SPOKANE - Gary and Amanda Fox always felt American in their hearts. On Tuesday morning, that is exactly what they became - officially.

Gary Fox, a portrait artist from South Africa who currently is pastor of New Life Community Church in Rathdrum, and his wife, Amanda, were among nearly 30 people sworn in by U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Rodgers in a second-floor courtroom at the U.S. Post Office in downtown Spokane. The Foxes, who live in Hayden, have been in the U.S. since 1996 and have three daughters, all of whom have married Americans.

"The generosity of this nation, the freedom, all the principles that it stands for is so endearing to us," Gary Fox said after the swearing-in ceremony.

Their names were called along with people from Pakistan, Colombia, Brazil, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Mexico and multiple other countries.

"For me, this has been a really emotional process," Amanda Fox said. "Coming out of Africa, even the rest of the world, I've always felt that this is the place for us to be."

They said the process took about five months to complete.

Judge Rodgers told the new Americans that the country is strengthened by them, and encouraged them to be engaged citizens and vote.

"At the same time, don't forget who you are," Rodgers said. "Many of you bring traditions, customs and beliefs and ways of doing things, some of them centuries old. They're part of you."

"We have a lot to offer, which we do in our community and in our church," Amanda Fox said.

The first thing the Foxes want to do with their new status - taking the judge's advice - is vote. As lovers of travel, they also want new passports.

The Foxes have traveled extensively over the years as Gary Fox has worked to help troubled churches on three continents.

"We were invited to come to a church in Coeur d'Alene to help them get back on their feet," Fox said. "So that's how we came here."

He started his work in Jerusalem in 1979, and married Amanda in 1981.

"That's where everything began for us in terms of ministry," Gary Fox said. "(Jerusalem) was a melting pot of people from all over the world coming there."

From Jerusalem, through his connections there, he journeyed out to churches as an invited guest speaker. "We traveled like that for many years," he said.

Then, in 1985, he established a ministry in Zimbabwe and planted churches in east Africa. They then traveled from Africa to Europe and the U.S. They did some work in Vancouver, Wash., and then moved to North Idaho to help New Life. Since then, they have put down roots and been residents now for 11 years.

They built a home in Hayden, the first home they've owned. Two of their daughters live in the Coeur d'Alene area, and the third plans to move back from Tacoma later this year.

"So we've got grandkids and we've got a lot invested here and we're not planning on moving away," Gary Fox said.