I Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I pray that when you receive this letter you are doing well, along with your family and loved ones. My family and I are doing very well and have a lot for which to be thankful.
I want to start by thanking God for our son Luis. Luis decided to attend Bible college at Hyles-Anderson College in Crown Point, Indiana. We are so thankful that he has chosen to serve God with his life and is doing His will.
We are so thankful that God’s timing is always perfect. Even though our recovery from the damages caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria a year ago has been slow, we have seen God leading, blessing, and providing all along the way. After the hurricanes, I told our church that we would keep the main thing the main thing. I encouraged our church if they would continue focusing on SOUL WINNING and MISSIONS, then God would take care of rebuilding His church. I’m encouraged to see more soul winners out soul winning and getting out the Gospel. We’ve added more Sunday school classes, our Christian School added 20 more students, and our church continues to grow spiritually and in number.
I’m very thankful that during all this time, the Lord continues to provide the funds and the right people to make the much-needed repairs to our church buildings. Recently, a businessman came to our church and pledged to help with building materials; he also donated appliances for our kitchen. During one of our chapel services, one of the most respected engineers in our city, who is the grandfather of one of our students, was visiting. I asked him if he would walk with me through our property to evaluate the damages, which he agreed to do. Within a few minutes, he told me, as he wept uncontrollably, that he wanted to help us rebuild our Fellowship Hall. He’s been such a big help with the necessary and expensive plans and permits.
We started the year with a Missions Conference. Because of the hurricanes, the economy in Puerto Rico was not in good shape. Even our church and school were drastically affected by the economy. I encouraged the church and told them that the best way to stimulate a church economy was by giving to missions. We increased our missions giving and added more missionaries. I can fill up many pages with stories of how God has blessed
this ministry because of our missions giving. Our next Missions Conference will be January 11-13, 2019. Our special guest preacher will be my dear brother and friend, Pastor Darrell Hurst, from New Zion Baptist Church in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Please pray for this Missions Conference.
Recently, I was called to the hospital to witness to a man who was dying. I immediately went and shared the Gospel with Mr. Pagan, and he got saved. After he died, it was such a blessing to receive a call from his daughter, thanking me that her father was now in Heaven.
We thank God for all the souls who have been saved and baptized throughout this year. We also thank the Lord for all the first-time visitors who have attended our church and for the families that have been added to our church.
PRAYER REQUESTS
• Please pray for souls to be saved and baptized.
• Please pray for the repairs of our church buildings.
• Please pray for our church growth and its ministries.
• Please pray for more laborers.
May God continue to bless you as you serve Him faithfully. Thank you very much for your love, prayers, and faithful support. WE HOPE YOU HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING, A MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2019. We believe the Lord has so many great things for us in 2019. Thank you for having a part in Puerto Rico and for loving JESUS. God bless you.
In Christ,
Luis M. Martinez
