Rick Martin in the Philippines
August 11, 2008
Share This Post:
Standing in front of the Iloilo Church with Rick Martin
Looking into the INSIDE of his 2000 seat church building on a Saturday afternoon
I taught these boys this Hawaiian greeting. They are the children of parents who are enrolled in the Bible college that Rick Martin started.
I want to write a little post about Rick Martin. Rick is the son of RUSS MARTIN, who was a dynamic preacher and evangelist that worked with my grandfather. About 30 years ago, Rick decided he wanted to be on the mission field, and he chose the Philippines. He visited about four cities and knew in is heart that God had called him to a place called Iloilo (pronounced ee-low-ee-low).
Since I was on my way to the Olympics, I decided to stop and visit with Rick. I had not stayed in touch with Rick over the years but wanted to catch up and see his work. WAS I EVER SURPRISED AND RICHLY BLESSED FOR VISITING HIM!
Rick started with NO ONE, and he and his wife just moved there in faith and started a Bible study in his home. Let me add that the average wage in the Philippines is $5.00 per DAY. It is a third world country. Rick begins to pray for and evangelize to the people of Iloilo, which happens to be the fifth largest city in the Philippines.
Today, the church, Iloilo Baptist Church, runs over 4,000 in attendance, and with the blessing of God, he started a Bible College. Today, his graduates have started over 600 churches throughout the Philippines.
I believe it was this past Saturday when I visited his campus, and there were close to 1,000 young people who had gathered at the church, and they were getting ready to do some evangelistic work throughout the city.
Rick TOTALLY blessed me with his story and his faith. I was so grateful for the chance to visit with him, to pray with him, and to speak to about 1,000 people for just a few minutes that day.
Please check back in a few days, and I hope to have a post from another island in the Philippines where I preached.
Rick… God bless you and the people of Iloilo… You are a GREAT MAN of God… and your father is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo blessed by your life and ministry.
I am humbled by your life.
