| | 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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| | Posted 4/12/2007 5:39 PM - 18 Views - 6 eProps - 3 comments
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