We are writing this to tell you about our journey, with the Lord before us, and you all praying behind us.

We are so thankful for your caring and faithfulness in praying and also providing financially for us. We could not have done this without you. God has answered yours and our prayers abundantly and overflowing.

On March 21, 2005, we (Frank, Margaret and Tamara) left our home in Waukesha, Wisconsin for Durham, Ontario for what we thought would be a three or possibly four week stay to complete our Visa paperwork. Three weeks before we left we did not know where we would stay or what we would use for transportation. Just before we left the US, we spoke with a friend in Durham and he offered us a place to stay for three weeks. Also, another friend from Toronto called and told us he had a car for us.


When we had spent approximately two weeks in Ontario, we got a letter saying we would need a police report from PNG and Canada. We realized this would further delay our paperwork progress and felt quite discouraged. We knew from past experience that PNG paperwork would take months. The Lord showed us our lack of faith when it came through within two weeks.
After three weeks at our friend’s house, a guestroom opened up for us at the Mission Headquarters. During our first week at N.T.M.C., we were praying about where to stay after our guest rooms were no longer available.

One week before our time was up, a lady we had casually met called us. (We knew her son and daughter). She offered that we could come and stay in their guest room for as long as we needed a place to stay.

To sit in another person’s home and wait for an unknown length of time is an amazingly difficult thing to do. Yet through all of it, God faithfully showed us His great love and faithfulness through His Word and also through His people. Many times people came and assured us of the fact that God’s timing is perfect and that He never wastes anyone’s time.
We took a number of day trips around Southern Ontario, a very beautiful part of the country. This also gave us quality time together as a couple and as a family. We did a lot of reading, walking, visiting and praying. Oh, and did I mention “praying” some more!

Our third Sunday in Ontario, we believed that God was prompting us to attend a church in Hanover. This church body was an awesome blessing to us for the remainder of our time in exile. Our second Sunday attending this church was Easter Sunday. They were serving an early breakfast with an open invitation so we decided to go. At this breakfast we became acquainted with a family that has become great friends to us. Later, another lady came to speak to Margaret. She then invited us to join her family for Easter dinner at their home. When Margaret asked her what led her to approach us, she said the Lord prompted her. This lady also invited Margaret to attend a ladies prayer meeting every Monday morning. Margaret was blessed by the fellowship!

Around the middle of June we decided to go to Manitoba and visit Frank’s sister who was ill. The trip was 24 hours of driving one way. On this trip God connected us with some awesome people who provided us with accommodations for the night and refreshing fellowship. It was a great encouragement to see God’s love through almost strangers again and again. While we were in Manitoba we received the e-mail telling us of our upcoming appointment at the US consulate in Montreal, Quebec for July 14th. Needless to say we were very excited that, at long last, we knew the date.

During this time of waiting, Josh and Josie Dyck (our daughter) and family were
preparing to go to Indonesia as missionaries with N.T.M. We had hoped to spend this time with them. Thinking they may leave before we got back, they came to spend one week with us in Ontario. Even though we are thrilled that they are willing to follow the Lord’s leading, this was still a bittersweet time of knowing they would be leaving for four years.
At the time we left Wisconsin, Tamara still had one quarter of a semester of grade 12 to finish. We had no idea how to go about completing it. Tamara also missed out on a variety of things like her senior trip with her youth group to a bible camp in Florida, a state singing competition, not to mention her high school graduation. Through all of this, God’s grace was very evident in her life. She did end up graduating through some unlikely means. Tamara applied for and was granted employment as a teller at a local bank. She has been working part time as the attends N.T.B.I. She moved into the dorms on August 19th, 2006. This has been yet another change in our lives. Even though she just moved across the street, it feels empty without her.

On July 11th, Margaret’s birthday, we set out toward
Quebec. We went to Toronto the first day and had supper and spent the night at a friend’s place. The next morning we left for Quebec. When we arrived our hostess told us she had left a message for us not to come until the following day. We never got the message. But God went before us and prepared this 70 year old Christian widow’s heart. She said she had prayed about her conflicting appointment and God had assured her that we were His servants and she should take care of us. this dear lady let us in, then five minutes later she left to go to a previous engagement. Later that night as we were all asleep, the phone rang. It was her daughter-in-law saying, “Please wake up your missionary friends to pray because your granddaughter is threatening to commit suicide.” So we prayed together. The Lord prevailed and redeemed her.
We also learned to depend on God for many other things such as finding places, riding the subway in a strange city (where very little English is spoken), for safety, the right timing, words to say for our interview, etc. The interview went well. We were granted our visas. The border crossing went smoothly as did the traveling.

This is a very condensed version of our four month exile from our home and ministry.
Reaching the tribes with the gospel by training people at N.T.B. I.
Frank and Margaret Martens
NTBI Waukesha

The past 4 months have been a time of spiritual growth for us. There have been a lot of trying times. It seems God is again stretching us beyond our limits, but His grace is sufficient. Physically, we have been going through some difficulties. Frank had some major oral surgery. It was somewhat more complicated than was expected, but it has all turned out very well. His dental work should be completed in about 2 weeks time. God blessed us with a dentist that is doing all the dental work for free, although we did have to pay for the surgery. Frank, Margaret and Tamara have all been receiving chiropractic care; Frank for some shoulder, wrist and back issues; Margaret for her back, neck and wrist, and Tamara for ongoing wrist and knee problems. It has been a wonderful blessing to find a chiropractor who is a believer and willing to help out our family without pay. Praise God.

Margaret’s back was not improving, so she went to a medical doctor and had an MRI done. The revealed some degenerated discs and also some bone spurs. She is presently getting cortisone shots in an attempt to relieve the pain. So far it has not been effective, but she is thankful for all of your prayers. Please keep praying.

Due to her back situation, Margaret has not been able to attend church on a regular basis and misses the fellowship. Her ministry at the Bible Institute has also changed. She is helping to grade papers. She enjoys doing this as it continues to teach her spiritual truth.

As most of you know we are also grieving the loss of Frank’s sister Anne. We were so thankful that we could spend a little time with her before her passing.

This past August our daughter Josie and Josh Dyck moved to Indonesia to be involved with NTM in a support ministry. The have one more week of language study left, then they will be moving to Pontianak where their ministry will involve accounting and guest house, etc.

Franz and Kristie are living in Florida and seeking direction from the Lord to possibly get involved in overseas ministry.

Rachel and Ryan are in the process of preparing to go to Dryden, Ontario, to serve at Camp of the Woods in full-time ministry.

Kara and Nate live in the Milwaukee Area and doing well.

Tamara is doing great at her studies here at N.T.B.I. She is also working part time as a teller at a local bank.

Financially things have been going a little more difficult. It seems we have gotten behind a little since last summer and have had ongoing extra expenses.

We are so thankful for all of your financial support. We have no doubt that God will continue to provide for our needs. He has never failed us.

In all of these situations we recognize the sovereignty of God in our lives and realize that all things are for our good and His glory.

Our prayer is that we will continue to glorify God in all we do.

Last weekend we were privileged to be part of a missions conference in our local church here. The theme was church planting. The main speaker was a missionary from PNG involved in a church plant. It was very encouraging

Our reason for being here at N.T.B.I. is to train people to reach unreached people groups with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To this end we are at peace that this is where God has us to minister at this time. We would covet your prayers about the possibility of us returning to the field of PNG in approximately 2 years. In His service, Frank and Margaret Martens

(NTBI Waukesha)