The Holmes Family: October/November '03

December 8, 2003

We have a new baby boy! Mark Joseph Holmes, Jr. was born on Thursday, December 4, 2003, at 8:55 a.m., weighing in at 7½ pounds and measuring 20 inches in length. He w

as brought by C-Section and was over two weeks early. Sabrina began showing signs of going into labor on Tuesday morning while we were outside of Lafayette, Louisiana, and we checked into a hospital in Baton Rouge at 7 p.m. They eventually gave her clearance to go to Gulfport, Mississippi—this was preferred because our doctor is located there. We arrived at Memorial Hospital in Gulfport at 2 a.m. on Wednesday. She didn't have much discomfort all day; however, she also was not progressing. They began to try to induce labor, and when at 7 a.m. the next day she still had not improved, they started to prepare her for surgery. Less than two hours later, little Joseph was born! Sabrina's mom, sister, aunt, cousin, and my mom were all there for the delivery, though I was the only one allowed with her in the actual surgery room. He came out with a full head of hair, and already looks tall and skinny. Several have commented that his face looks like his mama, but he's got big feet and a big head like his daddy!

We've already had a lot of visits from local friends and members of our home church and received many gifts, cards, flowers, e-mails, and calls. All tests have come back favorably, and I brought Sabrina and Joseph home to my mom’s house on Sunday morning. God has worked it out for all of this month's meetings into the second week of January to be practically "local," so we will try to make it easy on Junior for a while with our travels. Please pray for all else to continue well.

The process of raising financial support for Nigeria has gone very well. We will be going to our 75th church this week. The number of supporting churches is growing, and during one stretch in the last two months, six churches in a row voted to add us to their missions program! So far, we have almost 50 more churches on our schedule.

We have tentatively planned a ten-day survey trip to Nigeria for the first t

wo weeks in August during which, Lord willing, the president of our mission board and his wife will be able to join us. If possible, I’d like to visit a couple of different works, and I look forward to being able to finalize many plans for our first term on the field. Thank you in advance for your prayers in this matter.

The following is a letter of recommendation of our ministry from Dr. Wendell Evans, currently the President Emeritus of Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point, Indiana:

February 24, 2003
Dear Pastor:

I am very impressed with Bro. Mark Holmes. He made a good record while a student at Hyles-Anderson College. He worked faithfully in the bus ministry of First Baptist Church. He made good grades. Bro. Holmes is an experienced and consistent soul-winner. He was personally involved in the lives of many of his bus riders. He carries a burden for the souls of people.

Mark has kept in touch with me after he graduated from college. Mark and his wife, Sabrina, have served the Lord faithfully in his home church while preparing for deputation. I can give him a strong recommendation.

Thank you, Pastor, for your consideration in supporting Bro. Mark Holmes as missionary to Nigeria, West Africa.

In Christ,
Wendell Evans

Who We Are

Mark Joseph Holmes was called to the ministry at the age of fifteen, five years after he was saved. He went to Hyles-Anderson College to receive his training and graduated summa cum laude in 2000 with a degree in Pastoral Theology. During Mark’s senior year, God placed on his heart the desire to reach the people of Nigeria, so he spent an extra year in preparation by taking missions courses. Mark served on the same bus route each college year, as captain for three years.

Sabrina Michelle (Hopkins) was saved at the age of eight and surrendered her life to God five years later. While at Hyles-Anderson College studying music education, she served in the Bible Club and deaf ministry and also traveled one summer with a tour group. After graduation with a Music Education degree, during the year before their wedding, Sabrina taught fourth grade at her home church’s Christian school—Central Baptist in Baton Rouge.

As newlyweds, Mark and Sabrina served at their sending church where Mark oversaw the bus ministry and helped in the youth department, Sunday schools, and junior churches. He was privileged to start a children's church and young adult class during his two years of service, and he also regularly preached at a prison ministry and taught for a local Bible institute. Sabrina taught private piano for two Christian schools; she played often in the church services and also taught the beginner Sunday school class. Mark and Sabrina started full-time deputation at the end of May, 2003. Mark Joseph, Junior was born on December 4th of the same year.

In June of 2005, the Holmes family began their first term as Fundamental Baptist Missions International missionaries in Nigeria. Soon, Truth Baptist Church along with Temple Baptist Institute was started, the church now averaging 220 on Sundays with 42 graduates from the ministry training school. Property with buildings was purchased, and Providence Baptist College & Seminary opened its doors in August 2009 and has now produced 30 graduates. 35 churches have been started by those who have been trained or ordained by their ministry, including one of the most recent, Grace & Glory Baptist Church in Abuja, in which the Holmes family is also involved. Mark and Sabrina have returned to the U.S. for the birth of: Victoria Noel 12/14/05
Brian Michael 8/20/07
Noah Preston 2/3/12

LaDonna Elizabeth 7/3/14
For nearly a decade, Truth Baptist Church has been the home of a national pastors' conference, an annual youth camp, a full curriculum DVD correspondence college, and the City of Refuge recently became their newest ministry.

Where We Are

The Niger River is Nigeria’s most remarkable physical feature, as well as the source of its name. Formerly a British colony, Nigeria gained its independence in 1960 and became an independent nation of three culturally distinctive regions and at least 250 different language groups—more than any other African country. Home of the world’s largest black population, it is estimated that almost one out of every six Africans resides in Nigeria.

Upon independence, Nigeria inherited a currency that was more valuable than the U.S. dollar at the time. Yet the country has consumed itself with the sell of oil and other natural resources and all but abandoned its agricultural sector, leading to Nigeria’s diminished currency value and heightened reliance upon imports and aide from other countries. Military coups, ethnic tensions, a thirty month “civil war” that claimed over a million lives, and economic corruption have been the driving forces behind Nigeria’s instability of the last forty years. In 1998 a democracy was established, ending fifteen years of military rule.

Baptists have enjoyed a presence in the country for over 150 years with the Southern Baptists growing their own national convention and an estimated Baptist population numbering more than 3.5 million people; the former President of Nigeria was a claimed Baptist. However, Muslim influences are growing greater, indigenous beliefs are still popular, and many existing Baptist churches have abandoned biblical doctrines. There is a great need to reach the rest of the more than 170 million people of Africa’s most populous and possibly most influential nation.

The Holmes Family

October/November '03

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