Baptist Rescue Mission - The Lord's Work

This man's name is John. He gladly consented to have his picture taken to help raise awareness of the homeless and their needs. He came to services with us Saturday, ALONG WITH ABOUT TWENTY OTHERS FROM THE SAME AREA. Praise the Lord for a great turnout! We had the privilege to preach the word of God to him, give him a meal, and help him with some phone calls to friends.

John did not make a decision for Christ today, but we pray that he will, and that he will return with us again next week. Jesus himself said in Mt 11:5 ... and the poor have the gospel preached to them. It brings a tear to my eye to think how much Jesus loves John, and how He died for John just as much as He died for me. This is the Lord's will and it is His work.

The photo below is my precious brother in Christ, Mark Stephen Puckett. He is a rich blessing to my life. Although he lives in an apartment near the downtown area, he comes to the Baptist Rescue Mission service every Saturday. He speaks in Scripture verses and answers most comments and questions with a Scripture quote. He greets everyone with an enthusiastic, "Jesus Bless You!" followed by John 3:16. Brother Mark reads Scripture every week prior to the sermon, and does so with enthusiasm and gusto.


He walks all over town and ministers to people in nursing homes, preaches at bus terminals, and passes out his homemade "Scripture Picture Prayer Pages" with gospel tracts inside. I not only have the privilege of fellowshipping with Brother Mark, but I get the honor of taking him home after the service. The ride is always filled with Scripture quotes and the singing of hymns. Before he gets out of the car, we have a time of prayer.

This is a man in whom is the Spirit of the Living God, and I thank the Lord for making him a part of my life. "Thank You God for Mark Stephen Puckett!"

Aurora - The search Goes On

Our search for the homeless lady, Aurora, took a disappointing turn today. In our fourth attempt to make contact since first meeting her, we were met with the surprise that her makeshift home has been boarded up and the former occupants nowhere to be found.

We will keep looking. We plan to be on the streets each Saturday afternoon as strength permits.

Today, we also met several homeless people for the first time, and had five of them accompany us for services at the Baptist Rescue Mission. Praise the Lord for that. They heard a message from the Lord and received a warm meal and free clothing.

I requested permission from these homeless people to take their photograph in hopes of raising awareness of their plight so that perhaps more resources could be made available to the Mission to help meet their needs.

The homeless are from many backgrounds and ethnic groups, and range in age from the elderly to the very young.




It is a special blessing to be able to witness to each one and share with them the free gift of salvation that is in Jesus Christ. We did not have anyone saved today, but we lifted up the Lord and declared HIS name. Many tracts were passed out, and we will return.

They are precious in HIS sight.

Grace and Redemption

I had the great honor of seeing my dear friend Bro. Luther Hernandez this past Friday night at a church conference. I was overwhelmed to see him in the free world.
The only place I was able to see Bro. Hernandez before was a state prison in Huntsville, Texas.

He went to prison in the 1960's for murder, and remained there for 39 years, BUT GOD gloriously saved his precious soul in 1994 and he has been on fire for the LORD ever since.


He is pictured above with his wife of 46 years and then with Doug Fugate, who has ministered in the prisons for many years.

Bro. Leroy is a kind and gentle man - a living testament to the grace and redemption in Jesus Christ. Since his release on 1/22/08, he has been preaching somewhere every Sunday, and soul-winning in between.

Bro. Luther knows what he has been forgiven of, and he knows how precious and wonderful the grace of God really is.
This helps me to reflect on the fact that my sin is so wicked that it put my Saviour on the cross. He didn't just die for Bro. Luther's sin, He died for mine and for yours. Jesus didn't just reach down for Bro. Luther. He even reached down for me.

God used Bro. Luther inside the prison too. He has been a faithful teacher and witness for Christ. He even translated Chaplain Chris Athey's three-year Bible course for inmates into Spanish. While others slept, he would spend late nights in this translation work. This was God's will for him and he knew it. As evidence of how God used him in the translation effort, Bro. Luther's sentence was complete in November of 2007, but inexplicably (miraculously) he continued to be held in prison until January 22nd of 2008, three days after completing the translation of the last course into Spanish.

To God be the glory, great things He hath done. And great our rejoicing in Jesus His Son.

My friend, Bro. Luther Hernandez, knows about the grace and redemption available in Jesus Christ.

Do you?