January Prayer Letter

  February 4, 2013

Dear Praying Friends,    

                                                                                                                        

Often I wonder why God chooses to use us and bless us.  My mind goes back to the first time I sat in a living room in Chicago as a single college student and “counseled” a marriage!  I thought, Why in the world would God see fit to allow me to do all that I do?  And yet now, as a much older, seasoned Christian on the mission field, I find myself still looking up to God in amazement at the way He blesses our efforts despite us.

January started out with all the thrill and anticipation of a brand-new auditorium.  What an amazing first Sunday we had!  The chairs filled up, visitors came, people got saved, and the baptistery waters were stirring. Service after service, our people continue to come and sit with eager ears and hungry hearts, hanging on to every song, announcement, and sermon.  God has continued to bless IBI and His people.

The excitement continued to grow with the starting of our second church.  On Sunday, January 27, the Foust family and a group of our church people had their first service as the Iglesia Bautista Internacional of San Gabriel!  They had 39 in attendance, with 6 receiving Jesus as their Saviour.  This church currently has services on Sunday afternoons, Thursday nights, and a Bible study on Wednesdays.  Please continue to pray for this work to grow and reach that area with the Gospel.

Apparently, though, the Devil is not at all happy with all that has been going on in Lima.  He wouldn’t wait long to see how serious we were about reaching Chorrillos.  This last Wednesday we were sitting in the office when the phone rang.  One of our church members frantically told us we needed to get to the church right away.  Upon arriving, we learned that through some crooked, yet somewhat legal, dealings, over 80 properties in our neighborhood were in litigation; and the police were evicting everyone from those properties.  One of the properties—our brand-new church. 

We rushed to secure as much of our property as possible and began to prepare for the church service that night.  The people came and listened as we explained the situation.  That night we met with 23 of our church people at midnight to pray.  As we walked into the church, they were sitting in a circle singing hymns.  As we prayed for the next hour, I caught myself listening to and watching them pray with tears flowing down their cheeks, their shoulders heaving, and their voices telling God that He was in control and that He would work a miracle.  I felt so humbled.  One- to seven-month-old Christians were talking to their heavenly Father.  That is what I meant when I started this letter—I am so humbled that God allows me to do what I do.  Please continue to pray for our property.  God did work a miracle that night, and although all is good for the time being, we have a lot of work to do over the next few months to ensure our future there.

Since September I have been eager to start something in San Genaro.  I have been anticipating all month writing this letter to report to you the first church service at IBI San Genaro.  However, I have learned one thing:  Satan doesn’t want a church in San Genaro.  After looking feverishly for a building and a deal falling through on one, I decided to start a Bible study with one of our church families there and pray that God would open a door for us to start a church.  Please pray.  Eight of our church people will be going up the mountain with Jessica and me every Saturday night to conduct this Bible study, soul win, and pray for God to open a door for a church there.

This has been a very different prayer letter for me.  Every “negative,” though, is two things: (1) proof that God is doing great things, and (2) something that God has used in my personal life to help me realize the blessings I sometimes overlook.  God has given us great people with hearts that are in tune to Him and desire to see something great in Peru.  You cannot put a price tag on that!

Of course, the blessings have been great this last month.  In addition to starting the second church, our main church continues to grow and stay strong.  We made some changes to our soul-winning program and have had over 40 people go out soul winning each Saturday in January.  With soul winning, church services, and Bible studies, we have seen 110 people trust Christ as their Saviour this last month.  God is so good to us!

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support.  I hope you realize the great value this has to us.  We can truly feel your prayers; and, of course, your financial support makes all we do possible.  The people of Chorrillos, Villa Maria del Triunfo, and Surco appreciate the difference you are making in them and, one day, in all of Lima and Peru .

Your ambassadors to Peru,

Junior and Jessica Martin

Romans 9:3