The Holmes Family: May/June '09

During our first full year in Nigeria, we had the fantastic privilege of hosting Sabrina’s father and the older of her two brothers. Now,

in our fourth year, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law [pictured with Victoria] were able to visit in June. They stayed for two Sundays, and we had a wonderful time introducing them to all of our faithful members, students, and other friends. With my wife, our two visitors [pictured below with Sabrina's Sunday school class] formed a trio and sang and played to the delight of our people at Truth Baptist Church. Because my wife looks so much like her mom, there was more than one occasion when one of our church members talked to my mother-in-law thinking that it was Sabrina!

The middle of May is normally the time that we celebrate our church’s anniversary. This year we have moved the special service to the Sunday before our 2nd Annual Soul Winning an

d Leadership Conference, and Evangelist Dr. Mike Wells [pictured soul-winning in Nyanya] will be preaching the 3rd Anniversary of Truth Baptist Church. After the pastors’ conference on July 13-16, we will have the first graduation and ordination service for our Temple Baptist Institute. We are excitedly looking forward to what God will do during what I believe will be the biggest week ever for our church.

In November 2007, we came back to Nigeria after Brian’s birth in August. We are now planning to make it back to the U.S. before Christmas this year and stay through March 31, 2010. I have already begun scheduling meetings; if you would like for us to report on our ministry at your church, then please let us know by e-mail or phone call. Sabrina and I look forward to seeing many of our friends, family, and other ministry supporters during our stay in the States.
[Below: My family pictured with our newest addition, a yellow labrador retriever named Sandy]

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.

2 comments:

ecblack said...: Thanks for the black lab puppy. The kids love him. But I'm not sure if he'll make a good guard dog. I took him out of our compound today and he was shaking with his tail between his legs.; August 22, 2009 at 8:54 AM
Anonymous said...: Yes, I too actually thought that it was Sabrina in the picture untill I read below and had to take another look! Glad you had a wonderful family time together as that is so very important! Judy Fitzpatrick; November 3, 2009 at 5:15 PM

The Holmes Family

May/June '09

2 comments:

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