March Prayer Letter

Dear Praying Friends,                                                                                                                                                   April 2, 2013

For three days and three nights, His body lay in a tomb.  After suffering rejection, pain, and the agony of the cross, He went to Hell to settle our debt.  His perfect blood having been shed and the price having been paid, after three long days, triumphantly He arose on that Easter morning!  “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”  I am so thankful for Resurrection Sunday!  Our hope, our salvation, our reason for being is all because He arose!  Amen!

Our first Easter Sunday here in Peru was a great one indeed.  The entire week was another “holy week,” with many people going on vacation and many stores closing their doors.  However, the church house was definitely full.  For the first time in their lives, the 100-plus people who flooded into our church realized the true importance and the awesome miracle wrapped up in the resurrection.  We can rejoice!  Because of the resurrection, people were saved, the altar was full, and lives are being changed.

It has been such a blessing to see our church grow.  Due to summer vacations, we have had many people coming and going; but now that school has reconvened, our attendance is steadily increasing.  In addition to this, we have gained many new families, especially this last month.  I have been especially excited to have new families from San Genaro in our services every week.  We are making progress on the  construction on the church property, we have had people baptized each week, and the future is looking bright!

Speaking of San Genaro, God is opening many doors for us.  Our Bible study is continuing to do well.  I also have three more families interested in having their own Bible study.  We are continuing to pray for God to open a door for us to start a church in this very needy area.  Just this week God may be doing that.  I have a few leads on rentals for the church, and I believe we will be able to start this church before the end of April.

All of our Bible studies are continuing to grow.  Currently we have eight active Bible studies.  We also already have four of our church men teaching in these Bible studies.  One of these men, Jhonny Farfán, has one Bible study and is looking to start a new one in San Gabriel.  Last week while soul winning and looking for a home for this Bible study, he led 24 people to Christ!  That is what it is all about.

Watching our people grow has to be one of the greatest blessings of our ministry.  To see them become more involved, grow in their commitment, and begin to share their faith is a source of constant joy.  As I stated in our last letter, we had our first week of college this past month.  Of course, we started off teaching on the Great Commission and personal evangelism.  They ate it up!  We had a total of 16 people come to our institute.  Watching them “practice” soul winning and seeing their desire to learn is so exciting. 

On one final note, I was blessed to have my parents and sister here with us for a week.  We had a lot of fun and were able to do a lot of sightseeing.  One day we went to do some shopping in the Incan Markets in Miraflores.  One of the shops was owned by a lady named Luz.  We spent a long time in her shop looking for something to send back to some special people in the states.  This gave me a great opportunity to explain to Luz our purpose for being here.  As I did, I began to share the Gospel with her.  Tears filled her eyes as she listened and asked questions.  After several minutes, Luz bowed her head and trusted Christ as her Saviour!  God is so good to use us.

Of course, minus the resurrection, your prayers, and support, none of this would be possible.  Jessica and I are honored to be your representatives in Lima.  It is a privilege to add souls to your account.  This month 164 people accepted the gift of salvation through soul winning and our church services.  Thank you for allowing us to have the greatest job in all the world!

Your ambassadors to Perú,

Junior and Jessica Martin

Romans 9:3

February Prayer Letter

Dear Praying Friends,   

                                                                                                                                

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”  There is no greater power given to the Christian than that of prayer.  If there is one thing that I learn every day, it is how amazing and how important prayer is.  Last month I mentioned many items of prayer, and it has been such a blessing to see those prayers answered.  Technically, this is a “prayer” letter,  so let’s talk about prayer.

One incredible answer to prayer this past month is the calling of our new pastor back in Hammond.  I am thrilled and excited to have Bro. John Wilkerson as our new pastor!  Bro. Wilkerson has a heart for missions and a great desire to help us to get the Gospel throughout all of South America. God truly had His hand in bringing Pastor Wilkerson to us.  Thank you to all of you who have been praying and who have stood by us through these last several months.

Many of you have joined with me in praying for our work in San Genaro.  I am still aggressively looking for a building or a location to use when we start this church.  Please continue to pray.  I know that He has the right place and/or person coming across my path very soon.  God is definitely working in San Genaro.  I am in the fourth week of the Bible study I started there with the Rodriguez family.  During this time we have seen 11 saved and are averaging 17 in the Bible study.  I also have a dedicated group of 8 helpers from our church in Villa Marina.  This will be a great foundation to the church once it is started. 

Speaking of starting churches, thank you for your prayers for our San Gabriel church plant.  This church continues to grow and is averaging 28.  With this church running strong, I encourage you to begin praying for Surco.  Surco is our closest neighboring district and the largest “out-of-town” group represented in our church.  The Bible study there is averaging 29 each Friday!  With God’s help, we will be planting a church here by the end of March.  Please pray for the Ezequiel Martinez family as they move forward on starting this work.

Of course, all of this is just the fruit of your prayers for our church in Villa Marina. This is our heartbeat and our home.  We have had a very busy February with the start of a new youth program, a new Bible study, and a lot of construction to our property.  We have had great crowds in all of our services and out soul winning, with people being saved every service and during the week.  With our new changing rooms complete and our baptistery up and running, we have people getting baptized immediately for the first time!  What a blessing! All in all, God allowed us to see 124 saved in February with 5 baptized.

With over eight months here in Chorrillos, we are ready to begin taking our ministry to a whole new level.  With a strong church in Villa Marina, a baby church in San Gabriel, two more churches ready to start, and so many more opportunities coming across our path, we are ready to begin enlisting people to serve with us.  On March 18, the Instituto Bautista Internacional will officially launch.  This will be a very non-traditional Bible college, meeting in a modular format.  The sole purpose of this college will be to train men to start and pastor churches.  Please pray that God will use this greatly to further the Gospel.  Also, pray that God will work on the hearts of some of our church men, as well as men in churches in all of Peru and South America who have a desire to do something big for God. 

I have to tell you one story about prayer.  Luz Hurtado began coming to our church shortly after we moved into the new property.  She trusted Christ her first service.  She doesn’t miss a service, and neither does her eight-year-old daughter Nicol.  Every Wednesday night, Nicol turns in a card requesting prayer for her dad to be saved.  Last Wednesday night Nicol raised her hand in the invitation that she was not sure she was saved.  Jessica was able to lead Nicol to the Lord.  After trusting Christ, Nicol said, “Now that I am saved, God wants me to get baptized right now, right?”  She did that night.  She and her mom were both so excited.  Unfortunately, her dad was not.  After sharing her story with him, he began to make fun of her and of church.  She has been so strong, as has Luz, but please pray for the salvation of Ruben Vásquez.  This is just one story of how vitally important prayer is, not only for those who we have reached, but also for those whom we have not.

Very simply, thank you for your prayers.  Your prayers mean so much to us and are of a great value.  Prayer changes things and makes a difference.  We covet your prayers.  Pray for our ministries, our people, the lost, our vision, and for God to send laborers.  Pray that God will continue to protect us , guide us, and provide for us.  I have several prayer lists for our church.  If you would like to pray more specifically for our ministry, let me know, and I would be happy to e-mail you a copy of these prayer lists.  You are a vital part of our team.  Thank you for your love and support.  Keep on praying!

Your ambassadors to Perú,

Junior and Jessica Martin

Romans 9:3

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

January Video Update

Recently, I made this video for one of our supporting churches.  I removed my personal commentary off the end to be able to share it with all of you.  I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into all God has done through us and for us here in Chorrillos.

December Prayer Letter

Dear Praying Friends,                                                                                                                                             January 2, 2013

The most wonderful time of the year!  This Christmas may have been a little different from those we are accustomed to, but wonderful just the same.  We traded the snow and the bitter cold for sunshine and scorching heat,  snow men for palm trees, candy canes for panetón, and silent night for fireworks.  What a great first Christmas in Peru.

God has been so good to us.  Unsure of what traditions we would start and how we would spend our holiday, a few of our church families had an idea.  Christmas eve morning we went to church with an army of teenagers and four of our church families.  They had over 100 Christmas gifts and candy bags wrapped and ready to go.  We loaded up 2 vans  and 3 cars and headed up to the far side of San Genaro, the poorest part of our district.  As we got out of our vehicles, we were quickly surrounded by scores of children.  It did not take long to pass out all the presents.  Tears filled my ears as I heard the thank-yous and saw the smiles on their faces.  I looked around at our teens as reality and gratitude swept across the faces.  That is the kind of tradition I love…giving back for we have been given so much.

San Genaro has become a special place for us.  This is where we spend the majority of our Saturday making visits and soul winning.  We have talked in the past about this area being our first church plant, but now it is time to put action to our words.  We have decided to give Jesus a Christmas present…a church in San Genaro.  Please pray for Jessica and me as we start this church with the help of some of our church families.  I have been laying the groundwork and looking for a building and, Lord willing, the church will start in mid-January. 

Of course, with the Christmas season comes a brand-new year.  As we start 2013, I cannot help but rejoice in 2012.  God has blessed in amazing ways during our first six months in Peru.  God has blessed us with a strong church of dedicated, hungry Christians.  We are currently averaging 133 people attending our church each week!   This, of course, has caused a huge space issue.  I am very happy to say that 2013 started off at a brand new property!  One of our church families who own property near our church, have been praying for some time what God would have them do to help the church.  Recently, they decided their property would be the next home of IBI!  We have a lot of work to do over time, but as you can see we were able to get it “usable” in time for our New Year’s eve service.  I am thrilled to watch our church go to the next level!    

Not only that, but God has given us a great harvest of souls.  Over the last 6 months, we have seen a total 457 trust Christ as their Saviour!  Glory to God!  34 of these people have also followed the Lord in baptism.  God is truly blessing.  Not only do these numbers reflect salvations but also lives that have been changed.  Many of those being saved were won to Christ by our church members.  Over the last couple months, we have averaged over 30 people going out soul winning every Saturday!

Please pray that God continues to guide and enable us in 2013.  Having established a strong base and adapted to our new home, we are ready to take our ministry to a whole new level.  Not only do we plan on turning this property into a beautiful church where we can triple our size, but we want to triple our church right away!  In January, we will plant a church in San Genaro.  In February, a church in San Gabriel.  In March, a church in Surco.  We have big plans for a big God and a big year.  God has shown us He is very willing and able.  Our church people are excited and ready.  2013 will be the year we begin to reach all of Lima from Villa Marina…and then all of Peru…and all of South America.

Thank you for partnering with us through your prayers and support.  I hope you see that your investment and sacrifice is not in vain.  If you don’t already, please follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter and see day by day all that God is doing in Peru.  I thank God for my first six months and I cannot wait to see the next six.

Your ambassadors to Peru,

Junior and Jessica Martin

Romans 9:3

November Prayer Letter

Dear Praying Friends,                                                                                                                                        December 5, 2012

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”   (Psalm 100:4)  We truly have so much for which to be thankful.  I know that November is not the only month that should reflect our gratitude; however, I must admit that this November gave us a lot to be thankful for!  Where oh where do I begin ?

Thankful for our church! God has blessed us with an amazing ministry in the heart of Chorrillos!  The way that our church has grown can only be contributed to God.  In all honesty (I dread even saying this), we have not tried to accelerate the growth of our church. We have not promoted or had any type of campaign, simply because we do not have the space to accommodate the growth.  We go soul winning, follow up on our visitors, and hold 8 different Bible studies each week. But God has given us a great group of people! Just this past Sunday, we had our 2 highest attendances to date: 109 in the morning and 93 that night!  God is so good!

Thankful for our people!  That is what the church truly is!  As thankful as I am for the numerical growth of our people, I am even more thankful for their spiritual growth.  We have seen so many miracles in the lives of our people.  As Cecilia went soul winning with my wife this past week, we both realized that incredible desire she has to serve God and reach her family. Yanira is a new teenager who has humbled both of us with her sweet spirit. She, too, has a desire to grow and has helped us lead many of her family to Christ.

Another family we have seen great growth in is Julio and Veronique.  Several weeks ago they were able to set their reservations aside and follow the Lord in baptism.  It was a great day! Every Saturday night I have a Bible study at their house.  I started the 10-week study with them 15 weeks ago (you do the math)! They can’t get enough.  Lord willing, they will be helping me start another Bible study this month. 

Thankful for opportunities! God has given us some great opportunities to make a difference in our area.  As already stated, we have 8 in-home Bible studies occurring every week.  These Bible studies are averaging 68 people every week.  Between 14 and 20 of these are people who do not even attend our church!  In addition to this, I am glad that soul winning still works!  This last month a total of 31 trusted Christ as a result of soul winning.  An additional 32 people were saved through outreach and services, and a total of 6 were baptized.

The greatest opportunity for which I am thankful is the opportunity to be used.  Two weeks ago Jessica and I reflected on that opportunity.  It is hard to believe that one year ago, we were both in the hospital and  not sure if we would have this opportunity.  But God is the great physician, and I am so amazed by His healing and the way He has worked in our lives.  God is so good to use us!

Thankful for answered prayers!  I am grateful for a God Who hears and answers our prayers.  We have had so many prayers answered, but one prayer in particular has been prayed for by many of you. The Wednesday after Thanksgiving, our container was released, and all of our personal and ministry items were delivered to our home. This was a great day!  Thank you to each and every one of you who prayed.  God blessed miraculously, not only in giving us our stuff but also in the amount of taxes we payed.  We serve an awesome God!

Thankful for our team!  Every day I am able to rejoice in the great group of people God has called to work alongside us here in Peru. Especially during this holiday season while family is far away, it is a blessing to have a group of people with whom we can celebrate. We had a grand Thanksgiving dinner with the members of our team and several of our church people!  I could not imagine this ministry without the families God has brought together as Team Peru!

Thankful for you!  Every day we feel the love and prayers of each of you.  Thank you to each and every one of you who make this ministry what it is.  Thank you also to the Antioch Baptist Church in Michigan who voted to take us on for support this past month.  I believe with all my heart that we will reach Peru through Chorrillos; thank you for sharing in our burden. 

Your ambassadors to Peru,

 

Junior and Jessica Martin

Romans 9:3