Marty Barnikel
Salvation Experience
I was born in Oklahoma but grew up in Santa Rosa, California, one of 4 children. Mom and Dad were both teachers—Dad in high school and Mom in grammar school.
My parents were Christians, and involved members of the Santa Rosa Methodist Church. So all four of us kids attended church. Even though active in the Sunday schools and Methodist Youth Fellowship, I didn’t really hear the gospel preached until my late 30’s. In the meanwhile, I had lived an undirected life in which I made poor life decisions, such as marrying at the age of 22 without giving it much thought and four years later getting pregnant, which wasn’t in my husband’s plans. That marriage ended in divorce by the time my son was 1 year old.
Five years later, I married a man who lived in Washington State and we began attending a church that preached the gospel and had altar calls after each service.
It was at this church that I was baptized and became a member. However, even though I had confessed Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I had no idea of what that really meant. As a result, operating under my own power, I enthusiastically proceeded to volunteer for any and all opportunities to serve. At this time, I was teaching during the days, which limited my joining daytime Bible studies, but faithfully, God opened the opportunity for me to join the very first evening meetings of Bible Study Fellowship, held in nearby Mercer Island. This 5-year in-depth Bible Study grounded me in my faith.
During this time, it seemed that life was going well. However, when my son was 16 years old, my marriage started to fall apart, and after seeking counseling we agreed to a divorce. Soon after, my son came down with an illness that lasted for several months. It was a long and agonizing period of time before we saw any progress and it wasn’t until I finally turned him over to the Lord and prayed, “Thy will be done,” that my son was healed. Ever since then, my life has been guided by the knowledge that God loves me and desires my very best. All He wants from me is to trust and obey Him.
After my son graduated from high school and began his college years, I felt God’s strong hand leading me to something new. In 1984 when I was a member of our church’s Missions Council, I learned that teachers were needed in China to teach English to Chinese college students. Earlier, I had taken a trip to tour Mainland China with my mother, and while there I felt drawn to the country and its people in a most supernatural way. So after praying and following through the doors that God opened for me, I discovered a Christian organization in Southern California that would train and place English teachers in colleges throughout China. With the support of my church, I made application to the organization and was accepted for the school year 1985-86. I then took a leave of absence from my community college and taught for a year in Changchun, China…a year that was much blessed with spiritual growth and new visions for my life.
During that year, I felt God’s prompting to commit to longer service in China, but to do so meant I needed to get more training in teaching English. So, while still in China, I applied to the Master’s degree program of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at the University of Washington in Seattle, took my GRE test in China with hundreds of hopeful Chinese students, and eagerly awaited the results. On getting the news I had been accepted, I immediately resigned my position at the community college.
When I returned to Seattle, I had no place to live, but as God would have it, he had prepared a home for me in advance. A friend with whom I had taught in the community college heard that I was returning to the States and planning to begin studies at the University of Washington. She and her husband, both strong Christians, had just built a house close to the University with plans to accommodate 9 visiting scholars from Mainland China. All had been prepared, but they needed a Christian to manage the home. Enter Marty. I joyfully lived with the scholars and managed the home for two and one half years. This was indeed a gift from God that met my needs to serve the Chinese as well as to study for my degree--a win-win.
I received my Master’s degree in 1988, which was the same year my son graduated from Palmer Chiropractic College. All seemed to be a “go” for me to return to China to continue my goal of teaching English there. However, God had other ideas. In the course of my making plans to go to China, I received a phone call from the director of a nonprofit Christian organization in Berkeley, California. She said she needed someone to help her in the administration of her relatively new China teacher-sending organization and asked if I would like to move to the Bay Area and become Assistant Director.
Even though I wanted to go back to China, God moved my heart to accept the position. God’s reason for this became clear shortly thereafter. My parents, who still lived in Santa Rosa, had been in poor health and were being cared for by my youngest brother who lived nearby in Rohnert Park. Sadly, ten days after I accepted the position in Berkeley, he was killed in a boating accident, making it necessary for me to see after my parents. Praise God for His care and perfect timing.
While working at ERRC I met my German husband, Dietmar, who was a prominent chef in San Francisco and, coincidentally, on the Board of Directors of ERRC. We found that we had common interests and both loved the Lord so after a rather short courtship, we were married in 1993. Since then we have traveled extensively both for fun and for Christian service and have served Him wherever we were called at 3Crosses. We are thankful that God has been central to our marriage these past 28 years, as He has carried us through many of life’s challenges and has blessed us with joy.
My advice to younger generations is to learn about God by studying His precious Word and spending personal time with Him on a daily basis. Always consult Him before making decisions. You can trust Him, for He is faithful.
Key Scripture
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to him and He will make your paths straight.
Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Philippians 4:3 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Psalms 23:1 - The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
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