Profile by Iyesha Lynch The locals had said the mountain would take four hours to climb, but that was Haitian time.

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Profiles | Send mail to The Voice McMartins return to Multnomah as missionaries in residence All the McMartin's children want to be missionaries. (Back) Joe and Bruce. (Front) Michelle, Cindy, and Rebecca. -McMartins, photo. Dr. Bruce McMartin and two students from a local Bible college in Haiti arrived atop a mountain after dark, flashlights in hand. The locals had said the mountain would take four hours to climb, but that was Haitian time. Dr. McMartin had come to the village to teach and conduct seminars. But he hadn't expected to find a wedding party with a freshly slaughtered goat and a Haitian couple needing a pastor to marry them. The villagers said the pastor who was going to conduct the wedding had sprained his ankle and couldn't climb the hill. "But we've already killed the goat," they said to Dr. McMartin. Dr. McMartin and his students thought quickly about what to do. Although Dr. McMartin was ordained, he was not legally certified to conduct a wedding in Haiti. But one of his students could. So Jean Dorlus, a student who would become a dear friend and colleague of Dr. McMartin, conducted the wedding ceremony, and Dr. McMartin gave the Bible message. Dr. Bruce and Cindy McMartin have served as missionaries in Haiti for 20 years. The couple's ministry, based in Port-au-Prince, has included teaching at a Bible college and seminary, conducting training seminars for church leaders, and being involved in a local church through encouragement and occasional preaching. The first time they ventured to the small Caribbean island shared with the Dominican Republic was after Dr. McMartin's first year of seminary. The couple went on an intense eight-week mission trip. "I lost 15 pounds in one week," Dr. McMartin said. "Part of it was from all the work, and part was from lack of food and water." That week, the men and women separated. The men worked on a mountainous island and were unable even to bathe because of lack of water. As a result of the trip, the couple's focus changed from praying for home ministry to wanting to return to Haiti. "We both fell in love with the people," Dr. McMartin said. "What appealed to me most about missionary life was that you don't have to do the same thing all the time." Growing up as the son of a pastor in Redding, Calif., Dr. McMartin was surrounded by missionaries. His parents often prayed with their children for missionaries on the field. They even prayed for Norm and Muriel Cook in Taiwan. But although missionaries surrounded Dr. McMartin, he never thought of being one. Meanwhile, in Beirut, Lebanon, Cindy grew up somewhat living a missionary life. Her father was a professor at the American University in Beirut, and the family encountered only a handful of Christians. She dedicated her life to the Lord as a young child and specifically to missions. Coming to MBC was a major transition from the Middle East; everyone now surrounding her delighted in the Lord. However, Dr. McMartin's enrollment at MBC involved few changes. His parents had graduated from MBC, and his two older siblings were already enrolled. Because he had attended junior college for two years, Dr. McMartin arrived at MBC the same year as Cindy and enrolled in all the same classes. The following year, Dr. McMartin invited Cindy to fall banquet. He then told her he saw qualities in her that he wanted in a wife. "It was open, and honest, and good," Mrs. McMartin said. The couple knew right away that their relationship was God's choice. But while Mrs. McMartin was preparing for foreign missions, Dr. McMartin was headed toward home missions. Mrs. McMartin said she struggled with this but told God she trusted Dr. McMartin was the man chosen for her. She was open to a different plan if God wanted her in home missions. The couple married before Dr. McMartin began classes at Dallas Theological Seminary where he was a classmate of Dr. Wayne Strickland, now MBC's academic dean. This year the couple has returned to MBC to replace last year's missionaries in residence, Dr. Bill and Marty Sturdivant. The couple received an invitation by Dr. Thomas Kopp, head of MBC's missions department, who is also related to the McMartins. "My brother and sister married his brother and sister," Dr. McMartin and Dr. Kopp both explained with a chuckle. The McMartins live in a house MBC provided on Pacific Street along with their children, Rebecca, an MBC graduate; Joel, who will graduate in 2003; and Michelle, who is starting her freshman year. "We put no pressure on the kids at all," Mrs. McMartin said. "If you've found one good thing [MBC], why go and look for another [college]?" Dr. McMartin will teach two classes, Missionary Principles and Practices and a section of Church and World. However, he said he was concerned because after spending the last 20 years in a separate culture and preaching in another language, he will need to adjust to the American classroom. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Profiles | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2002 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.