IBI First Baptism Service

Last Sunday, we had our third baptism service at Iglesia Bautista Internacional in Chorrillos.  We have had a total of 23 baptized in these services.  A fellow teammate helped me put together this video to give you a small taste of what God is doing in the lives of many of our people.  I hope you enjoy this brief video.

September Prayer Letter

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

August Prayer Letter

 September 6, 2012

Dear Praying Friends,                                                                                                                          

Time is a funny thing.  During deputation, time seemed to creep by ever so slowly.  However, since our arriving in Peru, the days fly by!  It seems like just last week, it was July and I was writing our last prayer letter.  Now here we are in September, approaching three months on the field!  What a three months they have been!  There is nothing better than being busy about my Father’s business.

    

                                     

Busy is truly an understatement.  God has surpassed our every dream and imagination of what could be done in such a short time.  Since we started IBI (Iglesia Bautista Internacional), over 156 different people have walked through the doors of our young church.  We have had over 70 each Sunday, with a high day of 88!  I can truly say God has built this church.  We have not promoted, made a big push, or held an evangelistic campaign.  Through simply soul winning and establishing relationships with the people God has brought across our path, God has flooded our church with people who are excited and eager to learn. 

I believe I have said this before, but God likes to open doors for us when we least expect it, just to remind us we are in the right place doing the right thing.  As you have probably figured out by now, we have already outgrown our storefront building.  We have been praying and searching for some time for a permanent location that would allow us to grow and begin really “building” the church.  We thought we knew what property that would be, but God would not give us peace on it.  Then this last Saturday, a new location came up for rent!  I am sure this is just a coincidence!  The property includes a three-story house with a very large warehouse in the back of the property.  It is within our budget and only three blocks from our current location!  God is so good!  We met with the owner on Monday, and barring any paperwork and moving issues, we will move in and take possession sometime in October!  Please continue to pray that God will care for all the details and grant us wisdom.

Although our numeric growth may be limited, the spiritual growth of our people is not.  In order to execute our vision of planting thousands of churches in Peru, we must begin growing the core people whom God has already sent to us.  This has been our primary focus.  To date, we have started six Bible studies in the homes of our church people.  Each study is personal and unique and serves as discipleship, as well as a question-and-answer time.  These are such sweet and encouraging meetings and probably my favorite times of the week.                                            

Then again, the weekend is probably my favorite, favorite time!  Four weeks ago, I began teaching soul winning in our visitation meeting on Saturday mornings. This has been an exciting time, teaching and training our new converts how to share the Gospel with family, friends, and everyone they meet.  Since this started, we have had over 30 people go out each Saturday passing out tracts and sharing the Gospel! 

I always feel as if I am cramming so much into a small letter, but there is so much going on!  Another highlight of this last month was our first monthly men’s meeting and prayer breakfast.  For the first time, we sat down with the core men of our church, shared a Bible study, and cast our vision for Peru before them.  If you could have seen their faces as they heard how an entire country could be reached through them!  Seventeen men whose heart God has touched—the men who will turn Peru upside down with the Gospel!

Of course, all of this is only possible because of your prayers and support.  I hope you understand the difference you are making in a country you may have never been to.  Two Saturdays ago I was up in San Genaro, a neighborhood way up in the hills, making a visit.  The addresses there are nearly impossible to find, and a vehicle can only make it so far up the hill.  After walking three blocks up a steep hill, I was ready to turn around and go back down.  Just then, a lady came out of her house.  I introduced myself and told her the house I was trying to find.  She pointed me in the right direction, which, of course, was back where we came from.  After catching my breath, because I’m out of shape, I began to share the Gospel with Yeny.  Several minutes later, she trusted Christ!  As I began to leave, she made this statement to me:  “I know that you think you were lost, but God makes no mistakes.  I am so blessed that He brought you to my house.”  Amen!  A total of 105 people were saved this past month through our church services and personal soul winning.  Thank you for making this possible.

In closing, there are several things you could pray about:  our new building, our first baptismal service coming up this month, new Bible studies to be started, and for God to continue to bond the hearts of our men to us and to Himself.  I believe God has put us in the prime location at the prime time to reach Peru for Jesus Christ.  I cannot wait to see what the future holds!

Your ambassadors to Peru,

Junior and Jessica Martin                                                                             

Romans 9:3

July Prayer Letter

August 6, 2012

Dear Praying Friends,

I am overwhelmed and amazed at the awesomeness of my God! I wonder every month how I should begin this letter. I have thought and thought what the first sentence should be. So as I compile all my thoughts and emotions and begin reflecting on the last four weeks, I can really only say that God is great, and I am so humbled to be His servant!

Seven weeks have passed since we arrived in Lima. During this time Jessica and I have been able to move into our permanent home and purchase all of our necessary appliances and furniture. We will continue “equipping” our house little by little each month, but I am thankful that God has given us such a beautiful place that my wife can call home.

As I stated in our last letter, we started the Iglesia Bautista Internacional the day after our arrival. We spent the entire month of May planning how to launch our church and make an immediate impact in our community. Our plan is to do this in the month of September, once the majority of the team has joined us. However, as you could imagine, we were very eager to get busy doing what God has called us to do. We decided to simply start a church in the home of Bro. Dan Hubbard and see where God would lead. Since our arrival, we have been walking through the streets of Chorrillos praying for God to open a door for us. After walking several miles one Saturday, we “stumbled” across a small storefront for rent. Then God blew a door open for us! After only one phone call, the building was offered to us for only $270 a month! Four weeks ago we held our first service in the Villa Marina neighborhood. The corner that was once covered in graffiti and known for drugs, gangs, and drinking is now a church!

God has truly blessed our church. We have since already begun to look at property for sale to give us a more permanent location and to accomodate the crowd in the building we have already outgrown! In the month of July, God brought a total of 94 different people through the doors of our church and allowed us to see a total of 54 trust Christ as their Saviour! Praise God! Oh for more time and space to tell all the stories of what God is doing!

God has brought many precious people into our lives. Julio, Veronique, and Kenya were our first visitors! Veronique got saved and has become our biggest helper and volunteer around the church. They have such sweet spirits, and we are excited for what God is doing in their lives.

Cecilia also came to church our first Sunday and got saved. Right away she brought her mom and younger sister to church, and they, too, accepted Christ. The Naupari home then became the site of our first weekly Bible study! There is something special about the hunger they have for the Word of God. When we arrived for our first Bible study, Olga (Cecilia’s mom) was walking outside her home with her Bible clutched to her chest. She said, “Pastor, I wasn’t sure if you were going to make it, so I told my children that we would just sit down and read the Bible.” Oh, if we all still hungered for God like that! So far, six members of her family have trusted Christ and are faithful to church.

We knew that any endevour for God would be met with resistance from Satan. The Devil did not disappoint. But I am so glad that Jesus said of His church that “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Please do keep us in your prayers. The Devil has attacked us on the homefront, here, and by attacking our people. With a church full of new converts, we have many hurting people in need of big things from God. I am so glad that “greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Thank you for your love, prays, and support. Jessica and I and the people of Chorrillos owe a great debt to each of you. Please keep us in your prayers. We are trusting God to continue to do great things in the church; plus this week we are planning on launching six in-home Bible studies. I know that God has a great plan for our people and our district. After a few services in our new building, a lady walked by and asked, “Is this THE church? The church that EVERYONE is talking about?” I cannot wait till the buzz going through Villa Marina travels throughout Chorrillos and then Lima and all of Peru!

Excited about what Jesus is doing,

Junior and Jessica Martin
Romans 9:3

June Prayer Letter

Dear Praying Friends,                                                                                                                                            July 3, 2012

It’s hard to believe June has come and gone!  For months we had been counting down to our arrival in Peru, and it is almost surreal to think we have been here for exactly two weeks!  God has been so very good to us in our journey. As much as we longed for the end of our deputation, our travels taught us so many invaluable lessons that will always be with us. The churches we visited and the friends we made will always be very near to our heart as well.

Our trip to Peru was almost seamless! Our fellow teammates, the Szabatins, were so gracious to drive us up to Toronto.  The check-in process at the Toronto airport started off a little rough, as we were told none of our baggage (which was a lot) was going to make it to Peru (very long story)!  God quickly intervened, and we, along with our six totes, three carry-ons, and dog made it onto the plane.  I wish I had the time and space to share all the “I love yous” God gave us along the way.  We had a very smooth flight and then a 7½-hour layover in Bogota, Colombia.  We were not sure how we were going to care for our small dog, but security quickly fell in love with her, as did all the drug-sniffing dogs!  Once again, God showed us He was watching out for us.  We then made the short flight into Lima.  Believe it or not, we breezed through customs without a single question, retrieved ALL of our luggage, and only one tote was searched!  I think we must be in God’s will!!  Around 1:00 Wednesday morning, we were greeted at the airport by Bro. Dan Hubbard, Bro. Zach Foust, and a cup of Starbucks!  Thank you to each one of you who have been praying.   Your prayers have truly made a difference.

Our two weeks in Lima have gone by so fast.  After being in the staging home for only three days, we moved into a temporary apartment in Chorrillos.  What a beautiful area!  Chorrillos is the district where we will be permanently located and where our church will be.  We have spent a lot of time searching for the right apartment and for a church building.  Please pray that God continues to guide us and give us the wisdom needed to make the right decisions.  We have three beautiful apartments we are looking at and trying to “negotiate.”  The negotiation process is certainly different than in States, and we want to make sure we get what is best for our family.  After being without a home of her own for over a year, I am eager to give Jessica a place she loves and can call her own.

Since our arrival, we have officially started the Iglesia Bautist Internacional!  We are currently meeting in Bro. Hubbard’s apartment but are looking at an ideal piece of property.  Please pray that God will open the door for us if this is His will.  Having the church started is great, but in our current neighborhood, it is hard for the people to get to us.  I am eager to get the church in a permanent location in the midst of the people, so we can begin bringing in multitudes of Peruvian people! 

We have spent much time walking up and down the streets of Chorrillos, praying for and talking to the people.  We have been able to give the Gospel to many and have over a dozen people and/or families interested in visiting our church.  God also has already opened a door for us to begin a home Bible study next week.  Please continue to pray for the people of Lima.  I have such big dreams and aspirations, not only for our district but also for the rest of Lima and all of Peru.  In a city of 9 million people and a district alone of 260,000 people, I cannot wait to see what God will allow us to do!

Thank you to each of you for your faithful prayers and support.  Jessica and I are so thrilled to labor in Peru on your behalf.  I cannot wait to get through this time of acclamation and transition and consume myself in the ministry.  We have spent much time purchasing appliances, apartment hunting, ordering furniture, acquainting ourselves with the stores and public transportation, and working on our visas.  Although all this is necessary, I long to turn my attention solely to reaching the people of Peru.  The Peruvian money unit is called a sol.  Everytime I am asked for “just one sol,” I cannot help but think of the countless souls around me who need to hear the Gospel.  Thank you for believing in us and for praying for us.  I can hardly wait to see what amazing things will happen in July! 

Your ambassadors to Peru,

 Junior and Jessica Martin

Romans 9:3

May Prayer Letter

 June 1, 2012

Dear Praying Friends,                                                                                                                                         

June is finally here!  Jessica and I have been counting down the days for this month to arrive.  On June 18, we will be making the drive up to Toronto and then flying to Lima.  Reality is setting in!  We are saying our good-byes and getting everything in order to move to Peru. Thank you to all of you who have prayed and invested in us.  I cannot wait to get busy doing what God has called us to do.

May has been incredibly busy and productive.  As I mentioned in our last letter, our entire team assembled to undergo some intense training and to begin preparing for the work in Peru.  It was so exciting to go through each phase of our plan of starting 10,000 churches!  I enjoyed being able to spend time with each of our team families. We participated in team building exercises and games, which taught us the value of communication and trust. In addition, we also loaded up our container for shipping.  We finished packing up all of our belongings, as well as some items for the church:  folding chairs, tables, PA equipment, hymnals, tracts, and Bibles.  The month gave us a small glimpse into what working together in Peru will be like.

We also had our send-off services for both our English and Spanish churches.  Our English send-off was a very special service, as this was also my ordination service.  There is something very humbling and challenging as my Pastor, missions director, team leader, and many deacons laid their hands on me and prayed for God’s blessing and power on me and the ministry in Peru.  In our Spanish send-off service, Pastor DeAnda put on a grand service.  Our team sang with the choir, Jessica sang with the church’s ladies’ ensemble, and I, along with a few other men from the team, preached. This service also ended with many of the men praying over us.  Hearing the men whose people you are going to reach pray over you is truly an unforgettable moment in time.

Being home this entire month, we enjoyed being able to spend time with many of our church people, as well as get involved in many of our ministries.  I was able to teach in three Spanish adult classes, drvie for one of our Spanish bus routes, and go soul winning with our team.  One Saturday in particular, I was knocking doors in Blue Island, Illinois, with Bro. Dan Hubbard.  After making several visits, I met a teenage boy named Alexis.  After talking to him for several minutes, Alexis bowed his head and trusted Christ.  A few houses down, I struck up a conversation with Miguel, who was in his driveway working on his car.  His three small children, who were playing in a plastic swimming pool, ran over and began talking our ears off!  Miguel seemed very interested in our church, so once his wife came out, I began playing with the kids as Bro. Dan continued answering their questions.  After nearly an hour, Miguel and Gabby prayed and asked Christ into their heart!  I have so many stories, if only space allowed.  I am so thankful for the 7 people God allowed us to see saved this month. 

Thank you to all of you who have had a part in our ministry.  God has answered so many prayers, supplied so many needs, and blessed in so many ways.  Whether you have partnered with us through your prayers, kind letters and e-mails, or your financial support, I am very grateful to you.  I am especially grateful to Lighthouse Baptist Church in Michigan and Agape Baptist Church in Missouri for their pledge of support this month.  I cannot wait to share reports of Peruvians saved and churches planted in Peru.

Please remember us in your prayers.  This month will be an emotional one, with all the feelings that come with saying farewell but also all that comes with the joy of being in God’s will and beginning our adventure in Peru.  It will be impossible to describe how incredible it will be to finally be able to love the people there.  We have loved them through prayer and fasting these many months, but now we will actually get to see their faces.  I can’t wait to send our next prayer letter to you from our home in Lima!  I love serving Jesus!

Your ambassadors to Peru,

Junior and Jessica Martin                                                                                      

Romans 9:3

Memorial Day Update

As our month of planning comes to an end, wanted to share this brief update with you.