e-Compass – January 2017

As one can imagine, traveling to South Africa from the Pacific Northwest takes some serious time and planning. To complicate matters further, the 17 member team from the First Reformed Church in Lynden had to travel with all of their supplies due to the South African government shipping restrictions. The large age range of the members (15 to 50) meant there were plenty of people to get to know. Once they finally made it to Durban (after a 14 hour layover in Dubai), the team traveled to a nearby orphanage called Hearts That Hope. Hearts That Hope’s mission is to offer a safe environment that provides the proper schooling, shelter, and clothing for the underprivileged and homeless children in the area.

Within their district, there are nearly 4,000 children living in foster care, with 1,500 of them living in homes deemed “unfit”. In 2012, Hearts That Hope began housing 3 children. Now they are up to 13 children in 3 neighboring homes with a dedicated house mother in each. Every home can support up to 6 children, structured around an open-living plan, and they even contain a small garden. By the end of the year, they hope to add another home and welcome in another 6 children.

Monty and his team also organized soccer and basketball camps and even helped host a local soccer tournament. Speaking of soccer tournaments, Durban was one of ten South African locations chosen to host matches during the 2010 World Cup. Needless to say, they did not have trouble getting the kids to participate. In fact, they had over 300 kids attend each of their events!

Another important aspect of their mission trip was to teach the local children about Jesus through Vacation Bible Schools. At one school, they had over 350 kids attend. “They were all so eager to learn about Jesus and it was awesome!” said Monty. Being around the children was definitely one of his highlights of the trip. But it was around this time that Monty took a step back and fully took in the reality of the situation. “It is heartbreaking to see the conditions that some of the people have to live in. The racial and economic boundaries still exist. It is a country that is still so divided and there is still a lot of work that needs to be done to help break the cycle of these kids growing up in this environment.” Monty goes on to mention that “there were many gated and guarded communities and yet literally 2 miles down the road were these poor townships with sewer water running down the streets and animals roaming the neighborhood,” says Monty. “It was a very humbling experience and I realized how much I have and how it never seems to be enough.” And yet, “the kids were so full of joy and hope while having so little. They have more joy than we do even though we have all these possessions. They are so happy to play with a half-inflated ball in the streets with you,” Monty says.

Even amongst their jam packed schedules, they did manage to find some time to enjoy the local scenery. They were able to spend a couple of afternoons at the beach, and they ended their trip with a safari. “After going on a trip like this, experiencing a safari was a nice way to decompress and reflect on everything that happened,” says Monty. “The constant hustle and chasing around in life takes away from concentrating on raising my family in a home focused on Jesus. I am learning to slow down in life, be in the moment, and focus on the important things.”

Now that he is home, Monty hopes to either help assemble and mentor a local team or return with another team as a leader within the next couple of years. “This trip took me out of my comfort zone and put my life and who I am as a person into better perspective.” If you or anyone you may know is interested in getting involved, Monty says you can contact him at montybosman@hotmail.com or by phone at (360) 224-8209 and he can put you in touch with the right people. When Monty is not traveling the world lending a helping hand to those less fortunate, he enjoys taking his boat out on the lake with his wife and family. This past summer they were able to go to Crescent Bar and last winter they were able to soak up some sun on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.

Monty, who is the TAR Head Planner at BP Cherry Point and a 10 year employee of BP, has been a Multop Financial client since 2014. At Multop Financial we are proud of Monty & Shawna’s accomplishments in helping those less fortunate around the world and we are honored to continue serving their financial needs.

Eric graduated in 2015 from the University of Minnesota-Duluth with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Business Administration with an emphasis in Organizational Business Management. He has been serving for seven years as a member of the Air National Guard: a familiar statement, as our founder, Phil Multop, is a retired vet with four years active duty service and seventeen years serving in the ANG. From his military training, Eric brings a strong work ethic, organizational skills, and an eagerness to learn to the Multop team. He works closely with Lettie Vigoren and Ted Newman developing the business building programs, marketing content, and is the point of contact for the technology needs in the office.

As a new Washington resident, Eric enjoys exploring the great outdoors while hiking, biking, and kayaking. As a “born and raised” Minnesotan, Eric has enjoyed the milder climate here in Bellingham and looks forward to learning more about the surrounding area.

For information about our firm or to schedule an initial consultation with one of our CPA’s or financial planners, please contact our office using our Contact Form.

Eric Grytdahl, Client Services Assistant in our wealth management department, shared one of his favorite healthy, protein-packed recipes that help him stay energized and strong. This recipe is quick and offers a lot of easily customizable options. You can enjoy it as a traditional salad right out of a bowl or you can spread and serve between two whole wheat slices of bread for a satisfying sandwich. Eric likes to enjoy it inside of a wrap for an easy meal on the go. May your healthy start to this year continue far into the future.

Serves 4
Ingredients
10 hardboiled egg whites, diced
1 avocado, mashed
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
½ cup celery diced
½ tsp. paprika
¼ tsp. pepper
Pinch of sea salt
2 slices uncured turkey bacon, chopped

Instructions
In a large bowl, mash the avocado and add in the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and Greek Yogurt. Mix until smooth.
Stir in the green onions, paprika, celery, salt and pepper. Set aside
Begin chopping the egg whites, discarding the yolks, and fold into the avocado mixture until completely combined.
Add in the turkey bacon and serve.

Download & print this recipe

For those of you who have visited our office, you know that we take great care and pride in presenting a beautiful space to make every guest feel welcome. Our walls feature the Multop’s unique collection of artwork, most of which is in support of local Bellingham and Whatcom County artists. Our new office tour video features our Barkley location, and is designed to give our out-of-town clients and colleagues a glimpse into our home-away-from-home. We hope you have a chance to stop by, get a cup of coffee, and look around.

Open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm.

Multop Financial is holding several retirement planning meetings locally and in Alaska over the next few months. Contact us or email us at info@multop.com for dates and locations.

For past issues, please visit the Lifestyles & Events archive.