Nathan Martin, OMF International

Nathan and Brianna Martin were raised in Mason City, Iowa. Some of their earliest conversations when they met in high school wrestled with ideas of poverty, Christian responsibility and God’s love for the peoples of the world. 

After high school, the Martins both attended Northwestern College. They enjoyed studies in missions, sociology (Nathan) and Christian education (Brianna) along with getting to know international students and being a part of campus ministries. Nathan was also on the wrestling team and Brianna played the cello in the Symphonette.

They were married in 1999, and after graduating (Nathan 2001, Brianna 2002), they moved to Massachusetts for four years to study at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. It was during their seminary studies that the Martins were compelled by the heart-wrenching story of Cambodia and convicted about the vast need for Christian witness among unreached people groups. Soon they moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, where around 10,000 Khmer people had settled when they fled Cambodia. In Lynn, they tasted Khmer food for the first time and learned all they could about Khmer culture. After moving back to Iowa for a few years to pastor a small church, Nathan and Brianna boarded the plane for Cambodia to serve with OMF International among the Khmer people. Following intense language study, they now live and work in Snoul district, a rural area roughly four hours from the capital city of Phnom Penh and 10 miles from the border with Vietnam, where believers number less than 1% of the population. Their work includes spreading the seeds of the gospel, breaking down stereotypes, Bible teaching, children’s ministry, visitation and a partnership with the Cambodian Ministry of Education to foster literacy and rural libraries.

Brianna and Nathan have two boys, Caleb (5 years) and Jonah (3 years), who love living life with red dirt, tokay geckos and water buffalo. The Martins are currently on a 6-month home assignment until March 1, 2017, when they will return to their work in Cambodia.