James and Lisa Hatton training church planters 
Martha has had a burden for missions for a long time. I remember encouraging her towards college but she was determined to follow her burden and went to Bible School in the US. From there, after two years working in a hospital, she continued her training with NTM in England, still burdened to see churches planted among tribal peoples. Now she is approaching the end of her training and facing transition on several fronts.
While other missionary candidates will be returning to their home communities, Martha doesn’t have that luxury. As she has only lived in N. Ireland for a year at a time when she was growing up, she needs to establish herself in a community and home church. Building relationships take time and energy.
As she considers her future and the burden that the Lord has laid on her heart, she can’t fulfill that alone. Its not her job but the job of the church. She needs to be part of a church and a network of friends committed to the great commission who would be willing and committed to equip and support her so that, together, they can see Christ named where he is not known.
Having been involved in training for the past two years, Martha has been exposed to needs around the world. She has firsthand experience of the needs in PNG. On her missions trip to Brasil she again saw first hand the needs in that vast country. She has heard missionaries speaking of their work in Asia and Africa. The field is the world but she can only reach one tribal group in one country. As much as she needs to develop community, she needs to prepare to enter a new culture.
Pray for Martha that she will have confidence that God who has started a good work in her will bring it to completion. Pray too that she will see these times of transition as part of the great transition that God is working on, that of changing her into the image of Christ.
