Our First 2 Weeks in Nampa.

Wow, it has been a full 2 weeks for us with many new things happening.  We have joked about being in a new culture here in the states and part of it is true.  Finding grocery stores with good prices and thinking through a different currency, navigating new street patterns and although it is not a different language, we have had fun chatting about the different words we each use and how we say some things.  It has been a fun way to think through some of the more signification changes that will be taking place when we move to Africa.

Our orientation class had 10 couples, 7 from the US and 3 from Canada, who are heading out to 5 different countries.  Some going directly to country, others heading to language training next.  We were blessed to be part of such a great group, who shared their hearts openly and spoke honestly about the challenges and joys of being missionaries.  The range of topics was extensive and really too many to list, but they were all very helpful in preparing us emotionally, physically and spiritually for life over seas.  The girls also enjoyed their orientation which included making a Indonesian meal and taking a field trip to the nearby Basque Museum. The Basques are an ethnic group from Europe, who's homeland straddles the French-Spanish border.  The girls loved learning and being able to see and taste ( great food) from the culture.  Overall, their orientation was a very positive experience and they were reminded to keep Christ as their focus as they face challenges in their new country and in the sadness of good byes in the days ahead.

As we spent 2 weeks with the other missionaries, it was a joy to hear their stories, of how God had drawn them to Him and called them into missions.  So many different backgrounds and life situations, yet each one walking in obedience to Christ.  Learning to lean on Him for the strength needed to get through the transitions of packing and moving and making new connections.  We were commissioned at the Thursday morning chapel, into service with MAF US.

The next few weeks are Nathan's standardization which he is looking forward to as he will be back turning a wrench again and not just sitting in class.  I will be able to spend time with the girls and we have already gathered some supplies to work on a number of craft projects in the next few weeks.

We are currently living in the housing units at Headquarter and are fully embracing community living.  Just step out the door and there are friends to play with.  Complete with water fights, Freezies, dinners outside and lots of bike riding. The kids love the evenings when the parking lot is empty and they can ride in the big open space.

The front of our apartment building.

  Lauren made a huge milestone and learned to ride a 2 wheeler in just 2 days, with no time spent on training wheels.  What a go-getter.  It helps to have little friends that can also ride a 2 wheeler, to feel the need to succeed.  She has had a few bumps and falls, but nothing too serious.

Riding like a pro.

Water fight on a hot Sunday afternoon. 

 

New little friends

Best buds.

 

 

We have also connected into a local church and the girls enjoy the Sunday school classes as well as the mid week programs for their ages.  They are also eagerly looking forward to VBS and camp. 

We appreciate your continued prayers as we enjoy this time together as a family but also as our minds continually drift to the things still needing to be done before our departure to Africa in August.  Especially the things to be done back in Ontario during our short week there at the beginning of August along with the visits and good byes to so many of our supporters, friends and family. 







Had to take a picture in front of the cool Kodiak.  Not one that Nathan will be working on, but great for a photo.

 

 

We appreciate you all so much and we will continue to keep you posted on life here in Nampa and on into Africa.

Anyone looking for our current mailing address, it is
Sarah and Nathan Montgomery 
c/o MAF
P.O. Box 47
Nampa, ID
83653

Phase 2 Begins

After a 3700 km drive, we have arrived in Nampa, Idaho at MAF US headquarters for Orientation and Standardization.  We spread out the drive over 5 days and stopped at a few places along the way.  The girls did great and a huge thank you to those who sent us on our way with special packages and treats.  It made the drive a fun one.  Here are a few pictures of our travels.

Through the flat lands........

 

and the South Dakota Badlands.

So many different aspects of the Badlands.  We wished we had given ourselves more time to explore.

 

This little guy even posed for me.  There were so many of them in the field as we left the badlands.



 

From the Badlands we drove onto Mount Rushmore to again stretch our legs and see the sights.

Love the flag in the foreground.  A very patriotic picture that wasn't even planned.

Our main stop was Yellowstone National Park.  This is Mammoth Hot Springs.

Norris Geyser Basin

 

Walking through the steam from a huge steam vent at Norris Geyser Basin

And of course, Old Faithful

There were so many spectacular views as we drove out west and in the park, it was hard to pick a favourite to share.  God's handy work is amazing and it was so neat to see these incredible parts of His creation.

 

We have settled in to our new place and are enjoying the quiet evenings of playing in the park and riding bikes around the block.  It has been awhile since we have been able to just enjoy family time and not be focused on packing and leaving.  We are grateful for this time here and all that we will learn as we prepare for the next phase. 

 

 

 

 

 

Making Progress

What does progress look like? 

It means the items for the crate are all boxed and itemized ready to be packed. 

It means the girls clothes have all been sorted and packed for Nampa, and Kampala.
It means most drawers and cupboards are empty of all that we are taking.

It means most paper work is in order.  I say most, because it seems to be a never ending trail. 

With only 4 days until we leave for Nampa, Idaho and training at the MAF US headquarters, this progress feels like a huge milestone.  The goal, is to be all packed by Friday night, so we can enjoy the weekend with family and friends before heading out.  It may be a little ambitious since we are still sleeping in beds with sheets and blankets that need to be packed in the Kampala suitcases but if we can get most of the suitcases packed with the right weight, it would be good progress.

Even with the good progress, the "To Do" list still seems long :-)  But we will get done, and we will depart. 

Thanks for your prayers and to the many who have helped us with packing, cleaning, meals, taking the kids out and everything in between.  We are grateful for your support.

Now on to filling those suitcases.

Up coming timeline

Thanks to all those who came out to our 100% Party and shared in our praise to God for His amazing work in our lives and in bringing together our support team.  We even had a few pieces of dessert left over for our enjoyment today.

With support raising finished we can shift into the packing and planning phase.  Many have asked us when our departure is and what our time line looks like, so here is what we know so far.

April 27 - we leave Forest and drive to Nampa, Idaho to the MAF Headquarters.  A 30hr drive straight but we plan to break it up and see a few things along the way.

 

 

During our time there we will be living at the MAF Headquarters in a fully furnished apartment which is great, so we will not need to haul all of our household things across the country with us. 

In Nampa we will be participating in a number of different sessions. 

May 1 - 14  Nathan and I will be taking part in the MAF US orientation course which is designed to help us live cross culturally.  Part of this also includes an Inside Out Safety course and a Marriage seminar weekend.  Child care is provided for the girls during our sessions and the oldest 3 will be attending a few of their own sessions to help them also prepare for living in Africa.

Beginning May 22 and through to July 9, Nathan will be doing his standardization training where he will be learning the ins and outs of the specific aircraft that he will be working on for the DRC.  As far as I know there are no requirements for me and the girls during this time, so we will be hanging out and hopefully able to find a few things to do in the area.

 July 13-24 –will be Candidacy with MAF US for Nathan and I.  Some aspects will be similar to that which we did in Guelph prior to our support raising and we may be able to sit out on those sessions while other sessions will be designed to bring us up to speed on the MAF US’s processes and procedures. 

July 27 – 29  will be our security training course.

 July 30 - we begin the drive back to Forest at a quicker pace, but still not driving the 30hrs straight.

Aug 2 - Aug 10 - final preparations, packing and good byes

Aug 11 -  depart for Uganda

Aug 12  - arrive in Uganda ready to begin the next part of the adventure.

 

 

As I write this it seems like a whirlwind of an adventure for the next 4 months, but there is excitement in the air as we work through the packing and also make plans for schooling and housing in Kampala.   The girls are doing so well at purging their belongs and talk excitedly about their new school and friends they will make.  We thank God for His continued work in their hearts as they prepare for this big change. 

We will continue to keep you posted on our preparations and what life will look like for us in Kampala, but for now, I need to return to my "to do" list and fill more boxes for my give away pile :-)

Time to Celebrate!!!!

As of today we are at ......

Wow, God has been so good and each one of you that has prayed for us and partnered with us financially, wow, we can't say it enough.  THANK YOU. THANK YOU.  THANK YOU

It has been a year of seeing God move in ways that we could have never imagined.  We have faced many new challenges and celebrated the milestones.  Sometimes even a 1/2 % milestone :-)  It seemed like an impossible task 14 months ago but you made it happen, and today we thank you and invite you to celebrate with us.

Join us Sunday, March 15 at 6pm, Forest Baptist Church, where we will be sharing as part of the evening service, celebrating God's faithfulness in bringing together our partnership team.  And what is a celebration without food.  We hosted a number of dessert evenings over the past months as we shared our story and invited you to partner with us, so what better way to celebrate 100% than with one final dessert night. 

Psalm 92:1-4

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

Ready for the Ride!

 

Hold on for the Ride!!!

 

This picture of a roller coaster and the ride ahead, kind of describes our weekend. 

 

So you know that we have been assigned to the DRC program and living in Uganda, and over the past few months we have been researching the countries, looking at schools for the girls, what housing looks like, what we will need to bring with us and what we don't.   In the process we've become attached to the idea of what life will look like for us in Africa.  Everything has been moving along smoothly for our departure in May.

 

Then we got a call Saturday morning from the MAFC office and those who are instrumental in placing our family.  The information shared with us, was that the program in Tanzania is changing and many of the missionaries there will be moving to the Uganda program.  Meaning that there would be less work for Nathan in Uganda, and would we therefore consider a different location.  Possibly serving in Kinshasa, West DRC or in Lesotho ( southern Africa) ?

 

Wow, we did not expect this at all.  It was like the big plummet on a rollercoaster as it sails down the rails.

Even though we had always known that needs change within MAF as political and civil situations can change almost over night in some of these countries.  

 

We spent Saturday and Sunday, looking up both Lesotho and Kinshasa, wrapping our mind around a year of language training in France as well as a change of schooling for the girls.  Lots of questions, lots of prayer and holding fast to the Sovereignty of God.  Knowing that He has always been faithful, no matter the trial, and remembering that we had said 'yes' to God to serve wherever we were needed.   There is a reason for all that He takes us through and He would be refining us through this new challenge.   I can't say I had fully come to peace about either location but I was warming up to the idea and even the perks of spending a year in France.    We were holding on tight, and in for the ride.

 

Then Monday morning, we received another phone call.  Again from the MAFC office and those who are instrumental in placing our family.  They had been in contact with the East DRC team in Uganda that morning, who are requesting that our family continue on the initial track and join their program in Kampala, as originally planned.   There will still be some changes for the Tanzania program but it won't affect us in our assigned location.   Wow,  we were heading back to plan A, which was our first choice all along, but still willing to go where we were needed. 

 

Why did we have to go through this crazy weekend?  Not sure, but it definitely reminded us that we are to fully rely on God for strength and wisdom in all situations.  We are called to obey Him, no matter what.  So for now it looks like the rollercoaster ride has come to a stop, back at the beginning and we will continue to prepare for life in Kampala. 

 

Saturday, just after our phone call, I received this on my Facebook wall. 

 

He's Always been Faithful  by Sara Groves

 

Morning by morning I wake up to find...
The power and comfort of God's hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me

 

I can't remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can't remember one single regret
In serving God only, and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He's always been faithful to me
 
This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I've heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He's always been faithful, He's always been faithful
He's always been faithful to me

 

Yes, He is faithful and I can't imagine going through life with out knowing Him.

 

 

The Countdown Is On!!!

We have made the jump, into the final 10% of our MAF ministry support which is so fantastic.  This weekend we had a number of people partnered with us monthly which gave us a real boost and we are still waiting on the final number from our event at Ash's.  Thanks to all who came out and enjoy some great food and made it a fun day.

With 6.3% remaining we can't stress enough the importance of not putting it off, to partner with us today, in this incredible ministry of reaching the people in the DRC with the love of Christ and the message of salvation.  We have said it before, but every monthly gift of $75 move us 1% closer to complete funding.  Every $20 monthly or $240 yearly, covers us for a day of service and fills in one more date on our calander.  Only 23 days left to fill.

Back in September during our visit to Alberta, we were encouraged to set a hard goal of when we thought our funding would be complete.  As eager as were were to say Oct, we knew realistically, end of February would be a good goal.  Having this date in our mind, renewed our ambition and approach as we headed into the final months of the year.  God moved in amazing ways and brought a steady support increase each week and at the end of 2014 we were at 77%.  We were thrilled to be in the final quarter.

Now as we look to the end of February, being only 2 1/2 weeks away, we are almost giddy with anticipation of how God is going to move to bring in the final %.  Nothing is impossible for Him.   It might even happen in the next week.  We will keep sharing our story but it is God who will do the work in peoples hearts. 

We also had some great discussions with people in the office this week and we are ready to change gears slightly and begin departure preparations, working through required vaccines and shipping logistics.
Thank you for your continued prayers as we head to the finish line of ministry support raising and step into preparation mode.

Ephesian 3:20

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,