Matthew 1:23 says, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” My family and I would like to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2025. My prayer is that together we can accomplish greater works for Christ during 2025. As 2024 is coming to an end, I want to thank the Lord for allowing us the great honor and privilege of serving the people of Puerto Rico. I’m thankful that the lower lights continue to shine and that our church continues to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

Recently, I received a phone call from a lady by the name of Tainy. Tainy had visited our church in the past and asked if I could visit her dying grandmother in the hospital. The reason she wanted me to visit her grandmother was because she wanted me to witness to her. She said she remembered when she came to our church that towards the end of the service, we would give an invitation for people who wanted to be saved. I did go to the hospital and shared the good news of salvation with grandma, who was sweetly saved. There was also a lady by the name of Jennifer who was visiting. I asked Jennifer about her salvation, and she told me she was already saved. When I asked her to share her salvation testimony, she said she was from Chicago and once rode a bus to First Baptist Church of Hammond and was saved. Two weeks later, her grandma went to Heaven.

I thank God for His protection. We received a phone call that our son Luis was involved in a terrible car accident. My wife, my daughter, and I rushed to the crash scene. When we saw the police lights, our hearts fainted. Because of God’s mercy, our son is alive and well, even though my car was totaled. Many people stopped to help my son, and the other driver admitted he was at fault. About two minutes before the accident, my wife called my son, telling him she was praying for him. The other two young men involved in the accident came to my wife and me to apologize, and I immediately told them that God knew this was going to happen and that even this accident was the will of God. I witnessed to Ethan and Isai and prayed with them and my family. To our surprise, Ethan and Isai came to church on Wednesday, and our church loved on them.

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Please pray for the health of my wife and daughter. They recently traveled to Missouri in the U.S. and got checked. They are both improving health wise.
• Please pray for our son Jay as he travels from Hawaii to spend Christmas with us.
• Please pray for the second half of our fence that needs to be built. The cost of this project is $13,500. We already have $6,000 saved towards this project.

May God continue to bless you as you serve Him faithfully. Thank you so very much for your love, prayers, and faithful support. GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD AND FAITHFUL! We believe the Lord has so many great things for us in 2025. I hope you have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a prosperous and blessed NEW YEAR 2025. God bless you.

In Christ,

Luis M. Martinez
I Timothy 1:12