Martin and Judy Kolczyk

Serve SEND International as Church and Student Mobilizers on four Bible College and Seminary Campuses in the Midwest of the USA

Our Story

Martin was born into a Catholic family in West Berlin, Germany, in 1951. After completing elementary and high school, he went on to learn the trade of custom furniture making, design and business. In January, 1973, he wanted to see more of the world and went to the Northwest Territory of Canada, the Yukon and Southern Alaska, to spend time in the wilderness. Later that year, he drove the Trans-American Highway from Seattle, Washington, to Tijuana, Mexico, returning to Brownsville, Texas, and traveling to New Orleans. Thinking he would spend another winter in Saskatchewan, Canada, and heading back in that direction, he visited the Central Iowa Amana Colonies, a German settlement. Liking what he saw, Martin began working in the Amana Furniture Shop. He met Judy in January, 1974, and they were married August 31st, 1974.

Judy was born in West Amana, Iowa, in 1949, graduated from high school in 1967, and went to business college. She then was employed by the medical clinic in Amana. At that time, she was a member of the Amana Church.

Martin and Judy have two daughters, Melanie, 35, and Tracy, 32. Melanie and her husband, Micah, blessed them with a granddaughter, Baylea Mikayla, in 2000, a grandson, Tyler Jesse, in 2002 and a grandson Luke Christopher in 2005. Tracy and her husband, Brian, were married in December, 2002. They blessed us with a granddaughter Madeline in 2009.

Martin became a born again Christian in January, 1985, through the ministry of a co-worker and the broadcast ministry of Insight For Living with Chuck Swindall on our local Christian radio station KNWS. Following his conversion, he told the Lord he'd go anywhere HE sent him. Judy and their daughters accepted Christ as Lord and Savior in the Summer and Fall of 1986. They began attending a non-denominational Bible Church and their first missions trip was to former East Germany in 1988. Martin and a friend took twelve suitcases of Christian literature behind the Iron Curtain and spoke in many churches and to different groups.

In 1990, by invitation of the Josh McDowell ministry and Campus Crusade for Christ, Martin journeyed to Moscow, Russia, for the first time to do street evangelism and literature distribution. At one location, his group of 40 people gave away over 10,000 New Testaments in just twenty-two minutes. On the plane, flying back home to the United States, he was asked to join the Josh McDowell Ministry as an associate member to help head up the work in the Midwest. He returned to Russia and Ukraine for six years during winter and summer missions opportunities as team leader and trainer.

The Kolczyk’s joined the Evangelical Mission, SEND International, as Midwest representatives in 1996. They now work in a nine-state area of the Midwest. Martin also trains short-term leaders and teams, speaks in churches about missions, does career assessment interviews with potential future missionaries, helps churches develop missions programs and a vision to serve the Lord, sends pastors to teach in Bible colleges of Russia and Ukraine and serves as student Mobilizer in four Bible Colleges and Seminaries in the Midwest.

Over the years we visited many countries with college and church based teams, done member care with Send missionaries and scoped out new ministry locations and recruited for them.

Martin and Judy have served on missions teams for a total of 24 years. Martin visits Christian campuses for recruitment and to assist students in goal setting. We help churches and their missions team develop missions policies and give opportunities to serve in various fields SEND is serving in.We have taken teams from all supporting churches or sent their pastots to teach in Ukraine or Russia. Our latest ministry is taken place in East Germany with a partnership church our home church in Iowa has in Chemnitz. The Lord has oppened doors for different ministries just south of Chemnitz and we are walking thru doors the Lord is opening.