Holiday Season

Dear Friends,
We try to pause a little bit to write you an update for what is going on and was happening with us in this past few weeks.
We had visited some churches in our area during their mission conference and we were also able to setup display of our family as missionary in training. We got a lot of chances to talk to some of the missionaries from different mission organization too. So we did learn a lot while we building up relationship with the local churches. Last week we had an opportunity to visit our Indonesian community in Chicago for their Christmas party and they were welcoming us, accommodated us for four days and they even covered our gas money, that was a good therapy for our homesick. We did feel like home with all the foods, language and all the people we met during our time there. Surprisingly there was a lot of manadonese there, so we were also able to use our dialect to communicate with each other. The not enjoyable part was to drive there and back, traffic are little different and pretty confusing for a First Timer like us and the snow actually make everything worse but overall was a good experience for us. This trip was a blessing for us as we also stop on one of the repeat boutique in Chicago to get some winter stuffs and on our way back we stop by International Aid to get some supply. International Aid have been a blessing for us during our time here, one of the lady there who was a former NTM missionary in PNG have been generously give us some house supply, clothes and some foods for us.

Flight training have been so slow so far due to the bad weather but Nomad was able do some instrument lessons and recently got his complex type rating. One of the weak part for Nomad during instrument training is communication with Air Traffic Controller which require a good and fast understanding of English. He is finishing up with instrument training and hoping to get written test and check ride done before next year. During this winter Nomad is also helping out with one of the airplane project at school.
We get adjusted pretty well with the cold weather so far. There is some sickness going on in our family specially with kids but it seems to be usual during this time. Kids are enjoying play with snow and love to go downhill sliding.
We found one thing for you to pray for us is our monthly support level which have been the same since we have Madison our first daughter. As you know, we had struggled before even with only one daugther. Now our family have growing in this past three years and that’s significantly add to our family needs and expenses. Our training program has been so kind with us by taking care some of our living expenses but we still financially strain, we are using up our family savings to covered the remaining monthly cost. Vanti was recently selling her bags that she made, and she actually earned quite some money out of it.

We appreciate so much with all of your prayer and support for us, as you know it have been a great help and blessing for us just by knowing that we are working together side by side for HIS GLORY AND KINGDOM.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

To Christ be the glory,
Nomad & Vanti
Madison, Carly & Marion

The Ultimate Christmas Gift for us ever is :
John 1 : 1-5, 14, 12.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God

Welcome Snow!

Yesterday Marion had her first snow, it was about two inches of snow and we all went out to play with the snow but then ten minutes later everybody searched for a warm place which is inside the house. Yeap! we are indonesians. Right on thanksgiving day we had snow, obviously Lord is teaching us to give Him thanks whether is cold or warm and whether is good or bad.
Happy Thanksgiving day for you, hope you all have a great and a wonderful day with your family and Friends. we are so thankful that we were also able to eat turkey, mass potatoes w/ gravy, pumpkin & apple pie for dessert.

In this last few weeks we were able to joined some of the mission conferences in several churches near Grand Rapids and its more like a refreshment for us and we did feel home sick from some of the presentations too. It opening up our mind about how American missionary feel when they in a mission field, facing all the differences in language, culture, food, political system of the country and away from family and relatives.

Anyway, Nomad is still with his Instrument rating training, he keep brushing up his radio communication(that is the hard part for Nomad but he is getting it) it will take him quite a lot of time to finish up this training. Typical fall weather here is windy and rainy and it isn't a real good for instrument type of training specially during approaches and in the use of radio navigation. He is now also working on his complex type rating which will be need toward his commercial pilot. This training require only traffic pattern altitude in order to do takeoffs and landings.

praises and pray requests:

- Praise for save flight and keep praying for safety during all the training

-Praise for our oldest daughter for her excitement of doing her preschool.

-Pray for wisdom and Patience for Vanty as she work a lot around with the kids in the house during winter.

-Praise that our program funds able to cover some of nomad's gas expenses to school and back, keep praying for our family needs and support during our time here.

Dear Friend,
Several months have passed by since our last newsletter and most of you maybe wondering how are we doing so far. We are greatly blessed by your eternal investment thru time in prayer and encouragement, as well as financial and living supports for every aspect of our lives. God has opened the door for us to resume the flight training and even letting us doing it in The States again. Thru all the funds and visa permit that we have right now are actually showing God is in control and He is our Jehova Jireh.
We have been in The States for five months now and perhaps some of you don’t know about that. We have settled in to another new life after almost a year lived back home in Indonesia. Five months have gone so fast for us and we are so grateful reached up to this point yet we still need your support in prayers to accomplish this task.
Michigan start getting colder now, leafs are start changing their color and soon enough will be so pretty by just looking at the trees but off course another thing is coming is winter. We really going to ask for a special prayer request for the upcoming winter, sure enough this is will be our biggest task as a family living here in The States. The flight training will be slow down during winter and will be not much of a flight can be done. That’s why Nomad is trying to get as much of the training as he can before winter and work on the rest of the training during or after winter.
We live in Greenville Michigan, about ½ hour drive(30 miles) to school and 45 minutes from the city of Grand Rapids and a mile from our Faith Baptist Church. We did live here last year for about 6 months but then we move back to Indonesia for our visas situation. Our church is the reason why we live here in Greenville, so that we may have a better fellowship with them. The church here have been a blessing for us by letting us stay on one of a family’s house with a very nice neigborhood. All the kids are so happy with their swing set and a nice backyard with all fenced around it. So things are doing pretty well with us except the vehicle that we’ve been using right now is start asking for some attentions besides the high gas mileage we have with this car. Nomad used to go with his teacher to school in order to save our own gas but since nomad’s flight schedules has change in this past 2 months, he is now pretty much driving to school everyday with consequently use up 2/3 of our regular monthly support each month only for gas. We are taking out our saving to fulfill this needs and trusting The Lord for our future needs.
Thank you for praying with us, we greatly appreciate all your time, concern and support for us. God Bless!
“ PSALM 150 “

In HIM,
Nomad & Vanti
Madison, Carly & Marion