4 Days Until Take-off!

Our crate is packed!

As soon as we know what region we will be serving in long-term, we will call our family in Seattle to get the crate to the port of Seattle to be shipped to PNG. (We're praising God that we are so blessed to ship it directly out of Seattle! How convenient to live here? Yeah...)






We're working on packing our luggage for Madang (for the next 6+ months of life), and sorting out the rest of our miscellaneous.... "stuff" (there really is no better term for it than that: "Stuff". It feels good to get rid of it!).

As anticipated, below is our mailing address (and some instruction) for the next few months in PNG. We've heard that a package will usually take 2-3 months.

If you'd like to send a care package, PLEASE contact us first- directly, or through our families, in order to learn of specific needs or wants, and clarify any questions about filling out the customs form.

Our mailing address:

**We decided it is better to not include the address here. Feel free to contact us directly if you'd like to mail something!


Helpful tips:

Via the USPS, the options and estimated arrival times are:

• Express:  takes 10-14 days, sometimes longer.
• First Class (airmail):  about the same as Express, sometimes longer. 
• Box Flat Rate:  about the same as Express, sometimes longer.  For USD $37.00 you can fit all you want into a 11" X 8.5" X 5.5" USPS box, 20 lb. maximum. 

To maintain integrity AND also to draw less attention to a care package:

• Mark the package: "for missionary use only"
• While not being deceptive, be as generic and general as possible. For example, instead of writing "shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shavers" you can just write "personal hygiene items."  While there is no guarantee what will be inspected and charged customs, this has shown to be helpful in the past. (Be sure all items in the package are covered under your general descriptions.)

8 Days!

VERY surreal to say that we are leaving for PNG in just 8 days. (!)

Packing for our tribal house. (Ziplocs!) Aiming to
make wise decisions. In this photo, items have been
inventoried. Next step is to pack them inside of
each other, as condensed as possible! :) Then we will
label the inventoried containers and put them into our
crate, which will be shipped this fall (probably), as soon
as we know which tribe and region we will be serving in!

Since most of you have moved permanently overseas, I'm sure you can imagine how busy we are trying to pack and sort through the rest of our belongings and tie up loose ends stateside. :)

And since we've done this before, we've definitely got the process all figured out. (um....)

In the midst of all this, we are enjoying making some last memories with family, friends, our churches and loved ones. Today (Saturday) was our annual Family Farewell party. We got both sides of our families together for a great afternoon of spending time together, water play in the yard, and smoked ribs/chicken! (Some of the family doesn't know that the afternoon ended in a huge water fight, which included all of the grandparents getting soaked by large buckets of water!)

Lisa and her dad at Alki Beach with the family

TOMORROW is our first of two Commissioning Services AND our first of two Open Houses. See the details below, and we really hope to see you to say 'farewell'!

Commissioning Services:

(We will be prayed over and "sent off" together as the Body of Christ)

Sunday, July 13 at Boulevard Park Church in Burien

Sunday, July 20 at Grace Church in West Seattle (White Center area)

Open Houses:

(Come say farewell, eat free snacks, and get your picture taken for our fridge!)

Sunday, July 13 from 3pm - 6pm at:  

632 SW 127th St, Burien, WA 98146

Saturday, July 19 from 1pm - 4pm at 840 SW Channon Dr, Normandy Park, WA 98166

Our NEXT blog should have our mailing address in PNG and instructions for anyone who'd like to mail letters or care packages.

~Noe, Lisa, Naya and Jocellyn

PS- Jocie lost her 2nd tooth this week, and Naya lost her 10th tooth!

21 Days of Prayer

Below is our 21 days of prayer, for each day of July beginning July 1st. Please join us in praying each day! Print it out and stick it on your fridge. Or pray with your kids over dinner. Or....

Thank you for partnering with us!

for the Martinez family

NTM Church Planters

in Papua New Guinea

JULY: 

1.             Pray for our personal walks with the Lord, that we will individually draw near to Him in this time of transition.

2.             Pray for our family relationships in the midst of many stresses. Marriage, parenting, and extended family.

3.             Pray for comfort, peace, and trust in God for our families and good friends as we say farewell.

4.             Pray for a weekend of refreshing as we spend a few short days (July 3-6) at a lake cabin.

5.             Pray for the tribe we will be serving among (we hope to know which tribe it is within the next few months), that He would “ready their hearts”.

6.             Pray for our future co-workers, whatever families and/or singles we will be partnering with in a church planting work.

7.             Pray for our health on this day (July 7) as we get our second round of immunizations for PNG. Pray for our health in general as we travel and transition to a new climate and culture.

8.             Pray for our final shopping and finishing up any/all paperwork before leaving the USA.

9.             Pray for Naya and Jocie, that they will mutually stay in contact with little friends in the USA, AND that they will make new friends quickly in PNG.

10.         Pray for Esther, the lovely woman who has opened her home to us the last few years, as we leave her home.

11.         Pray for our church families, that we will stay mutually connected and share this work of church planting together.

12.         Pray for our extended family farewell gathering today (July 12), that lasting memories will be made.

13.         Pray for Noe and Lisa, that they will maintain good friendships in the USA and make new friends quickly in PNG.

14.         Pray for the girls’ education, that they will do well in homeschooling, and that Lisa will have wisdom in teaching them.

15.         Pray for logistics of travel, and of allocating into a tribe in just a few short months.

16.         Pray for the support missionaries in PNG, that the Lord will bless their ministries and fill their hearts with encouragement and joy.

17.         Pray for each member of our Support Team (financial partners, prayer warriors, encouragers…), that the Lord will richly bless each one and allow them to continue this important work.

18.         Pray for the country of PNG, that the Lord will continue to reap His harvest there where the fields are white but the laborers are few.

19.         Pray that the Lord will raise up more workers for His harvest field, in PNG and all around the world.

20.         Pray for us today, our final day in the USA. Pray that somehow He will give us rest before our travels.

21.         TAKE-OFF! Pray! Pray! Pray! Pray as the Lord leads.

~Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we travel for the next 3 days, as we transition to life in PNG, and as we begin all that He has in store for us. Be sure to stay connected through email, our blog, and Facebook.

Lots of love to you and THANK YOU for your prayers!

Wrapping Things Up

I was telling someone just the other day how we are going to use a lot of ziploc bags to pack things in. This provides us a good supply of ziplocs in the tribe, and it also protects things from the elements while they sit around untouched for a time in a hot, humid climate.

While I am already used to the idea of wrapping things this way and thought it kind of 'ho-hum', they found it very intriguing. Someone else commented "I can't imagine how the pioneer women survived without ziplocs!" (fun thought for the day...)

We're so thankful to all who came, and all who contributed, to the Tribal Bound Auction! The event was a success: it was a wonderful evening, the house was full, many hands came together to make it look great, AND we raised over 10K! This will put a significant dent in our upcoming expenses- specifically allocation into the tribe in just a few months, and housebuilding.

So THANK YOU to all who played a part in the Auction, whether you helped us put the event together, came and supported, encouraged us, or sent special gifts.

We are now able to focus our attention on wrapping things up stateside. The short version: lots of packing suitcases for our first 4-6 months, sorting and packing our crates for the tribe, purging of any remaining belongings that will no longer be relevant (i.e. the girls' winter clothes, extra household items, etc.), finishing up medical checkups, making sure our legal affairs are in order... (and the list goes on).

Sorting through items for our tribal home in PNG ~ deciding what to take, and what to leave behind. Our shipping crates are in the background! (Yes 2, as we will also be shipping some tools and housebuilding materials for two other families who are already in PNG)

Dates for you to note:

Commissioning Services:

(We will be prayed over and "sent off" together as the Body of Christ)

Sunday, July 13 at Boulevard Park Church in Burien

Sunday, July 20 at Grace Church in West Seattle (White Center area)

Open Houses:

(Come say farewell, eat free snacks, and get your picture taken for our fridge!)

Sunday, July 13 from 3:00pm - 6:00pm at 632 SW 127th St, Burien, WA 98146

Saturday, July 19 from 1:00pm - 4:00pm at TBD (To Be Determined. Stay tuned!)

We hope to see you for any/all of these occasions.

Stay tuned for our mailing address in Madang, PNG. Coming soon! Thank you for continuing to run alongside us, and for your 'cups of cold water' along the way.

~Noe, Lisa, Naya and Jocie

PS - Jocie lost her first tooth last week!

On Your Mark....

Well, it's safe to say that we are now lining up at the starting blocks. Or perhaps we're like a horse entering the starting gate, eager to burst out and start the race.

Thank you to all who recently prayed for our visa application process. With the power of your prayers reaching His ears, our visas have been APPROVED, and we have them in hand!

With plane tickets purchased and work visas approved, we have no obstacles between us and Papua New Guinea! 

(except the very large ocean) 

We are READY!

Ok, well.... we still have MUCH to do in preparation. Packing, sorting, thinking, goodbye-ing...

(Teaching the girls some entry level construction skills... how special it would be for them to help build our house in the jungle!)

Our hope and plan is to involve you in all of this. This is a partnership after all. We have the privilege of being the FEET and going. But we don't take lightly the partnership you share with us - each financial gift given, each prayer offered up, each email or text or phone call to encourage us... THANK YOU!

With that said, we hope you will be able to join us for our final stateside gatherings, and that you will be sure that you are connected to our email list and our blog.
If you are not receiving our emails, please take just a moment and sign up HERE. Martinez Family Newsletter.

You can also receive emails FROM this blog each time we post! See the "Follow By Email" form to the right- simply submit your email address, and you will receive an email whenever we post a new entry. If you have a google account, you can also subscribe via Google Friend Connect (farther down the page).

There are a limited number of tickets for this FUN event! Contact us today to reserve your tickets. Some more of our auction items include: 

Disney tickets (!!), hot air balloon rides, a beautiful flower bouquet, a stunning painting from the Dominican Republic, handmade jewelry from a beautiful woman at Grace Church, a 2-night stay at a lake retreat home....

Don't miss this event! Not only will it be fun and full of great auction items, but it's another way you can be involved in tribal church planting- proceeds will go toward our outgoing and startup costs in PNG.

Finally, STAY TUNED for dates coming up in July for:

• Commissioning services
• Open houses (aka farewells... no crying!)

YOU ARE INVITED!

You are invited to walk with us in this amazing journey!

You are invited to pray with us, rejoice with us and mourn with us.

You are invited to partner in this work with us through financial giving, committed prayer, and encouragement! (See the "Join Our Team" page and get involved!)





You are also invited to our last big stateside fundraiser before we depart for Papua New Guinea in just under 2 months!

Enjoy a FUN evening out- with friends, with family! The admission cost includes a lovely summer dinner, live and silent auction, some live music, special sharing from Noe about our upcoming ministry in PNG, a dessert dash, and a raffle!

Auction items include: 

*A 2-night hosted stay (including meals) at a Hood Canal retreat home!
*A tour for 4 of Starbucks headquarters - includes private coffee tasting, 'barista training' to make your favorite drink, 2lbs. coffee, and MORE!
*A day at the lake with a professional Mastercraft ski boat
*Cannon Beach, OR gift cards (including $100 toward a 4-diamond hotel) toward your next CB getaway
*A gorgeous Seattle skyscape print
*A deep tissue massage

*A family photography session

And MUCH, MUCH more!!

Contact us today to reserve your tickets. 

You may also obtain seats by contacting Grace Church in West Seattle http://gracechurchseattle.org/, 

or Boulevard Park Church in Burien http://bppc.org/.

He Hears!!

Within 40 minutes of posting our last blog entry (on April 14th, en route to Colorado), we received an email that our Work Permits had finally been delivered into the hands of our NTM representative in PNG! PRAISE THE LORD!
Thank you for your prayers ~ He hears.

We are now finalizing our Entry Permits, so do continue to pray for this process, that there will be no hiccups.

Following this during our road trip was not optional... :)

MORE answered prayers: We're thankful to have had a completely safe trip to and from Oregon and Colorado, and arrived back in Seattle on April 25th (and indeed, all we needed that day was a light jacket, as someone pointed out...).

We hit the ground running, and with the help of family and friends (including those who brought us canopies during Saturday's rain! Thanks!) we had a very $ucce$$ful garage sale this weekend. We trust that you all enjoyed the food... we received many compliments! If you'd like to taste that food again, we'd invite you to host a casual dinner evening of friends/family. We'll provide the meal and share about our ministry. You provide the home and the guests!
'Can life get better? I submit that it canNOT!'   :)




JOIN US this Saturday for our GO Team Day! This is an opportunity for you to get closely involved in supporting missionaries! But not only that, this DVD series will inspire ideas for you to connect with other believers in many areas. Come for some or all of the day. Sit and enjoy along with us and brainstorm about supporting missionaries... FOOD is provided (how can you turn that down?), and coffee (...how can you turn THAT down?!)... Hourly details are listed below if you want to come for certain hours:

9:00- the need for care
10:00- moral support
11:00- prayer support
12:00- financial support
1:00- logistics and communication support
2:00- reentry support

*Contact us to RSVP and for directions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are now selling tickets for the 

Tribal Bound Auction on Friday, June 20th 

7.00pm ~ Fremont Abbey, Seattle 

A wonderful summer dinner, silent and live auction, and a dessert dash are included in the $20 price. Note: Child care is also available at Grace Church in West Seattle for $10/child. Contact us for additional details.

Do you enjoy an auction? Do you have family/friends that also would enjoy bidding on items? Contact us today to reserve your seats, or if you'd like to volunteer to be a table host (you will be responsible to sell all 9 seats at your table). 

THANK YOU for your love, support, prayers...

Noe, Lisa, Naya and Jocie

Blurry, but worth 2,000 words.
This is Esther, the beautiful woman who
has opened her home to us these last few years. :)

Big News!!!

BIG NEWS!!!

On Friday, we booked 4 one-way tickets to Papua New Guinea!

We now have a countdown ticker right here on the blog so you can join us in prayerful and joyful anticipation of our upcoming move! 

Naya practicing making tortillas with Mamamina

*Please pray with us that our Work Permits will finish processing and that we can move ahead quickly with our Entry Permits.

We just spent a lovely weekend in Newberg, Oregon, sharing with fellow believers about tribal church planting. Thank you, friends and family in Newberg for welcoming us and partnering with us in this work!

We are headed to Colorado, where we will have the opportunity to share this ministry with a couple small groups, and celebrate Easter with our Denver relatives (can't wait to see you!). We will be there for a week, and on the 23rd we will begin our drive back home to Seattle.

*Please pray with us for safe travel to (and from) Denver, and for His will to be done during our time there.

-----------------

SUPPORT UPDATE:

Click here to view the latest update on our Financial, Prayer, and Moral Support.

-----------------

Upcoming Events!

• May 2nd & 3rd: Garage Sale and Barbacoa (Burien). All proceeds will go toward our outgoing expenses to PNG. Come browse, and purchase a delicious meal! (If you'd like to donate items for us to sell at the garage sale, we'll happily receive them! Contact us directly.)

• June 20th: Fundraiser Auction (Seattle). Tickets and details will be available soon! Again, all proceeds will go toward our outgoing expenses and startup costs in PNG.  (Do you have an item or gift basket or service you'd be willing to donate as an auction item? Please contact us ASAP!!)

Our New Home?

At a missions conference this past weekend in Oak Harbor, not only did one man ask if he could sleep in this 'hut' overnight, but we had many folks jokingly (well we think they were joking?) ask if this is what our tribal house will look like.

It would be safe to say that is our #1 FAQ these days- "What are you taking with you to PNG?" or "What kind of house will you live in?"

The short, summarized answer is: Balance.

• We will not be living is primitively as the people. Why? They spend the majority of their time each day hunting, tending their gardens- surviving! Our purpose for going there is not to survive alongside them, but to learn their language and culture in order to share the Gospel with them one day! We don't want to be distracted from this goal.
• On the flip-side, our heart is not to build ourselves a dream home, or strive to be super comfortable. We want to choose "tools" that will help us to best utilize our time and efforts. Embellishing our home will not be important. Having it functional and livable WILL be important. 

JUST UNDER 4 MONTHS TO GO!

It is getting into crunch time! We would like to call your attention to our three main areas of support and the ways you can get involved NOW.

• Financial: We are at about 70% of our recommended monthly support level. This is very exciting! We are asking the Lord to bring us to a full 100%. If you are planning to support us monthly but have not begun, would you please let us know so we can factor that in? Also, we are asking you to be an advocate for us- can you think of others who would be interested in hearing what we're doing and getting involved? Would you be willing to host a small group of YOUR friends/loved ones for an evening and have us share? We will even bring coffee. :)

• Prayer: Not too long ago, we sent out an invitation for anyone who'd like to commit to be a part of our prayer team. We will send out emails to these individuals only, so if you would like to receive our detailed prayer requests, please contact us with your email address and let us know you'd like to join our prayer team. You can also sign up to pray for us on certain days/dates with our Prayer Calendar (click here). This will hugely encourage us.

• Moral/Encouragement: No, we are not asking for a fabricated friendship. :) But we would ask you to remember that keeping in touch regularly with brothers/sisters in Christ across the seas is an incredible encouragement! We include our children in this- if you would like to stay in touch with our girls, or if you have children who would like to do so, PLEASE do it! Add a reminder to your calendar to make it happen (or is it only me who needs a gentle reminder?). 

Thank you for your partnership with us in this work!

We will be sharing with a church in Newberg, Oregon on April 13th, and then we will be spending the next week + in Golden, Colorado. We hope to see many of you!

Future missionary... :)

~Noe, Lisa, Naya and Jocie

Fishes ~ Benefit Dinner

We'd like to invite everyone to come by 

Wednesday, March 12th

*From 4pm - 8pm, the restaurant will be open with a special menu. 

All proceeds of the evening will go toward our outgoing expenses to Papua New Guinea as church planters!

We hope to see you all there!

Google Maps: Fishes Sushi & Japanese Cuisine

Or Wa Ca Or Wa

No, the title of this blog is not a tribal phrase or chant. :) (Although if you follow our blog in the years to come, you will likely learn some words and phrases!)

For those who are new to our blog, WELCOME! (Note the many options on the right side of the blog- You can contact us directly through the Contact Form, you can subscribe to receive our blogs via email or through Blogger, you can commit to pray for us on our Prayer Calendar, and you can view our past blog posts by topic or by date.)

Cannon Beach, our old hometown,
with a bit of snow!

They found it! "The spot!" (?!)

General Update:
We are just 5 months away from our big move to Papua New Guinea to step into tribal church planting! We've been building our support team (this is also known as Partnership Development) since we left the midwest in October, and making lots of plans and preparations for life overseas.

Travel Update:
We've been in OREGON since February 1st, and what a blessing it's been to visit churches and individuals and old friends, and to share this team effort of tribal church planting with so many!

THANK YOU to all who have prayed for our health and safety on the roads and the many get-togethers we have had. The Lord has chosen to answer with good health, safety, and encouraging times with the Body of Christ!

This coming weekend we will head up to WASHINGTON for a couple days for Lisa's grandma's memorial service (she went to be with the Lord on Feb. 14th at 95 years of age!).

Next week we will drive to to CALIFORNIA to share with a church and some friends down there. We plan to be there about a week. On our way back up north, we'll stop in OREGON again for a couple more opportunities to share.

Noe sharing about tribal
church planting with the
Ecola student body

By mid-March, we'll be in WASHINGTON again!


Support Update:
Yes, this is our #1 question these days- "How are you doing with your support?"

So we've updated our "Join Our Team" page on our blog. Please take a look and pray/consider how you can partner with us today! Here is the link: Join Our Team!

Family Update:

Visiting many friends

As mentioned, Lisa's grandma passed away this month. While we miss her, we are rejoicing that she is now with the Lord! This has also opened up lots of conversation opportunities with our girls about death, about heaven, about believing in Jesus. Please pray with us that the Lord will draw their hearts to Him, and that they will be saved by placing their faith in Christ Jesus! Both of us were 8 years old when we first accepted Christ. It would be such a joy to see our girls make that decision at a young age also!

Running along with you,

The Martinez Family

Go Team, Go!

GreetingsGOHAWKS!! (wow... sorry...)

We're not quite sure where January has run off to, but here we are now, less than 6 months from our planned departure to Papua New Guinea!

Heading to the OR coast!

Yesterday we drove down to the Oregon Coast, where we will spend the next few weeks sharing our calling and vision with churches and individuals, and inviting the Body of Christ to get involved with us in this amazing task of church planting!

Below is our (vague) schedule if you'd like to visit us, or if you'd like to be part of our Prayer TEAM for our travels - (Health, Safety, Fruitfulness). You're welcome to contact us if you'd like more details! (We try to be somewhat careful what we post online) We'll be sharing in a few churches during this time. We'd LOVE to see you, and if you'd like to hear about what we're doing, we have some small group opportunities for you to be a part of!

• This week we will be in Seaside and Cannon Beach.

• Next weekend (the 6th - 10th) we will be in Hillsboro, Newberg, and the Portland area.

• The 11th - 13th, Noe has the opportunity to teach a short Missions course at Ecola Bible School in Cannon Beach.

• We'll be near CB until the 27th, including a couple visits to Manzanita.

• On the 28th, we drive down to California to spend a few days in Modesto.

-----

Financial TEAM Update!

One of the biggest factors for us to be able to travel to, live in, and minister well in Papua New Guinea is sufficient financial support. We are very encouraged to be at about 65% of our recommended monthly support!! When we reach 75% we will be able to apply for our Visas and purchase plane tickets. Our goal is to reach 100% of the recommended monthly support level.

Here's an idea of what this could look like- to gain the remaining 35%, we would need:
-15 people at $100/month,
-25 people at $50/month,
-40 people at $25/month

Would you consider if the Lord would have you get involved in this way? Please join us also in praying that He will indeed provide for us to not just reach the minimum of 75%, but the whole 100%!

Visit our "Ways To Give" page, and the NTM links, to find out how you can become part of our TEAM today!

*Please remember some of our co-workers in prayer- the Myers family and the Goheen family. They've just arrived in PNG and are beginning to learn the national language and culture! This is what we will be doing in just a few months!

THANK YOU for your love, support, friendship, prayers... Our next update will include an update on our preparations for moving overseas (paperwork, packing, etc...), and more ways you can get involved- even a "small" thing such as sharing a cup of coffee to help us regain some sanity... :)


Counting downGOSEAHAWKS!!! (wow... again, sorry?...),

The girls enjoying their cousins

Noe and Lisa, and girls

Hello from Naya!

Who are you, Naya? :)
Hi! My name is Naya.

I'm 6 years old, and my mom and dad decided that we are going to Papua New Guinea!

And I have a little sister named Jocie. And she's 4 years old. She turned 4 a couple weeks ago (months, hehe) and I turned 6 a couple months ago.

After spring we're gonna stay for summer. In the middle of the summer we're going to Papua New Guinea.

Why are we going to Papua New Guinea?
We're going there because we're gonna move somewhere else and we chose to move to Papua New Guinea to tell people about Jesus. We're going to speak about the Bible and tell them about Jesus, that He loves us and He cares about us. That's why we're going to Papua New Guinea. So that way we can tell the people in Papua New Guinea that "God loves you and He's taking care of you." Because they don't know about Jesus! And they need to learn about Jesus a lot because they don't know!

(Boy, when she gets going!....)

What are you nervous about? Excited about?
I'm nervous to talk to the kids because I don't know the language. And they might have paint, because I saw a picture of a kids with paint on their face and it looked 'kinda weird.' They also sometimes have orange feathers on their hats and like to put sticks through their noses. That's what I"m nervous about.

But I'm so excited to learn the language! And I'm a little excited to play at the beach and see the other kids. But I'll learn the language so I can talk to the other kids!

What will you miss about America?
I even will miss my grandma and grandpa and mamamina and my cousins and my tios and tias when we are in Papua New Guinea. We're gonna stay for a reeeeeeally long time, but then we will visit soon, and then go back to Papua New Guinea. We'll even visit some people we go to small group with and do music shows with and gymnastics shows and I even got to teach them how to dance... (she kept going about this for awhile....haha!  But you just learned about her interests- music, dance [ballet] and 'gymnastics'.)

Is there anything else you'd like to tell everyone? :)
We are missionaries, we like to tell people about God. And my daddy speaks in the church and he tells about God and reads the Bible. He's nice. He helps with our homeschool too, and my mom helps with my cursive writing, and I'm learning my cursive words now. And Jocie's learning how to do her letters and she's doing math and coloring pictures. She really likes to do that. She really likes to trace.

Bye! And you should tell people about God, too!

Love, Naya