Abraham Avila Prayer Letter: Hermes Finds Jesus

He didn’t want Hermes to die without being witnessed to . . .

In one of my past prayer letters, I wrote about how my wife and I have taught our children to be comfortable outside of their comfort zones. They have gotten comfortable speaking to all the security guards in the neighborhood and to all our neighbors. One evening Joaquin invited our neighbor Hermes to the midweek service. A little backstory, Joaquin and Hermes have a great relationship, and Hermes treats him as if he was his own son. However, Hermes is a borderline atheist and never wanted to talk about the Bible with me, always respectful yet adamant in his views. However, Hermes agreed, and Joaquin found himself with a visitor at church that night. Needless to say, Joaquin was very excited. After the service, Joaquin wanted to witness to Hermes. Hermes invited him over to his apartment and to speak to him one on one in private. Hermes looked at me and asked me if it would be okay. I said it was okay, but I didn’t want them to be completely alone. He agreed. Fast forward an hour or so, and Joaquin was sharing the Gospel with Hermes. Joaquin was smiling from ear to ear. It was beautiful to see them there. Apartment door wide open, Joaquin explaining the Bible verses, and Hermes listening attentively. Rewind this video a couple of weeks ago, and you would find Joaquin in our bedroom doorway crying, stating that he didn’t want Hermes to die without being witnessed to. That night Joaquin and I prayed that God would soften his heart. Every night thereafter, Joaquin would pray for Hermes. Now we find ourselves outside of Hermes’ doorway. I stood outside of Hermes’ door listening to them, listening to Hermes’ voice cracking as he prayed and accepted Christ as his personal Saviour. Hermes poked his head out of the doorway and thanked me for allowing Joaquin to come over. He stated that he believes that this is the reason our paths crossed. He stated, “I never would have listened to someone else explain this (the Gospel) to me.” Joaquin was so happy that night. He prayed and thanked God for the opportunity to witness to his friend Hermes. I was so convicted.

What a great responsibility God has given us.

There were many activities happening in our ministries these last few months. We had the privilege of being involved in all of them. One in particular was our Ladies’ Conference. There was a great turnout. Many decisions were made, and new friendships were established. Faby and I had the opportunity to celebrate our 16th anniversary by sneaking out mid-service and eating a slice of pizza. With regards to our church plants, we started pushing our presence within our respective soul-winning routes. We encouraged our Sunday school kids to accompany us and be active during our Saturday soul-winning times. We had great turnouts, and many children came. It was good to see all these future adult church members out soul winning and inviting their friends to church. We gave the children the goal to invite one friend per day to church. We pray the children of IBI San Gabriel continue to grow.

To be continued . . .

I am thankful for praying and giving friends such as you. If it weren’t for you, my family and I would not be able to be here in Lima, Peru. We love you and pray for you often. I pray that the Lord continues to bless you and your family.

Prayer Requests

• Safety for our family, our team leader Bro. Zach Foust, and the other families of Team Peru
• Additional monthly financial support
• Health for the families of Team Peru
• A couple team members will be traveling in the next few months.
• Special prayer request

Blessings

• We saw 45 souls saved.
• Our Sunday school class children are soul winning and bringing visitors to church.
• We get to watch our children grow and develop into fine young individuals.
• Faby and I celebrated our 16th anniversary.
• We had Mrs. Jenny Ashcraft, Mrs. Jessica Gomez, and a group of women from PIB Hammond visit Team Perú for the Ladies’ Conference.

Thank you once again for your prayers and support.

Your co-laborers to Peru,

Abraham, Fabiola, Marco, Leilani, and Joaquin Avila