This letter is being written during a month-long solo trip to Nigeria for the purpose of getting all our resident permits renewed (a process that, in previous years under normal circumstances, I would have been able to complete from the U.S.) so that we may fully be able to return as a family during the second week of January. While here, I’m conducting two Soul-Winning & Leadership Conferences, preaching at both of our Abuja churches, and teaching a course in our Providence Baptist College & Seminary.
Our travels in the U.S. continued to be productive in the fall months. During a Midwest trip, I gave a chapel testimony at my alma mater and preached part of the midweek service at the home church of our mission board. Also in September, our family participated in two Missions Conferences in Colorado and Wyoming. Sabrina’s mom joined us for one and accompanied us for a three-night vacation in Yellowstone National Park. The remainder of my meetings were all in the Southeast. At our sending church on my last Sunday before this trip to Nigeria, Sabrina and I had the special privilege of hosting a family who were founding members of Grace & Glory Baptist in Abuja, and after the morning service, I baptized their son!
Soon we will have the opportunity to broadcast the Gospel on television in the southwest part of Nigeria. Through a partnership with Christian Media International, a half-hour-long weekly program is being produced and aired in Ibadan. We will have more news to share soon and would appreciate your prayers for this important project.
We would not be able to testify of forty-two churches being planted (by those who have been trained in our institute and seminary) without help from some individual churches and support through ministries like Omega. We are thankful for their vision concerning the Great Commission and for their trust in our family to help them carry out that mission. For more information on how you can partner with them to plant churches around the world, please call Pastor King of Wyldewood Baptist Church at 920-420-0035.
New prayer cards are being included with this letter by postal mail. To request these cards (or to receive more), please contact me at holmesfaith@hotmail.com. We look forward to sending more good reports from the field soon.
Believing God,
Mark Holmes