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Martinxsix
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Name: Barbara
Country: United States
State: California
Gender: Female
Interests: Jesus ... my family ...
friendships ...
art, journaling ...
Expertise: Each time I think I may have found it ... I quickly realize I haven't!
Occupation: Customer service/support
Industry: Construction
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  martinxsix
Member Since:
7/4/2005
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|  I am back from Kenya. Back to the routines of life. Yet, somehow I am different. I want to live in the memory of what I discovered. I want to be different. Live different. Never forget. Time keeps moving, fresh experiences take over new days. I keep struggling to hold onto it. God did awesome things in Kenya.
We arrived in the village of Soy to the new, empty church building. It was built by local men who were very proud of their work. They happily told me they would be attending regularly! After worshipping with men and women from Uganda, who met us there to share in the mission, I set off with my translator on a path through a field of enormous corn stalks! Though I cannot see them from the trail, there are red-mud huts scattered through out the giant corn stalks. Some squarely shaped, like houses with tin roofs, others round with thatch roofs. I would have never known this is a main path from many huts to the village shopping area. Don't visualize a plaza or mall, but an area of small plywood structures, fresh potatoes, onions, hanging whole portions of meat, occasional live goats, cows and sheep.
As my translator, Timothy and I, walked the trail, I found myself scared! I confessed to Timothy my fears, who asked, "is this your first time to Africa?" In humble fear and trembling, I answered, "yes." He wanted to know if I had shared the gospel before. Sigh... When I told him I hadn't shared the gospel this way, never went out into the community sharing with people, he didn't understand. I explained I liked to share the gospel with people after
I had gotten to know them, developed a relationship. He didn't understand why I would hold back this priceless message, but said, " It is ok, you will feel better after the first time." We stopped on the trail and prayed.
Timothy led me to our first home. A man without shoes, wearing tattered clothing stood with a small tree branch in his hand, keeping a cow from eating the surrounding corn. After an introduction, I shared the message, shared
from the Bible what Jesus has done for us and offered that gift to him. He told us how he struggled with drugs and alcohol and couldn't stop. My heart flooded with emotion. I told him I felt certain God sent me to talk with him! The first person I talked to, hand picked by God. We shared something, we were the same. Stuck in our sin, trapped, not able to see the way out. I shared my story, my bondage to drugs and alcohol. Before trusting Jesus I couldn't stop. When I trusted in his death on the cross, his death to pay my penalty, asked him to help me live for him, I never did drugs again! I told him if God could change me, God is able to change him too. I asked him if anything was keeping him from trusting in Jesus today. He tearfully responded, no. He prayed with us, recognizing his need for the Savior, Jesus.
God prepared our meeting for both our benefit. I left our encounter with monumental confidence in the Lord's ability to do what he had planned for my part in the mission, he left with a new life ... Eternal life!
 A shoppong area in one of the larger city areas. It is similar to the one in the village. | | |
| The time has come so quickly, tomorrow Brittany and I leave for Kenya! We are filled with excitement, and a good mixture of other emotions, too :)
We've been preparing to share the gospel of Jesus with hurting people. As I considered the message of the gospel, and the American message of the latest charity fad for Africa, I began to comprehend the true value of the gospel. Lately, millions of dollars are being raised for Africa. I often wonder how much money actually makes it, and what the African people will be left with when the fad passes. Will money have brought the hope promised?
American Idol, Bono, other groups and individuals desire to alleviate the horrible suffering caused by unclean water, lack of food, AIDS, and Malaria afflicting Africa. Diseases causing many, including children, to suffer horrible, agonizing death's. Mother's watching their children suffer without any means to care for them. That sounds like living hell to me. Speaking of hell, that's where many will live for ever, even with all the contributions to bring them good life. Without trusting in Jesus death as a substitute for our sin, humans will live in everlasting hell. (II Thessalonians 1:5-12)
I applaud efforts of those concerned, to bring hope to those suffering in Africa. I pray we continue to supply needed medicine and water, but I'm left considering is there something more important? I want to bring genuine hope to those suffering, not counterfeit hope. I have the real thing to share, am I willing to give it?
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Romans 5:8-10
Brittany and I, with a team of concerned others, are headed to Soy, Kenya tomorrow to bring the message of genuine hope, the gospel of Jesus. Jesus died for our sin, and rose again, so we may live well forever with God. Eternity with God who truly loves people. He will bring peace to lives, now and forever.
A church has been built, prepared for the people in the village of Soy, Kenya. A home built for a native Pastor, a well for the people, supplies will be left behind to ease suffering, but we will go into the village and bring the message of everlasting hope to the people. I am so excited to see what God will do through a few humans, nothing great in ourselves to offer, just willing!
Thanks to all of you who have prayed for us as we have prepared, and given your finances! I am amazed at the ways God has supplied all our needs. Please pray for our health, travel mercy, courage, and most important the power of the Spirit to lead and work through us. May God prepare hearts to hear the message from simple people, carrying a genuine message of hope.
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| ~Oswald Chambers
“As My Father has sent Me, even so I send You”
John 20:21
A missionary is one sent by Jesus Christ as He was sent by God. The great dominant note is not the needs of men, but the command of Jesus. The source of our inspiration in work for God is behind, not before. The tendency today is to put the inspiration ahead, to sweep everything in front of us and bring it all out to our conception of success. In the new Testament the inspiration is put behind us, the Lord Jesus. The ideal is to be true to Him, to carry out His enterprises. Personal attachment to the Lord Jesus and His point of view is the one thing that must not be overlooked. In missionary enterprise the great danger is that God’s call is effaced by the human needs of the people until human sympathy absolutely overwhelms the meaning of being sent by Jesus. The needs are so enormous, the conditions so perplexing, that every power of mind falters and fails. We forget that the one great reason underneath all missionary enterprise is not first the elevation of the people, not the education of the people, nor their needs; but first and foremost the command of Jesus Christ-“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations.”
When looking back on the lives of men and women of God the tendency is to say-“What astute wisdom they had! How perfectly they understood all God wanted!” The astute mind behind is the Mind of God, not human wisdom at all. We give credit to human wisdom when we should give credit to the “Divine guidance of God” through childlike people who are foolish enough to trust God’s wisdom and the supernatural equipment of God.
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| The Martin family sends greetings from Katy, Texas! Or should I say, “Howdy ya’ll!” We are hopeful that you are doing well. Our family continues to grow in the Lord, our journey with Him continues to change our lives, and we pray He is doing a great work in yours, also. We have worked through many difficult changes, as the Lord walked us through the crazy times of 2006, and 2007 has brought along it’s challenges, as well.
One of our biggest adjustments has been relocating from Thousand Oaks, California, our home of 19 years, to our new home in Katy, Texas. While difficult to leave behind those we love so dearly, the Lord used this move to lead our family closer to Him, and bless us so much. Before leaving California, we went through some hard times, made some wrong choices, but the Lord is so faithful to us, even when we fail him. A pastor friend once said, “Some of the greatest times of blessing come after the greatest times of failure.” We have experienced that. The love of our Savior, Jesus, is amazingly more than we can comprehend.
Since our move we have been able to buy a beautiful, large home, more than we could have hoped of. With both our son’s now living near us, we enjoy gathering the family, including our grandchildren, at our home as often as possible, but usually each Sunday after church to enjoy a meal together.
John’s air conditioning company is growing, now employing both our son’s, Robbie and Justin. Barbara works full time in the office. We have been exploring the opportunity of a second company back in California, where we have been able to employ our daughter, Jenna, as an office manager. This time together has allowed us to have inspiring and challenging conversations, work on our relationships, and reveal the Lord’s shaping of our knowledge of Him.
After so many wonderful years home schooling, we closed that door of our lives as we graduated our youngest daughter, Brittany, in 2006. She still lives at home while she attends a cosmetology school. If you’d like a sassy haircut or some glittering highlights, she is the person to do it. She has become a devoted daughter: devoted to her family and her Lord.
We have found a small, welcoming church, Calvary Chapel, in our area. It’s a new church, just beginning life in Katy, too! It’s so refreshing, and inspiring to be back in a church dedicated to teaching God’s word without apology or compromise. We share a similar testimony with our Pastor, and are encouraged by his fresh vision for the church.
We have the awesome privilege to worship with our children and grandchildren each week, since they have chosen Calvary Chapel as their church home also, except Jenna, who still lives in California. Justin was asked to be involved in leadership. Katrina (Justin’s wife) and Brittany serve in Sunday school. John and Justin hope to work with an orphanage in El Salvador, in the future. Robbie and Heather have their hands full leading their five little ones to church, but Heather continues to bake some tremendous foods each week for everyone to enjoy after the service.
This year Barbara and Brittany feel a great commitment and call to serve Jesus Christ, through a short-term mission. As a family we have been having conversations about serving the poor, and sharing the gospel. One without the other seems pointless. They have decided to join with others from Calvary Chapel churches in our area to plant a church in the town of Soy, Kenya. They will evangelize hut to hut, in schools, in prisons, as well as giving testimonies at crusades every afternoon. The new church will have a meeting building, a home for the pastor, and a well for those in need of water.
Soy is a small town with over 28,000 people in the surrounding area, and located about 200 miles northwest of the capital city of Nairobi, and west of the Great Rift Valley, at 6,000 feet above sea level. It is an agricultural village. The climate is good with fairly constant daytime temperatures between 75 and 80 F and relatively cool nights (60’s). Though there are 117 tribal languages in Kenya, English and Swahili are the official languages. We are told the people of this area are very welcoming and gentle, and live on very little income (about $360 a year). Because of the hunger and diseases such as AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, the need for a Savior rings very loud. We want to bring them hope.
The trip will last thirteen days from July 20th to August 1st, and we need your help. Would you be willing to pray? Please pray for the spiritual battles, especially for hearts to be prepared to receive Jesus, and for hearts to be prepared to share Him with hurting people. Also, please pray for the needed finances. We trust God to provide what is needed to do His will. (If he leads you to give financially, please send Barbara an e-mail for the details.)
~The Martin Family
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| ... here's part of a group getting prepared to bring some GOOD NEWS!
Lives will be changed forever!
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