Martin Updates

(This was sent around to various people so I thought I’d keep it here for anybody who didn’t get it elsewhere)

2016 was a very full year for Emily and I. I’m still working at CrowdCompass on the operations team, continuing in my 4th year there. In 2016 our parent company, Cvent, was acquired by Vista equity, and this acquisition is offering a lot of potential for new job opportunities in the company. In the fall Emily joined the Portland Rescue Mission working in the women’s program as an advocate and mentor. We had both been leading the volunteers on a monthly basis at PRM through our church, Door of Hope, and Emily was quick to make connections. She’s really enjoying her time working with the ladies, and loves having an avenue to share the gospel through practical use of her love of personal relationships.

I got heavily involved in homebrewing this year. We took a trip over memorial day weekend to the Oregon coast to be part of a homebrewers wild-beer event. Brewers from the local sour-brewing De Garde, in Tillamook, came out and spent the weekend with us as we brewed two 50 gallon batches of beer. We got to take home 5 gallons ourselves to sit for a year before it will be ready to drink. I also brewed, and won, a local homebrewing competition that allowed me to work with a local brewery to brew my recipe at large scale and serve it at a brewpub.

The major highlight of our year was our tenth wedding anniversary in July. To celebrate this, we took a three week whirlwind trip through France, Spain, Morocco, and Iceland and crammed as much adventure in as we could. It was an encouraging experience of exploring many different cultures, and getting outside our comfort zone. We loved every minute of it.

Part of what had originally drew us to this area, is we are considering working long-termas part of a missions outreach. Both Emily and I feel very called to the Muslim world, and the increasing struggles with the refugee crisis only highlights this even more. In fact we are planning a two week trip to France in May of 2017 with the organization TEAM as short-term missionaries. The main goal of this trip is relationship building and seeking God’s guidance as to whether France is somewhere we’re called to work long term. We’ll be sending out more information in the coming weeks to request your prayer and support.

Thank you for taking the time to read this update! We would love to hear back from you. I personally love all forms of communication be it post-cards, emails, or skype conversations and would love to have any of them with you. We both hope you take the time to listen for the still, small, voice of God speaking in your life. This current political climate offers a lot of distractions, frustrations, and worries. I plead with you to remember the call to sacrifice your personal comfort to take up the cross and follow our Savior.

In His Peace,

Kendrick and Emily Martin