Few of us remember getting our first pair of shoes. Researchers claim most of us can’t remember much of anything before the age of three. But Vladimir Bravo Miguel remembers his first pair. He was twelve. Vladimir is one of our amazing National Missionaries. Here is his story:
“I was born in Chiapas, Mexico, to a very, very poor family,” Vladimir begins. “My father left my mother when he found out she was pregnant by another man. My mother would host parties and sell liquor from our house to survive financially. At the age of eight, I began to drink heavily. Before I was a teenager, I was lost in liquor and more.
“When I was thirteen, a friend invited me to his evangelical church, and for the first time, I learned about Jesus. I had to return for more. One Sunday, God touched my heart, and I became His child. I brought my mother to church, and a year later, she also believed. Not long after that, our home, which had been a place to try to hide from Jesus, became a place to learn about Jesus.
“The more I learned about Jesus, the more I wanted to become a preacher. I didn’t have the necessary schooling and didn’t have any money, so that no one would accept me. I wept great tears of sorrow. Finally, a Bible School received me, but then I discovered a new problem; my bad habits and alcohol abuse had greatly affected my mind. I was failing in every subject. By God’s grace, they didn’t throw me out, and I refused to give up. Through great struggles and poverty, I finally graduated.
“I can joyfully tell you I kept studying and was ordained in 1998. Today, I am studying to get my master’s degree. I can hardly believe how God has taken this poor and broken man and allowed him to become a pastor.
“Six months ago, we began planting a church in Ciudad de Martinez de la Torre, Mexico. Today we have 18 adults and 10 children. I am using LOGOI’s excellent FLET Bible courses to help train the leadership of our church—including me.
How thrilling to be a part of Vladimir’s story. What a joy to be reminded of God’s great love and grace that knows no social boundaries. God knew their names and drew them to Him long before they knew His name — just as He did for you and me. Today, Vladimir has more than one pair of shoes, and those that walk next to them soon discover they lead directly to Jesus.
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Your gifts are used to help train and equip national missionaries like Vladimir to help proclaim the Gospel and make disciples all over the Spanish-speaking world. Now you know a little more about one of them.
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