Justin was born in Loma Linda, California, where he lived until he joined the Marine Corps in 1997. He was stationed in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. He says, “I grew up in the church, lived in a relatively ‘good’ home, and accepted Christ at an early age. I believe being a Christian in the military, however, forced me to live out what I believed. Before, it was relatively easy to go through the motions, without any real spiritual ‘gut-checks.’ Being faced with many different lifestyles forced me to define who I was in Christ.”

Justin has known of missions and heard missionary stories with great intrigue from a very young age. In 2002, he experienced missions first hand as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher in Costa Rica. When he first heard of missionary aviation in his early 20s, it seemed the perfect combination of his love for aviation and a heart built to serve. He was drawn to MAF because of their commitment to serve various denominations and humanitarian organizations worldwide.

Justin holds Private and Commercial Pilot’s licenses as well as a Flight Instructor Certification. He is also a certified Airframe and Powerplant mechanic and has experience as a helicopter mechanic. In addition to a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics with a minor in Logistics from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Justin studied Math at Hawaii Pacific University, and Bible from Moody Bible Institute.

Amanda was born in Monteria, Colombia, the daughter of MAF missionaries, Rolland and Jessica Trempert. She grew up in Venezuela, until she was nine, when her family moved to the MAF headquarters. She accepted Christ as her Savior when she was five, and shares that her mother was a big influence in her life and her decision to ask Jesus into her heart.

She graduated from Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois, with a B.S. degree in Recreation: Leadership. Growing up in an MAF family, Amanda has always been around mission work. She has had opportunities to participate first-hand in short-term mission trips to Mexico and Hong Kong. One of her favorite Bible verses is I Corinthians 16:14, “Let all that you do be done in love.” NASB

Justin and Amanda met at the MAF headquarters in Nampa, Idaho, when Justin was in flight training and Amanda was working in the mailroom. After several months of friendship, they dated remotely when Justin left for his assignment in Lesotho, Africa. They were married on May 24, 2008. Amanda shares that she is looking forward to serving the people of Lesotho with Justin in whatever capacity God chooses. Her passion is to bring joy into people’s lives through various activities and she is excited to see how God will utilize that to break down barriers to Him.

Justin looks forward to meeting the emergency medical needs of the people, but he is also looking forward to fostering and developing relationships with those that fly MAF regularly. John 10:10 serves as a reminder to him that no matter how dark this world may seem there is a promise for better in this life and the next. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

To fund the worldwide ministry of MAF, God is faithful in providing generous ministry support from His people. He has called the men and women of MAF to serve Him in a unique way. He is also calling thousands of Christians like you to play a special role in the ministry of MAF around the world. You are invited to become a ministry partner with Justin and Amanda in this strategic ministry. Please prayerfully consider involvement with them through prayer and/or financial support.

Commendation Letter —Mike Shutts, Lesotho Program Manager