The Holmes Family: May/June '26

On May 14th, our family returned to the U.S. in time for Sabrina and Victoria to participate in a bridal shower leading up to the wedding of our oldest child, Mark Joseph Jr. The ceremony took place on June 5th in Livingston, Louisiana, and we thrilled to add a wonderful daughter-in-law, Joy (Waddington) to our family. Joseph and Joy [pictured with our dear Nigerian friends] honeymooned at Yellowstone, joined Sabrina’s home church in Baton Rouge, and have settled into an apartment near his work at the Hammond airport.

Before our travels, Truth Baptist Church celebrated its 20th Anniversary [pictured] on the second Sunday of May. For the special occasion, we were honored to host Robert and Rhoda Smith, missionaries in Barbados who served in Nigeria for nine years; they were the biggest inspirations for us to come to Nigeria when we first met them in the early 2000’s. After traveling to Ibadan, Bro. Smith then preached the 11th Anniversary service for Grace & Glory Baptist Church.

At the beginning of our furlough, I had the honor of preaching a full Sunday for our sending church, Faith Baptist in Gulfport. Though our second son, Brian, is working throughout the summer at Pensacola Christian College to prepare financially for his second year, we’ve been able to visit several times with him. At the end of May, our family joyfully participated in a youth camp in Louisiana [Victoria teaching a class during camp]. We’ve already had the opportunity to report on our work at several supporting churches, including a trip to California in late June.

With the graduations of our three oldest kids and Joseph’s wedding, our family has been visiting the U.S. annually around May, on time to participate in the weeklong youth camp, Summer Missionary Institute for Training and Evangelism. This schedule, combined with our experience in helping to start 8 S.M.I.T.E. camps in 6 countries [SMITE New England pictured], has prompted Sabrina’s home church to ask me to assist Pastor Alan Bartlett in directing Louisiana’s S.M.I.T.E. Begun in 1978, S.M.I.T.E. Louisiana was the setting where Sabrina and I first met in 1997, and S.M.I.T.E. Africa owes its 17-year fruitful history to the camp and its founder, Jerry Purtell. This news has been met with much anticipation in our Nigerian ministries as we believe together that the influence of S.M.I.T.E. will raise up more missionaries, both in America and Africa.

Robert Smith, BIMI missionary in Barbados and longtime friend and mentor, tells about his visit with us in his prayer letter:

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

May/June '26

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