Author Archives: Natalie Holsten

Natalie HolstenNatalie and her husband David joined MAF in 2000 and spent 17 years in Indonesia in the provinces of Kalimantan and Papua. In 2018 they relocated to MAF’s headquarters in Nampa, Idaho, where David now serves as President/CEO and Natalie writes for MAF and the local newspaper. They have four children and a miniature dachshund.

Bug Off!

Since moving to Papua, I have a new afternoon routine with my kids. It goes like this.

Holsten Child: “Mom, can I go out to play?”

Me: “Sure, but do you have bug spray on?”

Holsten Child assumes the position: arms outstretched, eyes closed, as I cover him/her in a cloud of bug repellant. A […]

Soul-Shaping Chores

I’m the new girl again. After 10 years of living off the coast of Kalimantan, we have moved to the other side of Indonesia, to the province of Papua.

There is a steep learning curve––new stores to learn, new way of driving (the traffic lights go from red to yellow to green . . . still […]