Church Planter, Northern Peru

Gilberto lives in northern Peru where he serves as a church planter, pastor, and associational missionary.  God has used Gilberto to plant many churches throughout the mountains of northern Peru. There are approximately 40 churches in the association that Gilberto serves.

I remember that when I was about ten years old, my mother told that she had heard of a book called the Holy Bible. She had heard that it said that the Day of Judgment was going to be awful. After that, when I was a youth, I always had an interest in finding a copy of the Bible.

Then I became friends with the local priests and I went on to do secretarial work for them. Once I heard one of the priests mention the Bible. I asked him what he knew about the Bible and I told him that I had been trying to get a copy. The priest told me that it was not in my best interest to read the Bible and instead he took me to the bar to drink.

When I was 22 years old my neighbor told me that when he died that he had a book that he wanted me to put in his coffin. I asked him what book it was. He told me that it was called The Holy Bible. I told him that was the book that I had been looking for. I asked him if I could read it and he let me begin to come over to his house to read it. A few days later he showed up at my house with two copies of the Bible. I kept one for myself and I gave the other one to my father-in-law.

Once I had my own copy of the Bible, I began to read it every day. I became consumed with it and I even stopped going out with my friends. As I read in the Bible I found the part that my mother had told me about. Yet I was still not a Christian.

Then one day I came to the city of Sullana on some business. While I was in town I saw a Baptist Church and I saw that the door was open. So, I went in. When I went in I was surprised to find a friend of mine there. He asked me what I was doing there and if I had come to get converted. I thought about it for a little bit and then I said, "Yes, that's exactly what I want to do." So, my friend directed me to talk with the pastor, a young unmarried man named Angel C.

Angel shared with me the Gospel and I repented of my sins and believed in Christ. After that I invited Angel to come to my home to share the Gospel with my family and friends. He did so and five more people were converted. I also took him to another community nearby where several other people were converted. So, we started mission churches in each place.

So, in 1974 we planted the church where I am still pastoring. Our church has gone on to plant 10 churches and, including churches that were planted by those churches, there are now a total of 44 churches in our association of churches. I continue to pastor and I also serve as an associational missionary within the association of churches.