AROUND THE CORNER

Editor's Note: In a life submitted to God, you never know what He has waiting around the corner. So often when things look bleak, He has something amazing just ahead. The two email updates below were sent out from Bob Beams regarding one of our partners in ministry, Luis Martinez, in Mexico. The emails were sent five days apart and illustrate the “Around the Corner” principle in the lives of Luis and his family.

April 4, 2007

Those of you who have been with us to Mexico know Luis Martinez and his wife Marisa.  They have a 4-year-old daughter and a 18-month-old son. They live in Acuña , Mexico and are native to Mexico where Luis works full time in a factory.  They have helped us ever since we began as a church by leading our trips in Mexico. They have had us in their home many times and are very dear to us.  Luis was the director of the camp we went to for four years in Acuña.   Glen Pierce is a friend of ours who lives in Tyler , Texas and leads an organization called CrossVision.  He has been leading trips to Mexico for many years.  For the last year or so Glen has been trying to gather support to hire Luis full time to lead trips for many churches and to start new outreach programs farther into Mexico. You may recall that in April of 2006 we had a group from 121 Church called Strike Force that had a successful venture with Luis for a week farther into Mexico. Where there were no evangelical churches, there is now a church in each of the four villages where we went and they share a pastor who goes from one place to another.  Raising financial support for Luis has been difficult.  This past weekend he was in Tyler speaking to a group of churches.  On March 30 at 7:00 PM, a few moments before he spoke, he received a hard phone call.  His wife had been hit in the head by a falling sign while at a carnival and was in the hospital and unconscious and his son had a broken leg.  Marisa ultimately had 20 staples placed in her scalp, but everyone is healing well now.  However, the point is, our enemy does not want Luis to be able to be a full-time missionary. They have been under attack many times for the work they are doing.   Please pray for physical healing for his family and for God's will to be done in all areas.  In the fall, a team from our church is going to meet with him and with his church in Acuña and make plans for the future.    

Bob

April 9, 2007

THREE APRILS

In April 2005 , I found myself in Muzquiz , Mexico about three hours south of the Texas Border.  I was on a trip with Luis, Marisa, and their small daughter to an unreached area in the semi-desert to pray about and investigate the possibility of starting a church there. We had stopped at his sister's house to spend the night.  The next day we would drive five more hours to our destination.   I had known Luis for eight years but I was about to see his true heart for the first time.  Late that night, the two of us had a chance to “really” talk.  This was one of those “holy” moments you never forget.   Luis had been raised in the very area where were we were going on a ranch owned by his family.  They had no electricity or running water and as a child he rode a donkey to school six miles each way.  When he was 16 he was saved.  His mother was a “silent' Christian but his father made fun of Luis and others who talked about God. His father had no appreciation for family values and being macho was all that mattered. Now, in his mid-thirties, Luis shed tears as he shared with me how his heart was broken for his lost father and others who were lost in his family. His life-time goal was to bring them to Christ, and so far, he had seen no glimmer of success.   We were going to the areas where his family lived to try to start churches. Luis wanted to reach “his people” who lived in the surrounding area, but one primary goal was to reach his family.  During our 4-day trip, we saw how God wanted us to make this a mission for Luis' church in Acuña along with 121 Community Church. 

In April 2006 , a group we had formed in our church and named the “Strike Force” set out for Mexico. It was made up of Mark Hummert, Ray McDoniel, Chad Markel and me.  Along with Marisa and three other translators from Luis' church we headed out for a week in April to four villages in the desert.  We spent two of the nights at Luis' parents home.  His father was a huge gruff man about 6 ft. 4 in. tall.  I believe he could pick up a horse and throw it across the street if he wanted to do so!  All of his life he has ridden horses and herded cattle across the semi-desert and survived by his wits and hard work.  When we were there, he had no interest in the things of God.  In the villages we handed out Bibles and showed the Jesus film.  Since our trip, the First Baptist Church of Acuña has started missions in each of the four villages and they have a traveling pastor who works with each of them. 

On Easter day in April 2007 , I was eating lunch with my extended family in Fort Worth and I received a phone call from Luis.  His father had been saved the day before Easter!!!!!!!!

::Bob Beams

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