Apr 27 2012

Support Level In April

Carolyn and I have felt so blessed to be at 44 percent of our monthly goal and 25 percent of our outgoing by the end of April.  We are thankful for every person that has participated and had a heart to join us in partnership towards our journey to Africa.  Soon we will have a link to a short video clip we made describing some general information about MAF and how God has carried us to apply.  We thank God for the talents of a friend who has blessed us with his time and skill to make this video.  Without his generous gift we would never have had the know-how or time to do it…Excited for everyone to see the final product as I haven’t seen it yet myself!!!

Mar 19 2012

Selected to Africa

A lot of people keep asking me if I’m scared of going to the Congo. The answer is  “of course.” I think that it is natural to feel scared of the unknown. 

While we were in Nampa, ID, God was so good to give us two families fresh off the field from Bunia, the town we will be living in!!!   We were able to sit down with each family two separate nights and pick their brains. This was an incredible gift to ask all the questions that the Internet didn’t seem to have answers for. We discovered that they never personally felt threatened. We learned about service opportunities for the wives. We learned what clothes to bring, and what they flying conditions would be like. They gave us advice to deal with the overwhelming needs of the people that we will come face to face with and reassured us of the beauty of the people and the land.

photo by Lary Strietzel

photo by Dave Jacobsson

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While in Idaho Matthew and I learned about all the MAF programs.   At one time we felt called to Indonesia, but God opened our hearts to see the needs MAF fulfills around the world.  We looked at each other after each presentation and said, “We could go there.”  We trust MAF and we trust God and believed dictating our country of service was living in fear.  So yes, I don’t know what life will look there. But when we get to the end of our life, we are going to have to answer to question, “Who did you serve? Me or yourself?” “What did you do with what I gave you?”  I desire not to let fear be a hindrance to me saying, “Lord, I served you with everything that I had!” I believe by following God we grow closer to Him, making no other options than full reliance on Him.  We will not survive spiritually or emotionally entering this new environment without God being our all.  I am scared and not sure what the next page of our lives will bring, but I know that our faith, trust, and dependence on God must grow to survive.  And in the end…its worth the risks to be in the center of God’s will.

photo by James Greenelsh

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

(Mark 10:29-31 ESV)

Feb 24 2012

What’s Next

The first step of the overseas journey is to build a team of partners that will support us in prayer and financially.  We cannot go without financial backing to move overseas and maintain a ministry with monthly supporters.  It would also be foolish to attempt such a feat without a team praying for us and bringing this journey before the Lord.  We begin this new stage of life in the most NW part of the U.S. outside of Alaska (which who counts Alaska?)…Lynden!

Home sweet Home

You sure your not in Canada yet?

After one month of support raising we have felt absolutely blessed from local churches, friends and family that have come along side of us.  We hope to raise 10 percent of growth towards our financial goal every month and we are on our way to see 15 percent in the first month…

If you want to become a part of our team sign up at www.maf.org/monson on the right hand side of the page!!!

Feb 7 2012

Homeward Bound

Our candidate class

Wow!  The past month has been a crazy ride.  We arrived in Nampa ID by January 9th…we were not a part of MAF and felt called to Indonesia.  During the first two weeks God opened our hearts to serve Him wherever that may be.  It’s crazy to look back at these events now because it feels like we have known about the DRC for years.  Our time at headquarters was like drinking from a firehouse.  We learned so much and worked so hard and really grew.  MAF is such an amazing God honoring organization and I am proud to serve God through them.  I was blessed to spend a month with the people in our class.  I will remember our time together for many years and am excited to see how God moves and works in each persons life.

By matmonson • Posted in MAF
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Jan 28 2012

Amazing story from DRC

Jon Cadd is a pilot currently serving in the East DRC.  I read some post from his blog and it’s quite amazing the different things he has experienced flying with MAF.  I wanted to share one story that touched me.

The DRC has had a history of war and violence.  In the late 90′s the Country was engulfed in war known as the “African World War” involving 9 nations, 20 waring groups killing an estimated 5.4 million people.  As you can imagine almost every person has been personally affected by such fighting and hate crimes.  A legacy of revenge and retaliation permeates the DRC so that violence continues to this day.

National pastors got together and started an group called Organization, Evangelism, Intercession and Liberation (OEIL). Jon (the MAF pilot) got to fly these pastors to villages around the DRC and put on redemption clinics with amazing results.  People were touched after hearing the Gospel and symbolically nailed their sins written on pieces of paper to a cross.  One testimony was written in an MAF magazine called flight watch “At one reconciliation march in Bunia, some militia members shared their testimonies and expressed sorrow and regret over what they had done.  They asked the people for forgiveness, sharing about how Jesus was transforming their lives and eliminating the violence.“

reconciliation conference

men asking forgivness

nailing sins on cross

Not only did the transformation occur personally, but the men involved in the violence met with people tragically effected and prayed for forgiveness and expressed their sorrow.  Jon said, “ It is remarkable that they can even get the two sides together in the same building. But they do and both the people who have been hurt and the men who have done these very acts of terror are as excited to have forgiveness from the torture of living with their sins.“

Jan 20 2012

Traveling to The Ends of the Earth…

The Edge Of The World…

A Place So Remote That Few Talk Of It’s Existence…

Those Who Travel Here Experience Unimaginable Horror…

Where No One Can Define Quite What It IS….

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…FRENCH CANADA…

THE HORROR!!!

Carolyn, Caleb and I will be in the USA for our deputation (fund raising) but upon reaching our financial goal we will be living in Sherbrook Canada to learn French.  Not much known at this point about what life will be like there, but we do know we will live there for about a year.  Sherbrook has a Christian college that teaches French language classes for missionaries traveling overseas.  We fall into this category as the East DRC has many French influences and predominant French speakers.