Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” I pray that when you receive this letter, you are doing well, along with your family and loved ones. My family and I are doing very well and would like to thank you so much for being a huge part of this ministry.
My wife and I arrived in Puerto Rico on August 17, 1998. Our first Saturday there, we visited one of our regular church families and met a young man by the name of Francisco. I asked Francisco if he was saved, and he told me that, yes, he had been saved at my home church, the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. That Saturday evening, Francisco’s mother called me to tell me that her son had been shot and killed. Francisco was just 18 years old at the time of his death. Recently, a man visited our church. After the service, I asked him if he was 100% sure if he would die today that he would go to Heaven. He said, “Right now, I’m not 100% sure.” I asked him if I could show him, and he agreed. We went into my office, where I opened up the Bible and started sharing the Romans Road with him. As I was witnessing to him, I mentioned to him that life is short and that we should not put off being saved another day. I told him that I know of many people who’ve died young. He then asked me to give him an example, so I shared with him the story of Francisco. He immediately started getting nervous as I shared the story. After I finished the story, he told me that he knew Francisco and that he, regrettably, was the man who had sold the gun to the young man who had killed Francisco. I continued witnessing to the man, who, in a matter of minutes, got on his knees and asked Jesus Christ to forgive him and be his personal Saviour. After he got saved, I told him, “YOU HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN!” He immediately said that he’d been carrying this guilt for so many years, but now his burden had been lifted.
PRAYER REQUESTS
• During the month of April, our church will be celebrating its 38th anniversary. We are blessed to have Dr. John Francis, Bro. Ricky Torres, and Bro. Jubal Perez, along with a group of teens from our home church, the First Baptist Church of Hammond, visiting with us. Please pray that God would use them while they are here and that we can be a blessing to them.
• Please pray for our son Jose, who will be graduating from Hyles-Anderson College this coming May. Our family and some church folks will be attending the graduation.
• Please continue to pray for the health of our daughter Carolina Raquel.
• Please pray that God would call a pastor or a missionary for the work in Humacao.
May God continue to bless you as you serve Him faithfully. Thank you very much for your love, prayers, and faithful support. We are so honored, thrilled, and blessed to be serving the Lord Jesus Christ here in Puerto Rico. God bless you.
In Christ,
Luis M. Martinez
I Timothy 1:12