Dear
Praying Friends, October 8, 2012
Spring
has sprung here on the south side of the equator! The weather is getting warmer, the sun is
shining more, and God continues to bless us here in Chorrillos. September has been an interesting month for
us, as well as one full of blessings.
Don’t worry . . . I will try to condense!
A month of achievement. God granted many victories
to us this last month. The biggest, of
course, was our first baptismal service.
I found a local man who constructed a baptistery for us out of
fiberglass, and we set it up at the home of one of our church members. His large backyard was a huge blessing, as we
have no space for it at our church. At the conclusion of our Sunday morning
service, we relocated everyone over to Paul’s house and baptized 14 people! This
was a huge step for so many of church
people. We have since
baptized 3 more and have 6 lined up for our next service. I wish I could tell you each story. The story of Miri and her children is
especially amazing! Please take a moment
to read more about her at this link from my wife’s blog: http://happytrails365.wordpress.com
/2012/09/14/faiths-real-heroes/.
A month of accomplishment. Another
great victory comes from our church people soul winning. In September, 6 of our Peruvian people led
their first soul to Christ! Amen! Cecilia has already won 7 people to the
Lord. There is nothing greater than
seeing that excitement in their eyes and the hunger they have as they share the
Gospel. Recently 2 of our teen girls,
Katty and Esperanza, wanted me to meet one of their friends and talk to her
parents about church. The next Saturday,
Jess and I picked both of them up and were then informed we needed to pick up
another one of their friends. We did and
then went to make our visit. When we got
to her house, we discovered her parents were not at home, but Katty had already
told her she was coming with us. We took
the four of them to lunch, and sitting around the table, I was able to lead
both Estefani and Nicole to Christ. Best
of all, the girls set the whole thing up!
A month of advancement. Knowing that God has great
things in store for us, we are moving forward with the vision God has given us
for Peru. We are currently conducting six
Bible studies each week in the homes of our church people. However, we also realized we had two great
opportunities that were waiting for us. We
have two different groups of people that have been coming to our church from
two different districts close to Chorrillos:
Surco and Villa Maria del Triunfo.
As these groups continue coming and continue bringing visitors, we
realized we needed to start something in their district. So this week we will be starting a midweek
Bible study in each of these districts!
God has brought these families to us for a purpose. Within time, both of these Bibles studies
will evolve into churches!
A month of asking. I am not so naïve to think
that the Devil is oblivious to what God is doing here. These last two months have truly taught us to
pray. Pray for our people for the
growing pains and family pressure that come from being a new Christian. Please also continue to pray for our space
issue. The church is maxed out in our
current location, and if we are going to continue growing, we must get a new
building. I mentioned in our last letter
that God had opened a door for us on a new property. This door has not been shut, but the deal is
very close to falling through. I know
that God has a place for us in His timing.
Please pray for patience, wisdom, direction, and, most of all, a
permanent home for IBI that can sustain our growth.
A month of addition. In September we also had our
best attendance yet of 92. This is
incredible, especially because we still have not had a big attendance push (due
to space). However, through our church
services and Bible studies, we are averaging 116 different people attending our
church each week! God is so good! We also saw a total of 78 saved last month
through our services and personal soul winning.
I
never feel as if words are adequate enough to express how grateful we are to
each of you. It is your prayers and
financial support that allow us to do everything we do. How great your rewards will be in Heaven one
day! I hope one day you will be able to
see the faces and hear firsthand all the stories of the lives you have
touched. I would especially like to
thank the Open Door Baptist Church in California for taking us on for support
this last month.
God
bless each of you and thank you again for the privilege of serving on your
behalf in Lima, Peru!
Your
ambassadors to Peru,
Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans
9:3
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