​We were on our way to the I-TEC Christmas party, driving with our family through the Pennsylvania hills. We crested a hill and came to a lovely scene of a beautiful rainbow. I’m not sure the picture we took can really accurately convey Gods stunning display of color, dramatic clouds and His timeless promise but it was just gorgeous. As we stopped to appreciate God’s handiwork I had a sense that we were about to experience a special moment in time.
This was a special time to meet the Board of Directors and key volunteers as well as their supportive wives for the first time. We were looking forward to wonderful food prepared by Toms' wife Linda and their amazing hospitality and inviting home. We looked forward to meeting everyone and we were not disappointed by our time together!

As we fellowshipped together and shared our stories I came to realize that we were amongst a very capable but humble group of people. As they shared experiences and their heart for missions it was entirely evident that God had hand selected each team player. It was a diverse group of professionals with uncountable gifts and skills, that time, teaching and experience provide a person. It was eye opening to see the caliber of people God had pieced together to accomplish His task for bringing power to the mission works, faith based hospitals and orphanages around the world. As I listened to the conversations around me I realized this team served because they felt is was a privilege and a blessing to serve God. 

Tom Garber the founder of I-TEC back in 2006 had a goal to surround himself with like-minded people and God had answered that request as Tom had succeeded in surrounding himself with others going in the same direction. The friendships were deep and the experiences of trips traveled were shared by so many of the group. It was inspiring to see such passion and purpose shared. There were some board members and some full time Missionaries but they represented the collective set of skills needed to do one very challenging task. They did share the need for another Solar expert so if you know Solar and God has been prompting your heart for Missions this would be an amazing group of men to join to serve our Lord and Savior!

As we sat around sharing stories and experiences we realized this team had such profound depth as their collective experiences has deepened them in ways I’ve only seen after someone experiences extreme hardship, poverty and need.
One of the stories shared was an experience of deep humility. They shared they were serving the poorest of the poor and as the project was wrapping up they had one night left before departure. In the morning they realized the group of women they had come to serve had stayed up all night, hand sewing everyone new shirts for a gift and they were also presented with a gift of boiled eggs. As people that come from so much, to take precious protein and a shirt that could have brought some income to these ladies, it was beyond humbling. They had come to be a blessing and rather left more than blessed. They left with their understanding of generosity forever challenged. It was truly the widows mite that they had benefited from. The array of experiences this group shares have an inspiring quality as they desire to not only do hard things but to share the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment one has in serving Christ! The heart and passion of this I-TEC team is to pass the baton and their passion is to serve with the next generation. I think the most wonderful part of this time together was in the welcome we felt! We were the new team members and they all welcomed us with open arms. We were included and they celebrated how God had answered their prayer for younger team members to keep the vision going and to work along side doing hard things with everyone. 

There was a gentle quietness to this team that comes with wisdom and I was struck by their strength and resolve to be part of God’s plan. We discussed that we have no guarantee of tomorrow. Each day is a gift and we only need to be available to be used by God in the day we have been gifted with. Each moment we have to bring God glory with our lives is better than any wrapped up gift under the tree. 

This fellowship of servants shared how we at I-TEC don’t serve for our own recognition but rather everything we do is for God’s glory . We are mortal and life is fleeting but we have the gift of today and we are most willing to use our today to hopefully secure someones eternity. 

There is so much more that I could share about this beautiful moment in time. It was over much too quickly and we wished we could have lingered a bit longer to enjoy the company of some beautiful souls.The ministry of I-TEC has the foundation of our Most High God and He has hand chosen a team of people that reflect the light of Jesus and give from their substance to a very dark world in need. We are humbled and in awe that God hand selected our family to join this team. We are praying God would give all of us direction and wisdom in the coming days as we do hard things for Jesus!

Joshua 22:5 "But take careful heed….
To love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."

Merry Christmas!
Love, Rachael for the Montei Men

Working with I-TEC is amazing! Four of us went together today on a ROAD TRIP to Friends In Action in Elizabethtown, PA for a meeting! There we were, ten men putting our minds and collective experience and knowledge together to come up with solutions for providing the best power system possible! Ok, so maybe I was just an observer and realized I had a pretty big learning curb to keep up with these really smart guys, maybe I made coffee for everyone and went out and fixed the truck. But had I had something to interject I'm sure I would have been heard. Brilliant, well yes, these guys are top notch engineers making some pretty tough decisions that will benefit many mission organizations for years to come. No pressure guys! As we build these power systems for Missions we realize we need to keep current with technology and make this system the best we can for the longest period of time possible. These power systems will be going into some of the unfriendliest climates in the world and powering some of the most demanding systems. We spent hours making sure all the details were discussed in depth. No decisions were made as we still need further research, but we're one meeting closer to an awesome system!

I'm just in awe that I get to be part of this team of men and I'm excited for what we get to build once we decide what system we're building! Right now we're working on getting a room built so that that we can have heat while we fabricate this system this winter! Feel free to visit our website www.monteiadventures.org! Please be praying with us for God's wisdom as this really is an exciting moment as we're making history in I-TEC to have the best solution for powering Missions worldwide! Pray God provides and gives us safety as we work hard and wait on His perfect timing and solutions! 

Honestly guys this is such an exciting time! What a privilege God has given us to be able to serve Him in this way! The fact we get to use the talents God has blessed us with to bless others and bring Him glory never gets dull! Honestly if you look at the pictures it's just a bunch of ordinary guys doing some basic jobs but when you put it all together we are making a huge difference in light of eternity! Just being faithful in the little things! Well I'll keep you posted, Have a great weekend! 
Brian for the Montei Family

Brian walked into I-TEC excited and hopeful for how God was going to use him in this next season of service. Although we are home for our boys we hoped God wasn't finished with us serving in missions! We've been watching the ministry of I-TEC for years and we would sometimes dream of the day God might call us to Pennsylvania to work with this ministry. Living in PNG with a vibrant and full ministry we knew we needed to serve right where we were at so we would smile and say well maybe someday! It seems we have started our someday and look forward to serving with I-TEC as they serve global missions. It's exciting to be able to make a difference for eternity in a Mission based out of our home area. We know joining up with I-TEC has been a God thing, only God could have orchestrated something this good!
Walking into I-TEC I watched as Brian shook Dale's hand in a hearty Pennsylvania handshake. It was such a special moment and became a moment in time I will never forget. Here was Dale an 81 year old master welder. He has been a volunteer with I-TEC for over 18 years, no one can quite come up with the exact date he joined to help bless Missionaries around the world. If you have time, check out I-TEC, they are doing amazing work all over the globe to help bring power to missionaries who are reaching people for Jesus!.

As Dale shook Brian's hand he exclaimed "YOU KNOW... I have been praying for you for quite some time" Brian looked at him in awe and replied "well, why is that Dale?"
Dale replied "I can't do this forever you know, I've been praying for God to send my replacement and He sent me you!" Dale went on to say "I can't wait to work together and you can teach me everything you know!" In shock Brian replied "Me teach you? Dale we need to get going soon as I want to learn everything you know!" Brian is so thankful to be able to work with Dale. To learn from a veteran welder and to benefit from Dales deep faith! Dale is such an amazing example of wisdom and humility as this man has volunteered at I-TEC during his entire retirement and longer welding for God's work and for God's glory!
I followed Dale and Brian around as Dale explained the shop to Brian and told each tale behind the many pieces of equipment donated to make a difference in worldwide missions. It was humbling to see God had called us to walk in the well worn path of faithful men. We want to be found faithful! It was also humbling to see God's hand on our lives as He brought us right where we need to be! We are excited that God chose our family to answer Dales prayers and we pray we will continue to bring God Glory with everything God allows our family to be part of! It's a joy to see God take men who have a skill and put it to work for the great commission! We are all part of the body, working together to bring Jesus to the lost. He uses all of us if we are willing!

We are able to serve full time because we have a team of people that love what we do! If you think you would like to give and be part of our ministry we would love for you to partner with us! Go to this link at FIA if you want to give a gift to help us out! All the work for Jesus we are able to do is because others help support our ministry financially.

Every day God gives us is a gift! We praise God for using us and we praise God we are saved by His grace! Ephesians 2:8-9 says it so well!
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.

A few nights ago one of my children came to me right before bedtime and said “Mom, I’m feeling so unsatisfied”
 
He was so sincere and genuinely wondering what he needed to do in order to make his insides feel satisfied. Was he needing to eat more or snuggle more, did he need to plan his next adventure or get a new toy?
 
I too have come up with the feeling of, is this it, is it enough? Maybe I should reach out to a few more people, maybe I need to recieve a few more e-mails or perhaps I haven’t painted enough this month, maybe my husband and I haven’t had enough quality time or perhaps I need some new cloths to feel complete inside or maybe I’m just hungry.
 
The amazing thing is our society wants us to feel like our need can be met with a new phone, good food at a nice restaurant or the latest truck model or the designer handbag that just came out. The commercials say if you only use a certain toothpaste your smile will be brighter therefore attracting the right someone to make your life complete.
 
Now I consider my children are on the very top end of blessed, they have a Mom and Dad available 24-7. They have plenty of good healthy food, junk food, snacks, drinks and they have been provided for with so many lovely toys, Lego’s, matchbox cars, nerf guns. They have the freedom to play outside or make forts inside and these boys sure know how to play. They get snuggle time, ipad time, school time and prayer time and honestly at the end of the day they have lacked for nothing.
 
I took the time to explain to my asking child that no matter what we do in a day, or who they spend the day with, no matter what we acquire as wonderful as it may be and even if its been sought after for a very long time, at the end of the day the emptiness we feel inside is because only God can fill us up. Only a relationship with Jesus will help the ache and empty feeling inside. I’m not sure the ache will go away this side of heaven because as much time as we spend with Jesus, reading the bible and praying we are only made more aware of the deep need we have that can only be met by our constant walk with Jesus.
 
I can say some days are better than others as I feel fulfilled and complete walking this life with Jesus. Some days I feel satisfied and other days despite time spent with Jesus I long for the future, eternity yet to be realized, I long for perfection and I long to not not hurt, to see no more suffering or tears, I long for those around me to realize their need for Jesus and to enter into a communion and relationship with their creator and with God that loves them deeper than they could ever know.
 
I assured my child that their relationship with Jesus was the biggest longing their heart had! I encouraged them that when life got a little too complicated and the unsatisfied feeling was really strong it was then that they needed to have a conversation with Jesus as He is calling out to us and wants to fill the unsatisfied longing in our soul with something more. Unsatisfied isn’t bad, it’s actually a feeling that helps us stay in touch with what is really missing in our daily lives. Our longing helps us remember to put God first and thank Him for everything we have. God gives us good gifts not to take the place of our relationship with Him but rather to meet our needs and give us a more intimate relationship as we realize how completely our needs are met by our loving creator! Or on the other hand perhaps God doesn’t meet certain needs so we can realize only He can fill that longing! Either way we have a God shaped void and I’m thankful my boy was transparent enough to talk to his mom and ask the why!
I love my children they are such a gift and raising them gives me more opportunity to realize my deep need for God and His wisdom!
 
Psalm 107:9
For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.
 

The Hero to this story is my Husband Brian, HE IS MY HERO … shhhh … I might embarrass him! But honestly, the man is my Hero, His heart is true and His desire to serve Jesus is inspiring! I watch Him working each day with the different circumstances God brings into his life and I am amazed at his calm poise as he sorts through each request and demand with a quiet strength that only comes from a deep faith and trust in Jesus.

Just this past month Brian has accomplished so much in our ministry! He has poured cement, helped the Local Christian book store clean up large cement debris from the property with our big equipment, and driven the boat on two separate occasions to pick up and deliver Missionaries to the Island of Biem. Brian took a day and flew into three different bush locations to fix equipment to keep an airstrip mowed, he went on a timber run to pick up a load of ordered timber for a local Mission and I’m not sure there has been a day He hasn’t been in town to pick up supplies, process paperwork and do banking. He’s worked in the office, tracked down packages, looked up parts for Missionaries and fixed boat motors, tires, and injectors, a truck. Brian has selflessly served the men that work with us, and BLESSED SO MANY! I see him walking wearily into the house at the end of the day not to collapse on the floor for an afternoon well earned siesta (even though I encourage him to do so) but rather to play with the boys or help me in the kitchen.

I LOOK AT BRIAN AND ASK IS THERE ANYTHING THIS MAN CAN’T DO?

I will confess, I’m the ideas girl, Brian why don’t we do this or why can’t we build that…. Translation actually…I don’t have any idea how I would possible build this but is it possible for you to brave the craziness in town, buy the necessary supplies and come home and build what I hope will make life a bit easier or the children’s lives a bit more creative. Brian the dogs need a new kennel lets build that this weekend, or honey we need new screen on the porch why don’t we work on that in your spare time.

Honestly this man could be sainted because although I keep Him company and try to be useful He really accomplished 98% of any task I come up with! I hope you don’t think I’m demanding but honestly living in PNG you don’t just run to Lowes or Home Depot when you need a new shelf. Brian goes to the sawmill and cuts, planes, sands, the timber we need to then go on and build the current project! 

In our time here in PNG He has built our family a lovely screened in Porch, quite a few bookshelves, a large dinning room table, a desk for our computer, a children’s fort for the boys to play in, lines to hang my cloths, racks to hang the hats, and a few surf boards for the boys to use in the ocean and a few for me to paint. Brian has built me frames and pallets for my paintings, He rebuilt our shower and refinished the floor in my classroom to eradicate the mold and has built me a cat box for kittens, a cat platform including ramps so I can feed the cats where the dogs can’t reach them. Honestly Brian is an amazing example of a man that serves His family with His whole heart and we benefit from His love daily!

Brian has a way of loving on the boys with His can do attitude as when Colton requests a set of stilts, in a matter of minutes Brian has created a toy for the Colt or a bike ramp for the boys to feel a bit daring. Now don’t get me wrong all these accomplishments are not over a weekend but over the course of a few years and yet each time Brian selflessly takes his time to care for his family, he ministers to my heart!  He really has a way of showing us his amazing love, he has a way of demonstrating the love of Christ to us and I am so thankful for the loving example Brian has been to our boys! Just the other day the boys had fun carving out Balsa planes, they might now have flown but they all got a lot of laughs.

Recently He built two dog kennels and a puppy proof pen including a divider. Brian did not build all this because of His great love of dogs (though he certainly does love them) but because he knows he is ministering to my heart and giving me peace of mind that our animal friends have a nice home. And all that is done in His spare time, honestly the man could be out fishing every weekend ( I encourage him to go) and yet He chooses to meet the needs of His family in tangible ways that show us how much he cares. Brian shows his love by reading to his boys or building a Lego creation with them, playing ball or watching the boys ride their rip stick and scooter ~calling out His praise.

Blessed, spoiled, cherished, grateful, amazed, loved are just a few words this girl has to say to explain her life since she married this amazing man back in 2003. Brian’s selfless actions and servant heart bless not only our family but also the friends around us and our ministry we are daily involved in.

I wish you could hear the boys’ laughter in the next room as they are once again enjoying time with their dad. They may be wrestling or just watching a funny movie but they are together and that’s the best part of having such a wonderful person in your life. Our daily gift is just being together. I think that is the biggest blessing of being a missionary ~ We are together!

We have a saying that life has seasons, seasons of health, seasons of sickness, times of plenty and times of great personal need. We see seasons of caring for others then other times we need to step away for a season of rest and restoration. We never did expect the season we are now well into but we shall call it “The season of the Puppy”.

I had a friend express it this way, “It’s as if you just fell into it” Fell into it we did but not unwillingly or begrudgingly but surprised never the less.

How it all transpired? We have some friends, Bush Missionaries that bought a lovely Mastiff female from Australia. We have provided a place in our kennel when they needed a place for the pooch to stay while they are on break in town. We have really enjoyed getting to know this Missionary family, they have such a heart to serve the PNG people. We have also really enjoyed their very large lovely dog.

We were asked to watch the dog and pups while she was still pregnant as this family was going on a break to Australia, to get a two-week respite to recover from the grueling life of tribal Missions and of course we said “YES”.  Who wouldn’t want cute little puppies tumbling all over the yard and who wouldn’t help Missionaries in need! So we said yes and little did we realize this Momma dog would have 16 puppies. We also didn’t realize she would have them a week before our friends left for their break to Australia.

The story has unfolded while our friends have been away the “Season of the Puppies” started.

With 16 puppies that one Mom can’t feed enough to keep them all alive, we bottle feed them three to four times a day a special formula I concoct in my Kitchen.

The first two weeks we’ve had to be Momma dog and help the peeing and pooping process as young babies need to have momma stimulate them to keep everything moving, gross yes, necessary yes. On average it took us about two hours a feed to get through the entire litter each time.

We have been trying so hard to keep their life quite sterile as PNG in known for easy contraction of Parvo so I became the germ Mom I never thought I would see. We bleached everything, we wouldn’t allow anyone to walk in the room with shoes on from the outside and still on Monday of this week all 16 puppies were lethargic and had temperatures fluctuating between 99 Degrees up to 101. We were so concerned as people loose whole litters of puppies to parvo. They all started getting diarrhea and we were wondering how bad it was going to get.

It was during this time that I started holding my breath in worry and fear as I just love these sweet little creatures. I was feeling so responsible to keep them alive and make the best formula possible, make sure each one was eating and pooping but not dehydrated. My fear was becoming quite a burden. We fall into bed each night exhausted as we were trying to care for puppies but live life as normal and not allow it to keep us from our ministry here on base as well as homeschooling the boys. I fear that everything has suffered a bit during this season but with 16 little wriggling bodies to care for the other things just get in line. My boy have said “ Mom we can’t wait for the puppies to leave so we get our Mom back” It been hard on everyone and yet helps us all to step outside of ourselves and think about something other than our own personal need, I think God has allowed a season for that as well.

One of the mornings I felt God beckon me to come, I was sleeping and yet woke up quite early with this sensation that God was calling me, to minister to my soul. I got out of bed, stumbled to the kitchen, made a cup of tea and sat in the recliner to read His word. I opened to Psalm 104…Oh what words of comfort. The entire chapter just ministered to me.

God’s word was like a soothing balm and refreshed me, I came away free from the bondage of fear and the responsibility of loss as I read Psalm 104:27-30

These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season.

What you give to them they gather in;

You open your hand, they are filled with good.

You hide your face, they are troubled;

You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.

You send forth Your spirit, they are created;

And you renew the face of the earth.

May the Glory of the Lord endure forever;

May the Lord rejoice in His works.

After reading this I have been freed from the amazing responsibility of keeping my sweet babies alive. I get to do my part and feed and care for them but it’s God’s Good pleasure whether they live or die. I can trust His perfect sovereign plan even if I can’t understand it!

So far two weeks into their little lives, all are well. All our puppies tumble about looking for Mom or a bottle. They all cry and bark and howl which is so funny to hear. All the babies have had a hard first two weeks of life but they are strong and

are fighters. I think whoever gets to take one of these babies home will be blessed with a loyal companion should God allow them to reach maturity! I trust God for His perfect plan and thought I might share with you “The Season of the Puppy”

Thank you so much for praying we know your prayer has helped in so many ways! We also know the Parvo could have been 100% worse. We feel God has protected the puppies and our sanity! I’m off to go warm up some bottles for feeding time! Time to feed the babies! J

We are pleased to tell you, much to your prayer and all because God's mercy, our friend is home recovering. My friend Esther very much wanted you to know their names so that you could pray specifically for their family! Her husband Clem was really struggling to sleep due to his upper torso injuries so we brought him a bed and a pillow to get him off of the ground. I also gave him some painkillers to help him.We are seeing many people in our area visiting Him and praying for him and we are all hopeful this might be the event that gives him a change of heart as he sees how God spared his life.

We have been thankful for God's hand of mercy on this event as it could have gone so differently.

Brian is out bringing the boat to the dock to be loaded with Cargo for the Biem Island missionaries. Brian won't be driving the boat this time but is helping the guys load the boat for this trip and will go pick them up this afternoon. Please pray for their safety.

We had found two kittens when we came back in March and now four months later they are nice cats. Great news!!! We allowed them to stay for the evening in our house and they killed their first rat! So thankful to have rat killing cats! Bonus Kill:They also killed a huge roach. :) this makes me very happy!

Another area to pray, right now we are hosting a family from the bush, they get to Wewak by many hours of river travel and a couple hours truck ride. They are out in town for a week to resupply their work in the village and word was sent to them that there is a group of men waiting to hold them up because they typically travel back with a great deal of cargo. Because of this news they will fly back to their village that they minister in. We are so very thankful they have the option of a plane ride it's just much more costly than taking their boat up and down the river.

Please pray for our safety as missionaries, we all are very soft targets as we are here to promote peace, forgiveness, God's love and goodness. We don't travel with weapons but trust for Gods intervention and for His protection. We all understand the risk and we pray God is at work in mans heart here in PNG to see what we do as beneficial. 

We are so thankful for our ministry here in PNG! Thank you for your support!
Love, Rachael, Brian, Colton, Joshua

Sequel, though it’s still the middle of the story...

My friend has healed nicely over the weekend; her face is back to normal and her leg just a bit sore. Thank you for praying for her, I know your many prayers have been a huge part to her overall healing. I did my best to make sure she had ibuprofen, rest, good food, and love! I am so thankful to see her feeling better. She came limping in on Tuesday her face once again downcast and her eyes were heavy with a new sadness. I hugged her and waited for her story wondering why such a wonderful person and dear friend had to bear so many sadnesses.  Some who got my last letter concluded such sorrow were hers because she didn’t know Jesus but her faith is true and strong, her love for Jesus carries her through her trials. She cries out to Jesus to sustain her and give her strength and wisdom and yet for some reason God continues to allow the sadness and the trials.

As her story unfolded I was sad to hear, Her husband had been in a car accident with his brothers and cousin. They had all been drinking heavily and the cousin driving drunk had rolled and totaled the vehicle driving incredibly fast. All four men were rushed to the hospital Monday afternoon.

To be brutally transparent....Honestly my heart was hard when I heard the news. I am ashamed to say, my thoughts ran along the lines “don’t drunk men deserve to crash, don’t wife beaters get what’s coming to them, are people not judged for their sin and do they not suffer the natural consequences for their sin. Do we not all bear the consequences of sin and if we make horrible choices isn’t it only just and right to suffer for our choices”. My heart was black that day…oh I hate to admit it but I completely lacked compassion. My friends here actually were the ones to display God’s mercy and love, care and concern by going to the hospital and visiting their brother, father and husband in the hospital. They were my examples of Christ’s love and forgiveness.

 While it’s easy to feel sorry and have compassion for a sweet child sick with malaria I struggled to feel anything other than regret when I heard two men walked away with nary a scratch. My thought was, “well those boys will be out drinking again tonight without learning anything.”

My friend’s husband, the man that gets drunk and beats her in a drunken rage is now laying in a hospital bed, they say He may have internal bleeding or terribly bruised organs. It’s not home so the medical care here is not what it could be. The other brother lies in a bed flat on his back wearing a neck brace three sizes too large, while he’s been in the hospital for three days he still has not had an x-ray but they guess he has a broken neck even though he can still move all limbs. It’s an interesting mix of guessing and medicine; the story you first hear is most likely not the final word on the matter.

I went to the hospital today and it’s sad to say, not because of my compassion for the two men in hospital beds but because of my deep love for my friend. She wanted to bring her husband some dinner and I didn’t want her missing her bus home so I offered to take her to the hospital.  I offered some soup I had made with the ladies in our cooking class today and heated up some leftover rice to save my friend some time. Oh my black unforgiving heart, God had a divine appointment for me today. I walked into the hospital expecting my heart would continue to demand justice and God brought me to a place of deep compassion. My heart broke seeing the pain of these two men. They may be drunks, they may be helpless and habitual sinners but they need God’s forgiveness and compassion. Haven’t we been where they are, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us! While we were yet slaves to sin and enemies of Christ yet God sent His son to die for us! Oh my heart was broken when I saw the broken bodies of these men and saw their amazing need to be saved from their circumstances!  God’s word became a bit clearer seeing so many broken, bloody bodies lying on hospital beds and it was just a tiny picture of Christ allowing His body to be bruised and beaten for our sake, He allowed himself the horrible pain and humiliation of crucifixion and did so for us to be redeemed so He could call us His own. I am no better than these men and I am in need of a Savior just as they need our Savior Jesus. When they turn to Christ, heaven will rejoice over them!

Please pray for healing, not so these men can go back to lives of drinking and abuse but so that they can live lives that Glorify our Savior. Please pray this experience brings them to the end of themselves and makes them reach out for true healing that only Jesus can offer.

Pray for me that I would be compassionate in all circumstances even towards those that scare me, hurt my friends and bring great pain to others. Pray our hearts would not be hardened working here amongst such great pain and need! Pray that we would continue to minister God’s grace to mankind that deserve nothing but death and yet can look forward to heaven if they but turn from their wicked ways, repent and turn to Jesus.

Thank you for praying, We sure need it!

Pray we would maintain a Godly perspective!

Love, ~Rachael on behalf of the Montei Men~


-- 

She sat on my dilapidated chair but in that brief moment of assessing the damage she made the couch look new. Her eye was blackened, blacker than her skin color with a bright hue of purple shining through. Her knee swollen twice it’s normal size. I glanced back at her face and noticed her lip and cheek were much larger than they should be and she winced in pain as she repositioned herself in the once comfortable chair. She showed me her dirt covered foot with a large gash and I could see the despair in her eyes…the kind of despair that only comes when someone you love and invest in, hurts you in such a terrible and final way. What was her story, her crime, why was she on my chair is such pain and misery?

Her crime, was reaching out and taking a chance in loving an orphan, taking in a boy with no food, no family and no love. She raised him like he was her own, clothed and fed the child, paid for his school feeds and put a roof over his head. The boy became one of her children and they all sacrificed to add one more child to their home. The child grew up and then almost a man, found the all too easily accessible drinking and drugs.

It’s the plight of mankind across the globe not just in the country we serve. Man has such a void in his heart a space only Christ can fill. We look for something to fill that space, to meet the need of something more. We turn to everything and anything, that in the end, just adds to our misery and aloneness.

This boy-man has filled his life with such harmful substances and will loose his home, his self respect and has badly beaten the only mom he has ever known.

I soaked and bandaged my friend’s foot, gave her ibuprofen to fight the swelling, I made her a fresh smoothie to aid in healing from the inside and made up our water bed for her to take a nap. I made a fresh chicken soup for lunch and then did the only thing that can actually make any lasting difference, I prayed with her. I prayed for her adopted son and her husband and once again turned over the plight of our friends back over to the Lord. I prayed for comfort and wisdom and asked God to lead them as they navigate the troubled waters of physical abuse and emotional pain. I needed the prayer just as much as she did as I desire to change the world and it weighs heavily on me when I see such need and can do nothing but trust God for his perfect plan in His timing.

Sometimes life here is so overwhelming and we can only cry out to God for wisdom. Honestly the fight between our flesh and spirit is fierce, my first reaction was a great desire to hurt this boy-man: to have instant justice! As I talked with my boys after they watched the drama unfold they too were up in arms, arming themselves mentally with bats and sticks and electric fences and hand scanners to scan friend or foe. They were preparing for a great fight to protect their very dear friend, they are my little warriors. We had to take a moment and review what God would have His followers do. We must pay back evil with good, vengeance is God’s, not ours! It’s our place to forgive and lead people back to Christ and His forgiveness. It’s a tall order but God knew through His strength we could follow His plan for His disciples.

Pray for our friends here as domestic violence is entirely too common. Pray the boys here would rise up to be men of honor and want to live differently than the many poor examples they grow up with.

Pray Dads would look to Jesus and that our friends would find courage to stand up for what is right in a loving and kind way. It is such an art to speak truth with compassion and love, without condemnation.

Thank you for Praying! We love you all so much!

Love, Rachael, Brian, Colton and Joshua

I have been pondering the beauty of friendship and know that each person in our lives are a gift from the Lord. As I reflect on my journey through life I am amazed at how many special friends God has placed in my life and in Brian's and our boys! Our family has been blessed with absolutely beautiful people! We all have different gifts, skills, blessings and life stories and yet in the end it seems we are on a path that meets at some crossroads and our lives intersect in a special way! Thank you for your friendship!

If you are reading this, I'm assuming that at some point our lives intersected and we consider you placed in our life by God for a specific purpose. We hope you know that you are incredibly special and were created by a loving God. We hope you know how deeply Jesus loves you. He loves you enough to have died for you! Isn't that an amazing thought! He not only died for you but rose again and can forgive your every sin and set you free to live a life that's been completely forgiven, if you ask Him too! Honestly if you have questions about this amazing miracle of forgiveness, please ask us!

We are amazed at how blessed we are to have met you along the journey of life and how your life has helped us to grow. We look to Christ's wisdom and direction and ask God to teach us how to be the best friends we can possibly be!

Recently I have been enjoying the opportunities of reuniting with childhood friends that I haven't seen in 20 years or so and I'm amazed how the time has passed so quickly and the friends are even more precious to me. But then we have made some new friends in the past year that have touched our heart in the dearest of ways and I hope those friendships will grow into lasting deep abiding friendships!

We rest in God's perfect plan for our lives and yours, remember if ever you need an ear to listen to your heart we are just a call or text away! 
Rachael - 508-817-2358
Brian - 570-980-4669
 Thankfully if you can't get through to us we know your prayer will always get through to a loving God that cares about every detail of your life! Thankfully the one who is teaching our hearts to love is always available to hear your heart and heal your heart!


1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God loved us, we ought also to love one another.
1John 4:19 We loved Him, because He first loved us.


This is by no means an exhaustive picture gallery of our friends as half the time we forget to take pictures! Here are just a few pictures to represent the blessing of friendships! Thank you for knowing us and still loving us!