The Holmes Family: March/April '07

April saw the Truth Baptist Church of Nyanya-Abuja reach another milestone at the end of our opening year of existence. For the first time, we averaged over 100 in attendance during a full month (104, to be exact). In the last two months, several of our faithful

people have started three soul-winning and visitation groups [group pictured], in addition to our weekly church-wide evangelism on Saturday afternoons. Also, we have added a separate children’s choir to the adult choral group that’s been active since the fifth month of our ministry.

Sabrina and I are glad to formally announce that we are expecting our third child. My wife is officially due on September 5th, and, in keeping with doctors’ recommendations, we are scheduled to fly back to the U.S. on July 2nd. The already-Mother-of-two has done amazingly well in keeping the home and helping in the church during her time of being with child. Sabrina plans our music program (congregational, special,

and choir singing), serves as the church pianist, and trains our children’s Sunday School teachers. She also now teaches the teenage girls’ class [pictured], one of our newest church program additions which gives us a total of seven Sunday School classes. Ultimately, she has her hands full with Joseph (3 years), who

talks clearly and can ask a variety of questions, and Victoria (16 months) [pictured at 9 months], who is finally walking well and reaching almost everything she wants!

At the beginning of March, Sabrina and I signed up for something that I’ve wanted to do for some time. As we started our church last year, we noticed that most of the people in the Nyanya area spoke one main local tongue, Hausa (pronounced “house-ah”), in addition to the country’s official language of English. Hausa is a dialect that is native in at least four different countries, and is predominant in the northern part of Nigeria. My wife and I are now enrolled in two-hour language classes three times weekly for three months. We have already benefited from the training, and our church folks deeply appreciate our efforts. When you study the language of a populace, you learn not only what they speak but how they think. We are certainly enjoying this opportunity to be acquainted with our people better.

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

March/April '07

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