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!

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.

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SUPPORT UPDATE:

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

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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

Beautiful Dirt

As you know, the heart of the Lord is that "all would be saved and come to a knowledge of the Truth." (1 Tim. 2.4) He also left some very simple instructions on how we are to participate in His heart/His 'mission': "Go and make disciples of all nations..." (Matt. 28.18-20)

This is where John Piper's quote comes in:

"Go, Send, or Disobey"

We heard some say, "I'm just not cut out for missions work", or "I don't have what it takes (to ___)." 

I think those are statements that should not surprise us! For surely not everyone can GO! If everyone was a "GO-er", there would be no senders and no support! If every part of the body was a 'foot', that would be a very strange, disfunctional "body" (if you could even call it that!)...

But at the same time, there is a tremendous problem among the Church (believers) today... there is a small percentage that GO, but an even smaller (and quite insufficient) number of those who SEND!

Where are the "SENDers??!" 

Naya and Jocellyn learned on Tuesday night about the importance of the SENDERS, the supporters.... (family, friends/encouragers, financial supporters, prayer warriors, business/logistical supporters, etc...)

We have been involved with some MKO (Missionary Kid Orientation) 'classes', led by some wonderful fellow 'GO-ers'. Through hands-on activities and stories, we have explored some elements of CULTURE with the girls... What might be the same about PNG? What might be different? What fears or excitements do you have about PNG?

And this week, we used the analogy of transplanting a plant to a new pot. 

The plant is our family. When removed from our culture, our roots are molded to our home culture and experience. 

The pot is the new country/culture- PNG. When we are 'transplanted' into PNG, it will not be a natural fit. We will have to stretch, grow, change... but even with our effort, there will be a lot of emptiness/empty space  that we are unable to fill in.

So we must add extra dirt... we must be surrounded and filled in and covered by extra dirt. Without a good amount of this dirt, it will be exceedingly difficult for us to be fruitful in our new 'life'. If we are not able to be fruitful, how effective can we be in planting a church? (And after all, what is the church? Is it not a body of believers with many different parts and roles?)

This is where YOU come in! YOU, as a "SENDer", are our extra dirt! YOU are beautiful dirt. YOU are essential! YOU are INVOLVED! YOU are a part of planting churches... YOU are participating in HIS heart, HIS mission! When you SEND, you are essentially coming WITH us! (As if we carried you with us overseas, and certainly we do in our hearts!)

(Did you ever wonder how valuable your financial gift was? Did you ever wonder if your prayers for a missionary were effective? Did you ever wonder if "merely" sending an email to say hello was worth the time?)

Instead of asking the above questions, I challenge you to ask what would happen if you did NOT participate. Imagine that plant, floundering in a new pot with little-no dirt/filler, little-no support.

Do you realize how valuable you are?

We hope you know how incredibly valuable you are and how tremendously thankful to the Lord we are for you!

Are you involved? We would love to add more dirt to our pot! (Okay, that sounded cheesy..)

If you would like to become dirt today (that's not right either...), please get in touch with us!

Pressing on, ALONG with you,

~the Martinez family

Logistics Support

(Recap): We have been posting some special Support blog entries 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!) 

To view the previous entries on Communication Support, Prayer Support, and Moral Support, click on this link: Support Entries

Logistics Support


What is Logistics Support?

First of all, it is an opportunity for various members of the Body of Christ, who have different gifts, to come together and use those gifts with one united purpose: to see the Gospel preached to the nations! You may very well be gifted in an area that would make you an ideal part of this team!

This area of support is best described by four of its main elements:


1) Accountability

"Is ministry really happening with our missionaries overseas?" Too often, the answer is a simple 'I don't know!' But by purposing to have accountability with missionaries, there is both the joy of being involved, and an ongoing reminder of the main focus and purpose for life and ministry.

2) Confirming and Encouraging Spiritual Growth

"Spiritual drought" is a tragic reason why up to 50% of missionaries do not complete or return from their first term overseas. Imagine moving to a foreign country, surrounded at best by a handful of believers who do not know you well, and who you only see periodically- oh, and no weekly church services! Oh-- and no streaming internet (yep, that's right, no logging on to listen to your pastor preaching). This is why it will be important to have some committed individuals who are willing to step into this crucial area of ministry!

3) Managing Business Affairs

Many missionaries are "sent" by a mission organization. But the reality is not so- particularly for us! We are with NTM, whose vision/purpose statement reads:: "...NTM exists to assist the local church through the mobilization, equipping, and coordinating of missionaries..." We are being equipped by NTM, but we are truly in partnership with YOU, being sent out BY YOU! True, NTM helps with some of the logistics. But the role of the church is crucial. Areas included are:

• Money - helping missionaries determine budgets, to see how they're doing, and to help communicate with their financial support teams...
• Taxes - as quoted by Neal Pirolo in Serving as Senders, "Don't let your cross-cultural worker become a horror story of trouble with the government!" Taxes still must be filed every year...
• Health - do you know if your missionaries have health insurance? Also, have you considered safety issues for your missionaries when they are overseas? Your response to that?
• Death - does the church have a plan in place in case of a missionary's death? Also, if a missionary has a close relative (i.e., a parent) that dies, what has been planned ahead for the missionary in that regard?

4) Attending to Personal Details

There are also many "smaller" things that must be taken into account:

• Material Goods - what is left behind that needs taken care of? (Car, house, storage of belongings, help renewing licenses, etc.)
• Family Matters - looking after their parents, caring for their children, housing college-age children who've come back for school, homeschooling assistance, even representing them at their own family gatherings!
• Ministry Needs - mailing items they need, or even special items they request, researching and sending tech equipment

Diligent, Detail-oriented, Punctual, Good Record-keepers are what is needed for this area of support.

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 through Logistics? Tell us about it!

Communication Support

(Recap): We have been posting some special Support blog entries 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!) 

To view the previous entries on Prayer Support and Moral Support, click on this link: Support Entries

Communication Support

"Out of Sight, Out of Mind!"

The goal of Communication Support is to eliminate/avoid the above quote!

It goes without saying that Communication Support is a two-way street. Without communication on either end, the list of negative side effects is perhaps endless. But if communication on both ends is strong, the list of positives is long and joyful!

Communication Support lies in between Moral Support (encouragement) and Logistical Support (information). We highly value it, and we know that there is too often the case of little - zero communication between missionaries and supporters/churches.

One side to this area of support is YOUR communication with US, as our brothers and sisters in Christ... as our friends, as our accountability partners.

Ways to Support Through Communication:

• Writing letters/emails/Facebook - even selecting a certain day each month to send us a quick "hello"
• Write about how you are doing personally
• Write about church and community life and events
• Write to share encouraging things you've read or heard or sung... etc... You never know when God will speak through you!!
• Phone calls/text/Skype - just to say hello!
• Send photos (mail or electronically) ~ it's the only time we get to see your face!! This gives us the opportunity to put up photos to pray for you and revisit memories
• Create videos
• Record your small group some evening
• 'Interview' people at church- ask them a question, or give them the chance to tell us something... or introduce us to new members of the church... etc!
• Make a silly video just to make us laugh, or a 'video tour' of our hometown (just for fun!)
• Don't forget the kiddos! Our kids love your kids... this is a fun way to keep a friendship going
• Care packages
• Come and visit us!!

The second side to this support is OUR communication with YOU. It is just as important that we are faithful in keeping you updated on all of life's happenings. We want to be consistent at writing, calling, sending photos, and just communicating with you in general!

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 through Communication? Tell us about it!

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!

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!