"We are empowering the church through many different avenues," said Randy Martin, who founded Preparing the Way Ministries with his wife, Bonnie. The New Holland pair, missionaries of Petra Church, oversee a number of efforts under the ministry's umbrella, concentrated in Thika, Kenya, Africa.

"In Africa, we do many things," said Randy, who first became interested in missions in Kenya when a man from that country visited him in 1993. The man told the couple about a vision he had of a church in Africa. In 1994, he told the Martins the vision had come true. Randy visited Kenya and fell in love with the country and its people. He began leading outreaches to Kenya, traveling there about 30 times, sometimes with Bonnie. In 2015, Randy had a vision that involved dropping the nail bag he wore in his construction business. Bonnie pointed out to him that in the vision, the nail bag dropped slowly to the ground, so Randy and Bonnie took their time, moving to Kenya and full-time ministry in 2018.

"We went from a mom-and-pop operation to a full-fledged ministry," said Randy, who noted the 501(c)(3) has a board and staff in New Holland and five leaders overseeing aspects of the ministry in Thika. Among those ministries is the Africa Association of Bible Schools (AABS), of which Randy is the national director for Kenya. "We provide curriculum to empower leaders, and they run the school," said Randy, who explained that through membership schools, certificates are awarded to students who meet the criteria.

A large part of the Martins' ministry involves community empowerment. Working through local churches, the ministry is helping farmers to improve milk and crop production and teaching efficient construction methods to help increase worker pay. "Our desire is to empower the community to give them sustainable incomes," said Randy, who added that no-interest loans allow for the purchase of water pumps and beehives. Repayment of the loans is used to purchase similar items for others.

Organizing conferences to train leaders and pastors is another branch of the organization. In May of 2022, a conference held in Wote, Kenya, featured 12 U.S. leaders and attracted more than 300 Kenyans. More than 600 Kenyans are expected for a September conference, and in May, 400 Kenyan youths will interact with youths and leaders from the U.S. in teaching sessions and sporting events.

The Martins also travel with a portable stage and loudspeakers to do open air crusades. "We were the first to preach the Gospel of Jesus publicly in the Shamoni region," said Randy, who noted that close to 150 people accepted Jesus in the five-day effort. Randy dreams of having a truck equipped with a stage for this purpose. He would also like to see a church built in the area, noting that a 40-by-70-foot church can be built with the help of a U.S. team in about a week. Randy and Bonnie visit local churches in Kenya for revival services, and in the U.S., they help organize outreach teams to visit Kenya.

Now, the Martins are hoping to build a base in Kenya to enhance the construction and agriculture training they are doing there. More information about Preparing the Way may be found at http://www.ptwministries.org.