Jose Luis is the co-pastor of “Jesus es la Puerta” (Jesus is the Door) Baptist Church in Mallaritos, just outside of Sullana. He also helps teach and lead different sections of theological education by extension in several different locations. 

Testimony of Conversion

I was born into a Christian home, and I was involved in all of the activities in our church from a very young age. I knew about God, sin, and some other things from the Bible, but I did not have any conviction of sin or desire to repent and believe the Gospel. When I began high school, I started to imitate the behavior of my friends. Without my parents or church knowing about it, I began to use foul language, get into fights, and participate in other sinful things. I lived an empty and meaningless life.

On November 4th at 5:30 p.m. I was standing by a window at my house reading the Bible. I began to see the reality that I was lost. I began to read texts that my parents and my Sunday School teachers taught me about sin and how to be saved. It was at that time that I began to pray and ask God to forgive me. I began to cry because I realized what I was at that time: a rebel, someone who had lived as a hypocrite pretending to be a believer. I was grieved by my sin and by the fact that I had offended God. I understood the reality of my situation without God, and at the same time was able to see his love (in John 3:16) demonstrated toward me in the death of Christ. It was then that I asked God to save me by his grace and mercy, and He did it.

Since that time, my relationship with God has been like that which a son has with his father. He is my Father and I enjoy spending time with Him. During my second year of high school, I began to share the Gospel with the same students that had seen me behaving before like a child of the Devil. Now I have a hunger for the Word of God, and I am zealous for sound doctrine. My aim in life is to proclaim the Word of God, being obedient to the Great Commission.

After I was saved, I became very involved in evangelism through our local church. Then, without really thinking too much about it, it seemed right for me to get prepared for the ministry. So, I began to study in seminary. When I finished seminary, my church sent me to Tumbes (in far northern Peru) to begin a new work. I was serving there for about one year doing evangelism, helping with a Bible institute, and training others. After that year I returned to Mallaritos (just outside of Sullana) to help as a co-pastor of the church there.