing a
Teamwork activity!

Classes: We have taken part 1 of Ministry Partnership (instruction, advice, and encouragement on building all elements of our support team), and our Teamwork class will end next week. There are so many different elements to Teamwork, and it is exciting to anticipate what our team may look like in the not-so-distant future. It may be a team of families, or a mix of families and couples, or a family, a couple, and a single... in our Teamwork class we discussed both the practical and the emotional considerations of all of these. Finally, we're still keeping busy with Phonetics, and will end this course in a couple weeks with a research paper: we'll select a language (perhaps that of a country we are looking into) and analyze its sound system/phonetic sounds, as well as identifying elements of the language that may cause difficulty in the learning process.

In family news... Steve and Ellyn (Lisa's parents) came for a 4-day visit in mid-November! It was wonderful to see them, and the girls had SOOOO much fun with Grandma and Grandpa. :) It was meaningful for them to see the MTC firsthand, to experience a day of classes, and to interact with several of the missionary staff here.

Grandpa hugs, during their visit to MO

On Thanksgiving morning, Lisa ran the Camdenton Turkey Trot (see photo near top) with the wife of the church family who hosted us for dinner, as well as another gal from the church. We enjoyed the afternoon/evening with them, and then a quiet late evening at home. We are truly enjoying the training here, and can not possibly express our thanks to all of you who are so generously supporting us in prayer, in financial gifts, and in encouragement! We think of each of you often, and pray for you!

We hope that you are all enjoying the Lord, and may the celebration of His birth be full of joy for you and yours! :) We're happy to count you as part of "ours", and we thank Him for your partnership with us in ultimately taking the Gospel to those who never heard... especially meaningful at Christmas, yes?

~The Martinez Family

(and here is a short video of some of the kids singing an "evangelistic rendition" of "Jesus Loves Me". Enjoy!

Prayer Support

(Recap): We would like to steal a few blog entries (probably once a month) to specifically address the SIX main areas of support, any of which you are welcome to be a part of! We would only ask that you prayerfully consider each one, and let us know if there is a specific area you'd like to be involved in! (some of you are already involved in one or more areas, for which we are deeply thankful!)


Prayer Support

The necessity, importance, and power of Prayer Support is something we cannot possibly emphasize strongly enough! When believers pray for one another, it is no small matter. Prayer ~ communicating with our God in heaven. Directly, with boldness and joy, through the finished work of Christ!

And Scripture is full of encouragements and exhortations for us to be in prayer: for our own relationship with Him, as well as for one another. We are told to "always pray for all the believers everywhere!"

Prayer is one of the most critical areas of support, and we are actively seeking to build a committed, strong group of friends and family who feel they would be able to support us firmly in this area. We do not take this lightly! (Note: are you already committed in prayer for us? PLEASE let us know, so that we can be encouraged to know how our support team is growing and shaping in this area!)
We have made some suggestions below on ways that you, or a group, or as a church, can consider being strongly committed to pray for us (to lift us up before our Father in heaven!). Realize that by being a part of this area of support, YOU are being an active part in taking the Gospel to the unreached. For He commands that we go and make disciples of ALL nations (language/ethnic groups). If you cannot go yourself, in what way are you being an active part of that mandate? This is one important and special way you can do that!

Some suggested ways to support us in prayer:
-Regularly (could be weekly, monthly, quarterly) ask us directly for prayer requests
-Stay updated in general by reading our emails and blog entries, or call us
-Begin praying for us in your small group or Sunday school class
-Sign up for a specific day of the month to pray for us, perhaps using the calendar we've created on the Blog Home Page. (or click here)
-Please encourage us by letting us know that you are praying for us!
-Tell us how we can be praying for you. Know that as part of our team, we are praying for you.
-(There are also plenty of great resources with "ideas for how pray for missionaries", both online and in books)



If you feel like this is an area you could/would like to commit to now or in the future, we strongly ask you to get in contact with us! Have you thought of another way to support us in prayer? Tell us about it!

"I Would Like To Buy a Hamburger"

For a good laugh, and a great phonetic experience, go to YouTube and watch the following video clip of Steve Martin in "Pink Panther":
http://youtu.be/lz0IT4Uk2xQ

We are in our second week of Phonetics class, and it is getting a little more challenging each day! We are currently learning how to write and pronounce the Phonetic alphabet correctly, and this class will continue to the end of the semester.

TRIVIA:
How many different ways can you think to spell (in English) the phonetic "i" as in "feet"?

• be, feet, beat, ski, Crete, either, people, brief, key, Caesar

That's quite a lot, isn't it?! How about the phonetic "u" is in "boot"?

• new, shoe, do, doozy, flu, blue, fruit, neutral, lieutenant

Mind-boggling!! Needless to say, it is a definite goal for missionaries, when creating a written alphabet for a tribal language, to avoid this kind of confusion! :) We hope to be there doing this one day, and so everything we're learning is both fascinating and helpful.

Our group studying/preparing our Foundational
Bible Teaching lessons (with Espressos...)

In our first October blog, we were preparing to teach the Foundational Bible Teaching lesson about the birth, growth, and baptism of Jesus Christ. Our lesson went very well! One key thing we have learned through this process (along with our class) is that there are some constant recurring themes that God has clearly revealed throughout His entire Word. Some of those are:

1. God is the Creator, all-powerful, and always does what He says! (yes, those can be broken into 3 separate themes)
2. Man is a sinner, helpless to save himself, and must come to God God's way
3. Jesus Christ is both God and man, He is the only Savior, man must have faith in Jesus to be saved

Noe teaching the class in Foundational Bible Teaching

It is possible, and has been seen/done in tribal locations, to teach through the Bible chronologically without emphasizing these themes. The response of the people? "Those are some great stories!" We believe God was very purposeful in how He communicated with us in His Word. So as we anticipate teaching His Word to people who have never heard the Gospel, we are learning that we should likewise be careful in how we present (and represent) Him to others.

• We would ask you to remember us in prayer, as these are also stressful days for us. Pray for our marriage, for Godly parenting, and for loving relationships with our fellow students and the staff. It is a blessing to be here, and we are thankful (SO thankful!) for all of you who are supporting us in one way or another!

Our campus small group (called E-Linc), having lunch together

In Christ, our Savior!

~The Martinez Family

PS---- Jocellyn turns 2 TODAY, November 2nd!!! Happy birthday, Jocellyn! :)

Moral Support

We would like to steal a few blog entries (probably once a month) to specifically address the SIX main areas of support, any of which you are welcome to be a part of! We would only ask that you prayerfully consider each one, and let us know if there is a specific area you'd like to be involved in! (some of you are already involved in one or more areas, for which we are deeply thankful!)


Moral Support

Moral support is one of the (more than) six areas of support that are essential. I cannot begin to think how we would have any chance at literally going and taking the Gospel to an unreached people group whose language and culture are SO unfamiliar.. WITHOUT friendship, without love, without communication with family and friends. Without challenge in our walks, without accountability, without encouragement from the Word! I truly do not believe it is possible.

We feel this is one of the most critical areas of support, and we are actively seeking to build a committed, strong group of friends and family who feel they would be able to support us firmly in this area. A couple of lists below give examples of ways you can get involved in our Moral Support team. Realize that by being a part of this area of support, YOU are being an active part in taking the Gospel to the unreached. For He commands that we go and make disciples of ALL nations (language/ethnic groups). If you cannot go yourself, in what way are you being an active part of that mandate? This is one important and special way you can do that!

Ways to morally support the children- Naya and Jocellyn:
-Write them letters (or emails)
-Send them small things, like stickers...
-Occasional phone calls (no, they don't have their own phones...)
-A children's Sunday School class could 'take them on as missionaries to pray for and write to'
-When we're home, you can be purposeful at greeting them, taking them out for ice cream or to the park... basically, make it a point to be involved in their lives, even at a young age!
-BOTTOM LINE: Deep friendship

Ways to morally support Noe and Lisa:
-Write us emails (or letters)
-Occasional phone calls
-Accountability, challenges, encouragements from the Word
-When we're home, you can be purposeful at greeting us, helping us get settled in, be involved.
-BOTTOM LINE: Deep friendship

If you feel like this is an area you could/would like to commit to now or in the future, we strongly ask you to get in contact with us! The suggestions above are merely that... perhaps the Lord will use you in other ways!

Ha Ha Tonka!

No, it's not funny, and no, it's not about a truck. :) (well ok, I still think it's a little bit funny...)

Ha Ha Tonka is the name of the lovely state park just a couple miles away, where we explored a bit last weekend. Our girls, Naya (4) and Jocellyn (almost 2) are really enjoying their new home here in Missouri. We've really been blessed to take a step back and look at what their lives really consist of--- it is not a sad and deprived life. On the contrary, they have met so many new friends and have consistently been surrounded by people who love and care for them. Not to mention when we visit home and they are eagerly wrapped up into the loving arms of family and old friends. :) But God has been SO good to us in providing so many comforts and happy seasons for the girls!

You already know what we look like...
At Castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka State Park

Our house! Always looks like this...

Our classes are going very well. Noe and I, and a friend named Mary, are preparing to teach our assigned Bible lesson in the Foundational Bible Teaching class. I believe our day to present it is next Wednesday. We'll write again after that takes place. We are also in the middle of the Child Protection course. The textbook for the class is excellent, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. It was written by the leader of Compassion, International, Wess Stafford, and the title is Too Small to Ignore. Not only has it opened our eyes to the world around us, but it has also been a great resource for our own relationships with our daughters.

This week we will begin a class called Form and Meaning. One of the several important concepts of this class is to understand the importance that meaning has over form... "contrast over-contextualization, under-contextualization, and appropriate contextualization in Bible translation." We'll have more to share about that once we've taken the course. Looking forward to it!

We'd love to hear from you if you find a chance!

With love,

The Martinez Family

FOUR!

On September 9th, our lovely older daughter Naya turned 4! She got to choose a 'theme' for her birthday party, and her choice was Strawberry Shortcake. As the picture shows, she had a Strawberry Shortcake cake, and some strawberry-ish cupcakes. We are blessed to have her in our family... she is such a sweet little girl. (All the time, right? haha!)

Trying out her new bike from Mommy and Daddy!

Did you know?.... that our training is a total of 4 years? We are in our 3rd year of the 4-year training to go into tribal church planting. Where did the time go?!

In 4 more months, we will complete our first semester at the Missionary Training Center (just before Christmas)! (Maybe that's technically 3 months... but work with me anyway... )

4 degrees is how much higher Jocellyn's temperature was recently, as she suffered a bout of sickness. Thankfully she is recovering just fine.

Jocie, resting with her fever

We have 4 hours of class each day. We've also been studying through 4 classes simultaneously. Now there is some overlap with the classes. We recently began our "Love and Respect" class, where we are enjoying the video series by Emerson Eggerichs. Also, we've just moved in to Part 2 of our Foundational Bible Teaching class. We're excited for this, as this part is when we essentially team-teach through (an abbreviated version of) the Building on Firm Foundations curriculum within our class! View our earlier blog for a few more details about this curriculum, or feel free to ask us if you're curious!
Finally, next week we begin the Child Protection course. I'm sure you could join us in listing the reasons why this course is important (for any culture, any context).

Oh... and Lisa made her first (of many)
batch of homemade cinnamon rolls! YUM.

Lastly, regarding "FOUR": No, Noe has not been playing any golf lately. Disc golf, yes! He's enjoying staying active outdoors since the weather has been so gorgeous (upper 70's). Lisa is staying busy with the girls, and keeping the home. The keyboard even gets played once in awhile! We're really starting to feel settled in to the routine and the environment, and so we press on!


Do YOU have any questions for us about our training, our family...anything? We'd LOVE to answer your questions!

~Noe and Lisa Martinez, and girls

NTM's MTC CP1 Class!

So, you understood that title, right? :)

Indeed, there are many acronyms used here at the Missionary Training Center (MTC), and many jokes about said acronyms. Here's an example of how we could communicate poorly with you:

"Hello friends in the PNW! After graduating from the BI in MI, we are at NTM's MTC in MO, taking our e1 CP1 courses, to prepare us for e2 and NCLA so that we can move quickly into TCLA. Our current classes include FBT and BOFF, CLA and MP, MCM, and WA. We also have our ELINC twice a week with several other couples, some of whom are MK's- and one who was with NTMA. We're still being diligent with our PD too. We're interested in PNG or perhaps WA, but we're open to any UPG."

Actually, the whole concept of acronyms really could relate to some of the things we're learning here. For example, if we were to approach a stranger and quickly say, "You need Jesus!", would they really understand? (of course there's a chance, but the general answer would be no!) Sometimes we abbreviate things, and perhaps we don't even consider why.

Two of the acronyms above, "FBT" and "BOFF" are the substance of what I'm writing about here, and what we're learning currently. We are reading "Building On Firm Foundations" (BOFF) - which we highly recommend -, which addresses this very issue of hearts being prepared and ready to receive the Gospel message. This concept begins in Genesis 3. Before God addresses any other issues with Adam and Eve, He first asks them, "Where are you?" Is it important to find out 'where' someone is before telling them that their Savior has come? Do we have a relationship with them? Do we know who they are? From this book also comes New Tribes Mission's (NTM's) curriculum for tribal church planting - the Foundational Bible Teaching (FBT), which is Creation to Christ. We've mentioned it before, but by beginning in Genesis, a hearer is given the opportunity to learn who God is, the state of man, man's failure to keep the Law, and man's need for a Savior. Then when Christ comes on the scene, the hearer understands and can say, "That's my Savior!" The point? Hearts and minds that are prepared and ready to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Part of this FBT class (see above) will be to teach through this curriculum to/with our classmates.

We are keeping VERY busy with studies, and we absolutely love being here at the MTC! We thank God for each and every one of you who has helped us get here in one way or another!

Study group

We ask that you remember us in your prayers:

• For our relationship (marriage)
• For parenting - Naya especially right now
• For our friendships with fellow students and staff here



Blast from the past dinner! :)

• For God's continued provision for our needs

The girls are having a blast with old and new friends, and with the weather being so hot (average 90's since we moved here), they've enjoyed splashing in the water (the lake, or water in our little inflatable boat). Naya turns 4 on September 9th!!!

To find out how you can get involved in reaching unreached people groups with the Gospel, visit www.ntm.org!

~Noe and Lisa Martinez, Naya and Jocie

--by the way, e1 just refers to the phase of equipping we are in with NTM, and CP1 means we are in our first semester of the Church Planting track of training.

Our "home"! 3rd Townhouse from the left w/ the lights on.

Orientation

Our classroom at MTC

On Wednesday morning at 8am, we were all warmly welcomed to the MTC for our first day. Our class is made up of 46 or so students - families, couples, and singles. There are more than a dozen of us from NTBI in Michigan, a handful from NTBI in Wisconsin, and the rest come from a wide variety of backgrounds, including MK's (Missionary Kids), other Bible colleges, or other full-time ministries. Interestingly, one of our classmates is a gal who was our classmate at Ecola Bible School in Oregon back in 2003! She just returned from a year in Guinea, West Africa as an Associate missionary with NTM. We're happy to re-connect with her again after 8 years.

Our class will meet each morning in the Chapel. Classes are from 8am - noon. The first hour there is no child-care, so I listen online via live audio streaming. At 8.30, I head out the door with the girls for the 7-minute (give/take) walk down to the Child Care building. This building is directly across from where our class meets. I drop them off at 8.40 and take my assigned pager to class with me. The 8am class lets out at 8.45, and then Noe and I sit together for the remaining hours of class, from 8.55 - noon (with 3 breaks, including one longer coffee break). This will be the schedule each weekday, each semester.

Going to Childcare

Our Orientation classes will finish on Monday. Today, Friday, we actually began our first class: "Learning Styles." As the instructor so well put it,
"The relationships among a tribal church planting team can/will greatly enhance OR hinder the effectiveness and success of the ministry. THIS is perhaps the biggest reason for this class."
Although written with a missions emphasis, the concept applies to all of our relationships in the Body of Christ. And the bottom-line idea is that "I learn to understand OTHERS, not that others learn to understand ME."

After classes, we walk back home and have lunch. Noe heads off to work detail some of the days, while I put the girls down for their nap.

The evenings will be somewhat free. Sometimes we anticipate having homework study groups, or ministry opportunities elsewhere. But when the evening is free, we've enjoyed walking down to the lakefront to cool off in the shallow swim area. The property here is absolutely beautiful, and we're truly looking forward to our time here.

Keep in touch!

~The Martinez Family

Arrived at MTC

Just a quick blog to mention that we arrived at MTC this morning!

Attached is a short video which shows our apartment,
and the view from it.

We're so blessed and so thankful to be here.

Stay tuned for more updates as things get rolling here!

~The Martinez Family

http://youtu.be/oNNeqRotKuU

Off to MTC! Journey, Days 3 & 4

Beautiful SW Wyoming

We are SOOO thankful to have had an uneventful trip from Seattle, all the way to Missouri! We are in Harrisonville, MO, which is about 2 hours from MTC, and are enjoying one last night of quiet (is that accurate with toddlers?) family time before we dive in tomorrow.

We left Utah Wednesday morning, and landed in Ogallala, Nebraska. I hate to say it, but driving I-80 through Nebraska was dreadfully dull. Interestingly, though, the Nebrask-ans tried to keep us from leaving! The highway to take us from I-80 into EITHER Iowa or Missouri was closed... so we drove over 15 miles out of the way, for ANOTHER detour... finally, after entering Kansas, we were able to drive east into Missouri just north of Kansas City... Good riddance, Nebraska! :)

So, we plan to arrive at MTC in the late morning tomorrow, which will quickly transition us into unpacking mode. Noe will have to make a few trips to/from the storage unit, which is 3 or 4 miles away.

We are looking forward to meeting Tim and Sharon Simmonds, who are also missionaries supported by one of our churches in Seattle. They have been with New Tribes Mission for many years, and have volunteered to be our hosts when we arrive.

We will post again shortly after our arrival at MTC.

Please keep us in prayer as we unpack, get settled in, and begin our classes next week! Wow! We definitely admit that it is a bit surreal...

With joy and anticipation,

Noe & Lisa, Naya and Jocellyn

Off to MTC! Journey, Days 1 & 2

After a lovely final weekend in Seattle (which included playing piano for a wedding, a get-together with some Ecola friends at Lincoln Park, a nice church service at Boulevard Park church, and a wonderful family party (both sides of the family)....

...we drove away from Seattle Monday morning, August 8th! We are thankful for such a good time in the PNW, and we are also very excited to begin our training at the Missionary Training Center at the start of next week.

On Monday, we drove only to Prosser, WA, where we spent the afternoon and evening at Noe's sister's house. Naya had a blast playing with her 5-year-old cousin Sophia!

This morning, Tuesday, we left Prosser around 6.30am, and drove about 600 miles to Ogden, Utah.

Ogden, Utah

Tomorrow we plan to go about 600 miles again, which lands us in Ogallala, Nebraska. (actually, Google maps says it's 599 miles...)

We'll update again! We're thanking the Lord SO much for safe travel thus far (we waved smugly to the Les Schwab in Baker City, OR where we had to stop 2 years ago when we moved to Michigan!) (no, we didn't actually wave). Also we're thankful for the beautiful weather we're enjoying!

We're thankful for so many other things as well!! His provision, His above and beyond provision, and how can we forget the simple joy of His presence in our lives? He is good.

Being in Utah also causes us quite naturally to pray for so many who do not know and understand the Gospel of grace, and even for those who have known the Truth but have been deceived by something else. Truly, the opportunities for each one of us to share the Lord Jesus Christ with others are always right there, even as the wind brushes by our faces....

Summer in the PNW

We have been enjoying our time in the Pacific Northwest very much! We've had quite a mixture of rest and busyness as Noe has worked, we have met with many, many people, we've had fellowship with our Family in Christ in Seattle and in Cannon Beach...

In the midst of that, we're eager to grow in our individual relationships with the Lord. Please pray for us! Attending Bible college has not made us 'super-Christians' or anything of the sort.... but every one of us should make it our ambition to know Him intimately. So we humbly ask for your prayers on our behalf. If we are not learning of Him and being poured into by the Source Himself, then we have nothing to stand on.

The girls are having a blast spending time with MamaMina, Grandpa (BaBa, as Jocie calls him), and Grandma. They've loved playing with their many cousins, and re-connecting with uncles and aunties. Play-dates with church friends have also been a delight for them. Naya is also anticipating the upcoming move to Missouri, encouraged by the thought of seeing some of her friends from NTBI in Michigan who will also be going to Missouri.

Three new believers baptized in Oregon!

One HUGE highlight from this summer was just recently in Cannon Beach- we had the opportunity to see three new believers in the Hispanic church get baptized in a river near the ocean! We knew them before they received Christ as their Savior, and so to hear them testify of their new-found faith in Jesus Christ, and to watch them demonstrate in front of others their identity with Christ's death, burial, and resurrection on their behalf by being baptized...wow, what a thrill! Glory to God!

If you're reading this and are in the PNW and would like to hear more about New Tribes Mission, or about what we're doing... or if you'd just like to catch up on life, we would love to get together with you before we head out to Missouri! Send us a message or give us a call. We will be in the PNW until August 8th.

~The Martinez Family
Noe, Lisa, Adannaya and Jocellyn

Through the Miles...

Naya and Jaydin looking at
pictures with Grandma

We just arrived last week in Seattle, WA after what Naya 'affectionately' calls our "Long long long long long long long long long... (take a breath)... long long long long long long long drive to Seattle!" We spent four 10-12 hour days driving- averaging 600 miles each day! Phew! We caravaned with Jon and Jen Myers, which made the trip more encouraging for all of us. We were able to share hotel rooms each night to save on costs, and the kids all enjoyed a nightly swim in the pool and hot tub (in our attempts to wear them out so they'd sleep more in the car).

Noe and Lisa, with Jon and Jen Myers at Graduation

Yes, we did it! We both graduated from New Tribes Bible Institute on Saturday, May 21st! We had a great time of celebration with our fellow students, staff, friends and family. Steve and Ellyn were able to come out for a few days to celebrate with us, and of course Naya LOVED having Grandpa and Grandma there to play with. Ellyn stayed a few extra days to help with the girls and help us pack and clean the apartment. Then we rolled out of Michigan for the last time early Thursday morning on the 26th.

We're looking forward to a refreshing summer- expecting it to be a mixture of resting and being busy. It will be encouraging to see, fellowship, and worship the Lord with many of our brothers and sisters in Christ in these next few weeks.

We plan to drive out of Seattle on Monday morning, August 8th for our next "long long long..." drive to Missouri. Our training at the Missionary Training Center begins on August 17th. We are continuing to build a network of those who would like to partner with us in taking the Gospel to unreached ethnic groups! Would you like to get involved? We would love to talk with you!

Please note our contact information below:


Until August 1st:
Noe and Lisa Martinez
2700 SW 115th St
Seattle, WA 98146


After August 1st:
Noe and Lisa Martinez
134 Main Drive
Roach, MO 65787

Email:  noelisa.martinez@gmail.com

Noe's cell: (503)739-2585

Let Us Spur One Another On...

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."  ~Hebrews 10.24

There are so many ways we have been encouraged, challenged, stretched, grown, refined- spurred on- during our time here at NTBI. And we hope that we can look back and see that we ourselves have actively spurred on our brothers and sisters as well as we all run this race together! We each need to be spurred on by the Word of God. This happens through the Word, by the Spirit, through faith, with the fellowship of believers.

We've been spurred on by the Body of Christ here at NTBI, and also by the Body back in Washington & Oregon. We are so appreciative of every believer who has invested in us already - how you've prayed for us, encouraged and challenged us through face-to-face talks, phone calls, emails, letters, practical support, and financial support. You are each so special to us, and we are so thrilled to have a growing number of you running along with us to carry the Gospel to some precious souls who have never heard the Name of Jesus before... they just simply have no access (no proximity, no local church) to the Gospel that has saved you and I. So to have you intimately involved in this great process along with us- WOW! We're so excited! THANK YOU for being on the team with us!

GRADUATION!!! Yep, it's finally coming around!
We will both graduate on May 21st from New Tribes Bible Institute. We've said this a LOT, but once again: what an amazing 2 years of studying His Word and knowing Him more it has been!
For both of us! Naya is ridiculously excited for Grandpa and Grandma to come out for that.

THE PLAN!
We are planning (and moving ahead with that expectation) to attend the Missionary Training Center (MTC) this August. So we will be sending our belongings to Missouri. We plan to leave Michigan early the morning of Thursday, May 26th. We should arrive in Seattle by the end of May, along with another family we'll caravan with (they're from Gig Harbor). We've been blessed with a place to stay during the summer, very close to our families and churches in Seattle. We hope dearly to visit with MANY of you during our time in Seattle, Cannon Beach, etc...

MTC
We've applied, and are waiting to hear from NTM regarding our acceptance once the last couple of reference forms are sent in. Hopefully you have received our recent newsletter. If you did not and would like to be on our list, PLEASE get in touch with us! We will also post it on the blog soon. We are currently looking for individuals and churches who would like to partner with us in taking the Gospel to the unreached. We are in need of financial help, prayer support, and strong fellowship in order to go through the training at MTC. We are very excited to get started with our training- the sooner we complete our 18-month training, the sooner we will be able to go out to the unreached. Would you like to help us get through our training? We would LOVE to have you as part of our team! This is not "me" and "you"-- this is US working together to fulfill the Great Commission that Jesus gave us over 2,000 years ago - to "go and make disciples of all nations..." Each part of the Body is crucial to the fulfillment of His will and purpose. The foot can go, but not without the involvement of the rest of the body. Let's work together!

FAMILY
Lastly, for a little family update: The girls are doing wonderful. Naya's getting taller and more inquisitive all the time. Jocie is talking up a storm- repeating nearly everything she hears. They're both just completely adorable, if we do say so ourselves... :)
Noe is doing well..... he's really tired and had nothing else to add at the moment.... :)
Lisa is good- she had an x-ray recently of her left foot, which confirmed a heel spur that has been there for about 2 years. She will look into treatment options upon arrival in Seattle. Any resource suggestions would be appreciated! (yes, by the way, the pun was TOTALLY intended... let me know if you caught it...)


With love in Christ, our risen Lord!

~The Martinez family

First Newsletter

Here is a PDF of our Fall 2010 newsletter.

You can expect to see our Spring 2011 newsletter very soon!

~The Martinez Family


Click to View

Choosing Our Walk

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

Endings Lead to Beginnings

I've seen this in life, I've seen it in history, and I see it in God's plan for us. For all who believe in Jesus Christ (His death, burial, and resurrection on behalf of your sin), the end of this earthly life is the beginning of eternity in the presence of our God and of Christ Himself!
But to be more specific as to this blog entry, we are in our last semester here at NTBI. We are approaching the end of a fantastic season of studying God's Word in depth. This is by no means the end chapter for us in our pursuit of the Lord. Rather, understanding His Word is the essential foundation for knowing, loving, and serving Him. To use an analogy, it is the starting blocks for a 400-meter dash... (that ended up being my favorite race as a sprinter... it was long and grueling, and I 'hated' it, but reaching the finish line was such an exhilarating feeling and accomplishment that I wouldn't trade for anything!) And that is what our lives as bond-servants to Christ are to be- a perfect mix of endurance and haste, patience and urgency! And yes, pain and joy.

Jocellyn, cousin Alexa, friend Eli, Naya

We returned to Michigan on January 14th, having had a beautiful Christmas break in the beautiful PNW (Pacific Northwest). To summarize our visit, we arrived in Seattle the week before Christmas, and enjoyed almost 4 whole weeks with precious family, long-time Friends and Church Family, and as always, we shared great fellowship with so many.
After a visit from my good friend from Oregon, the 4 of us headed down to our 'hometown', Cannon Beach, OR, for a quick 2-night visit. We had the tremendous blessing of visiting the Spanish Church, which is flourishing (glory be to God!) and thriving! We also connected with several (but not all of you!) friends and loved ones from CB Bible Church or from town. We hope for the opportunity to visit again in the summer. 3 days after that trip, we returned to Michigan.

Our classes just began this past Wednesday. Noe starts out at 8am with Daniel/Revelation. 9am is our Chapel hour (see previous blogs for a description if needed) and the girls go to child care. Jocellyn has moved up to the Mini-Toddler class this semester! She will grow so much with the structured play times, snack times, etc... hard to believe she's getting so big! At 10am and again at 11am, we both take Philippians. We are excited to be diving into the Word again, and look forward to what He will teach us. Please pray with us that He will mold our hearts and our minds as He desires.

On a slightly dismal note, the evening of our first class, both Jocellyn and I came down with the flu! Noe got it the next night. It's been a slow few days of recovery, and Jocellyn continues to have the occasional fever for some reason. But provided that Naya does NOT catch the bug (!), we hope to all be back in class on Monday.

Noe will go alone (sad!) to the Church in Tekonsha tomorrow morning, as Jocellyn and I are still a little under the weather. But we expect to be in the full swing of things again next week.

If we had the pleasure of seeing you in Seattle/CB, THANK YOU for blessing us with your continued friendship and love! If we missed you, we feel the same for you, and we hope to connect with you personally in the summer. Please stay in touch with us.

The snow is falling here, and tonight's forecast is 0 degrees Farenheit. Anyone up for a visit? ;)

With love in Christ, the source of our joy,

Noe, Lisa, Adannaya and Jocellyn