I Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
I pray you are doing well when you receive this prayer letter. My family and I are doing well, and we greatly appreciate your prayers. In this prayer letter, I just want to praise the Lord for His faithfulness.
During the month of April, we conducted our Spring Program. Even though we were limited to 50% capacity due to COVID, we thank the Lord for the more than 44 first-time visitors who attended our church services. A young man by the name of Maelo, who just recently started attending our church, won first place for bringing the most visitors.
A young man who used to attend our church was tragically murdered. His mom and dad came to the church looking for me to tell me what had happened. I told them that their son had been saved and baptized in our church and that there was a way for them to see their son again. I immediately told them about Jesus, and they prayed with me and trusted Christ as their only way to Heaven. Even in a tragedy, God can save souls!
Our church was able to celebrate its 36th Anniversary. Dr. Ray Young from Hyles-Anderson College was our special speaker. The mayor of Ceiba was among the visitors, as we also took time to dedicate our new Fellowship Hall, which was destroyed during Hurricane Maria. We rejoice and are very grateful to everyone who has prayed, given, and contributed in order to make this special day possible.
We are very grateful to have our two boys, Luis and Jose, home for the summer. Luis does a great job playing the piano, and Jose does a great job interpreting for our Deaf Ministry. My wife and I are thrilled that our daughter Carolina Raquel has been accepted at Hyles-Anderson College and will be attending this fall.
During the month of June, my wife and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Our plans were to take a trip to Israel, but because of the conflict in the region, we are planning to do something special during the month of August.
Recently, a group of Hyles-Anderson College graduates and students were vacationing in Puerto Rico and came to visit our church on a Wednesday night. They were able to preach, sing, and give testimonies. They were a huge blessing and encouragement to our church.
Prayer Requests
• Please pray for good weather. We are entering hurricane season, and we have already had heavy rains and flooding. One recent Sunday, we ran on generators due to no electricity, and on a Wednesday, we had to cancel services because of heavy flooding. I thank God that we were able to conduct a virtual service.
• Please pray for our teens, who will be attending Youth Conference at the First Baptist Church of Hammond this July.
• Please pray for the reopening of our school, Lighthouse Baptist Academy, this coming August. Because of COVID, the government has added many more restrictions and requirements for reopening our school.
May God continue to bless you as you serve Him faithfully. We are so grateful for your love, prayers, and faithful support. Thank you for making all of this possible. Thank you for holding our rope. God bless you.
In Christ,
Luis M. Martínez
I Timothy 1:12
