The Opportunity, Needs, and How You Can Join Our Team

Life has been exciting for us, since we married, in August. We settled into our house and have enjoyed making it a home. Mike turned his garage into a workshop and has spent many hours shoveling snow, this winter. He continues to serve in the community, wherever he sees the need.  Debbie taught a women’s Bible study at church, teaching the study she wrote and published, “Joy in the Furnace”. She continues to enjoy her passion of teaching children, sharing Jesus with as many as 25 preschoolers, every Friday morning.

God has now provided us with the most incredible opportunity, since being married. He is calling us to go to Kinshasa, DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), where some of Debbie’s good friends, David and Sandy Francis live.  We will join a team from MAF’s (Mission Aviation Fellowship) headquarters, in Idaho, for their annual Family Conference ministering to the families, who have committed their lives to serve in the DRC...the country which has been deemed the hardest place in the world in which to live. 

The theme of this year’s conference is Joy in the Furnace. Yes, that is the name of the study Debbie wrote and part of what drew us into this mission adventure.  Debbie will be teaching the missionary children…revising her study to an age appropriate level for them.  The burden God is placing on her heart is to help these children learn, even at an early age, that they can find joy, no matter how hard life is. She will also speak at a couple of Bible studies, prior to the conference…one for the MAF wives and another one which consists of the pilots/mechanics and their wives.

Mike’s role will be that of a servant.  Mike has a humble servant’s heart and is always willing to do whatever needs done. He plans do some handy-man work on the missionary homes and the airplane hangar. In addition, he will probably wash a lot of dishes, during the conference.

In order to make this trip possible, we need a team of ministry partners.  First, and foremost, is our need for prayer partners.  As with any endeavor in life, we dare not take one more step unless we are in the center of God’s will. Prayer support is the most important thing we need so that we continue to follow God and hear only His voice.

A trip of this magnitude cannot take place without the financial support of friends and family.  We have a financial need of $5,250, with $4,500 needed no later than February 28^th and the rest due by March 20^th.  This covers all of our costs (passports, visas, shots, transportation, housing, food, transportation and other miscellaneous expenses). 

To join our prayer team, please email us at debbie@joyinthefurnace.com. Financial gifts can be made by check, payable to “Clearview Community Church”, and mailed to Clearview Community Church, PO Box 1336, Buena Vista, CO 81211.  Please include a note, indicating your check is for Mike and Debbie Martinez' mission trip. This will ensure your donation will be credited to our account.  You may also designate the check for “Martinez - DRC”. All financial gifts are tax deductible.

Thank you for partnering with us on this new adventure. We are ecstatic and can hardly wait to see what God has in store, as we walk through the preparatory process, as well as our actual time in Kinshasa. You can follow our journey as we prepare to go, as we are in Kinshasa, as well as thoughts once we return, here on our blog. We will try to update it as often as we can.

Giving Him All the Glory, 

Mike and Debbie