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