Jason & Justine Martinez
Jason and Justine are both spiritual directors. Together, they lead a ministry of Because Justice Matters called Azul, supporting and resourcing young adults through workforce training, inner-life development, and mentoring.
After 17 years of ministry in the Tenderloin, Jason and Justine launched the Azul leadership cohort for emerging young adults. This leadership development program for young adults serves to provide a bridge between childhood instability, and holistic healing and development for system-impacted young people. In addition to workforce development and hands-on experience, young people in the Azul program are supported with both practical resourcing and in-depth mentoring to grow, heal, and articulate their next step goals and vision.
From the Martinez’: “We are grateful to be a part of the Reality SF community, as our three kids have been nurtured by so many loving teachers and volunteers through the years. Thank you for being a place for us to grow, thrive, and be sustained as a family in ministry in SF.”
We asked the two of them some questions about their ministry, and here’s how they responded:
What do you love about this work?
“We love the lens that we’ve been given as missionaries in San Francisco — the way it helps us dig deeply into loving the city in tangible ways. Loving a city brings pain and sacrifice as well as joy and delight. Grieving losses, celebrating miracles, and holding on to the hope and vision of God’s plans for San Francisco has been a process that has enriched our personal faith journeys in more ways than we can count!”
Describe something God has shown you during your time serving.
“God has shown us unending faithfulness in our financial needs as a family. Some seasons are paycheck to paycheck; in other seasons there has been more than enough to give back. Throughout, we have certainly witnessed His provision in thousands of ways both subtle and extravagant.”
What have been some of your most memorable experiences?
“All of our most memorable experiences as missionaries have had to do with listening to the amazing stories of others and witnessing God speaking directly into those stories. We are extremely honored to have been able to witness God speaking to beautiful humans in Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Thailand, Vietnam, as well as on the streets of our own Tenderloin. It’s been a precious and transformative adventure for us as a family over the past 13 years.”
The Martinezes currently reside in the Sunset with their three kids. You can connect with them by emailing them. And if you’d like to financially support their ministry, visit ywamsanfrancisco.org/give, select your payment method, and denote “Jason & Justine Martinez” for the donation.
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