Joshua's Vineyard

On January 15, 2007, the Martinez family of Albuquerque, NM was surprised to receive the news that Ty and the gang of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" would be transforming their insufficient, run-down community of duplex homes used as a refuge for the needy and homeless into a larger safe place for their family and community in a remarkable seven days.

When Gerald Martinez was offered a job at a local church in Albuquerque, he quickly moved his family from the Tijeras Mountains into their new place of ministry.   Instead of moving into a safe neighborhood for his wife Liesa and their kids, Gerald moved his family into a run-down duplex that was just minutes away from the church.

In an area of crime, drug deals, and prostitution, Gerald began transforming the property into a refuge for the needy.  He and his wife created a safety zone at their nearby Vineyard church, including a café, a food pantry (that gives 3,000 pounds of food per week) and working bathrooms with showers so the homeless had a place to clean up. The community welcomed the Martinez family and was very grateful for all of their hard work. However, there were some folks that did not take a liking to Gerald and even attacked him with a broken glass bottle in front of his own house.

Still, Gerald managed to work together with the community and quickly transformed an area once called "the War Zone" into a new and better place now called "God's Block." As crime rates decreased and the community began getting media attention, Gerald purchased two other duplexes that would be used to create the "Joshua's Vineyard Mission Outpost," a place where broken people could recover from their troubles.  Many needy people began to make use of the Outpost. The Martinez family was finally connecting with their neighbors, but they also began to lose their own family privacy.

Soon enough, the family began to undergo financial difficulties as well.  While accepting contributions when available, they don't charge folks in need to have a roof over their heads.  Although the family has made a great impact on the transformed community, they do not have enough space for everyone to live in. They didn't have a working stove or oven and used hot plates to do their cooking.   They used a wood burning heating unit to heat the house, in a place of winter snow.  In the midst of helping others in need, the Martinez family itself was in severe need of a new and safe home where they could continue their mission to serve the neighborhood. While Ty and the designers, local homebuilder Atreus Homes & Communities, and the hundreds of volunteers and workers were rebuilding their home, the Martinez family was sent on vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida. The episode, "Martinez Family," aired on Sunday, April 27th and will air again in February, 2009 in Digital Television.

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