March 2017

Hope Church Report

The precious people of Hope Church were so excited for Bro. Martin and Jordan to be back! Bro. Martin picked up 3 loads on the bus yesterday morning. Along with the ones that came with other transportation and on foot, we had a total of around 100 people at Hope Church. Bro. Martin shares, “There was great excitement in the people to be at church!”

We are thankful to share that there was a calmness in the atmosphere: no drama or unruliness. To God be the Glory! Throughout the service, God’s presence was so sweet and real. Bro Martin preached about Jesus feeding the five thousand. One of his primary points was drawn from where Jesus says, “They need not depart.” The disciples were wanting them to go elsewhere to find what they needed, but Jesus wanted to settle the fact that He was the Provider of their needs. He also brought out the words of Jesus, “Make the men sit down.” Bro. Martin shared that there is a delicate balance between independence in taking care of what we can and the right sense of dependence on what only God and others can do in our lives. He brought out this point especially in relation to our spiritual needs. We need the humility to realize we need God’s help. Furthermore, he shared of Jesus’ value of the fragments. No matter how broken or wasted, Jesus still desires that NONE be lost!

A 49 year old lady who had only been homeless for a few days came up to Bro. Martin afterward. She shared, “I realize now why I came to church today. I needed to hear God remind me to be patient and wait on God to work things out for me.”

Seven precious souls came forward for prayer. Bro. Martin realizes that these people are from all sorts of religious background; some unaccustomed to coming forward. He strongly encourages them wherever they are to allow Jesus to do a work in their lives. 

A pastor in Oklahoma wanted to do something special with his birthday money that family & friends had given him. He decided to buy a tote full of new winter clothing items he found on clearance and shipped them to us! The workers in the clothing room at the Downtown Hope Center were ecstatic!

We pray you have a wonderful Spring Season!

Thank you for your prayers for Hope Church and the Martin family!

We are so excited to share about the great response in the altars this week at Hope Church. The retired Pentecostal Minister that preached last Sunday also preached this Sunday. Julie shares that he made the altar call with such an urgency for the people to be saved where if they didn’t respond they would’ve wished later that the would have! We praise the Lord for 15 people coming forward to make an initial commitment to Jesus Christ.

We ask you to please pray that God will anoint the Martin family in discipleship of these precious people. We realize that it’s more than just a one-time prayer of repentance: they need to be established in the faith of Jesus Christ.

Bro. Martin and Jordan enjoyed their stay in the Lower 48 and were able to take care of some much-needed business at the home place, visit family, and minister in several churches. Julie shared that the church people have been asking, “When is Pastor James coming back?” Jordan shared that he has missed the church people so much in this time of being away. It was touching to hear Jordan share that God has given him such a love for the homeless people that he sees them as no different than any other higher class of people. This is God’s Love!

Bro. Martin and Jordan are arriving back in Anchorage today. They will ‘hit the ground running’ resuming previous responsibilities and ministry opportunities.

We greatly appreciate your support of Hope for the Home and the Martin family!

May God bless you!

Julie, Jalisa, and Joy are doing great with holding down the fort in Alaska while Dad and Jordan are in the Lower 48. They have been making the most of their time by being a blessing to others.

On Saturday, the girls took food over to a man and his wife that volunteers at the Downtown Soup Kitchen and also attends Hope Church. This man has had a lot of physical problems lately. The lady shared with the girls that they have never had someone bring food over to their house before. This precious man wept as he thought of their thoughtfulness.

The girls invited some young ladies over from the Muldoon Christian Assembly last Friday night. They had a good time, and were able to share some of the reasons for how God has lead them in modesty and femininity. These young ladies were blessed by how Julie, Jalisa & Joy embraced their femininity and it caused these young ladies to rethink the way they dress.

Julie shared that Sunday went well at Hope Church. A man that has taken care of Hope Church at other times lead the service and a retired Pentecostal minister that works with the Homeless extensively in Anchorage preached. The attendance was down due to it being the first of the month, but they still had a good service. They will be glad to have Bro. Martin back next week!

We greatly appreciate your prayers for the work in Anchorage, Alaska!

Women’s Shelter Update:

We want to thank Sis Teresa Smith and the ladies from Martha’s Heart Ministries in Tulsa, OK for the donation of 60 scarves for the Women’s Shelter ladies. The ladies were thrilled to receive these scarves (pictured above).

One of the elderly ladies at the shelter that Julie has become friends with is moved into her apartment yesterday. When Julie dropped her off at Brother Francis Shelter this morning, she said, “I will miss you, Julie!” Julie shares that it’s these sweet friendships that makes it worth the hardships of working at the Women’s Shelter.

Julie also has the opportunity to share a devotion with the ladies before they leave in the morning. She has found this time to be very special and enjoyable with the ladies.

 

Hope Church Update:

We had a really good service at Hope Church on Sunday. Around 100 people came and Bro. Martin preached a message on “The Way of Escape”. Quite a few responded in the altars.
We were able to get a permanent security guard for each service. This man has been a great blessing in controlling situations, therefore helping the service to run more smoothly.

Bro. Martin arrived back in Texas on Monday morning. He has returned to take care of some necessary business at the home place.

 

Please keep the girls in prayer that are holding down the fort in Alaska!