At age 14, Martín Torres hit rock bottom.
His father had repeatedly abandoned their family to chase his drug addiction, leaving Martín to find work in their impoverished neighborhood. Martín’s last hope for a better future dissolved when his father returned one day, only to steal his meager savings.
Late that night, too distressed to sleep, he begged God, “Either end my life or transform it.”
Suddenly, God brought to Martín’s mind the gospel message he had heard as a child. “I understood that God was not only my Savior but also my Father,” he said, “and he not only wanted to change my life but to use it for something very special.”
A gifted musician, he began playing worship music in a local church. As a young adult, he left his career in music to attend the ABWE-founded Baptist Theological Seminary (BTS) in Lima, with the help of a scholarship, to gain solid biblical training to reach other Peruvians for Christ. He now pastors a church plant focused on reaching people involved in the music and film industries, and he still partners with ABWE missionaries—the men who previously taught him in the faith—to train the next generation of church leaders for gospel impact.
“In Peru, many pastors serve the Lord with all their heart, but they don’t have sufficient training to do it effectively,” he explained.
At BTS, ABWE missionaries and Peruvian professors provide university-level education so that pastors and church leaders can learn how to effectively study and teach God’s Word, provide biblical counseling, and serve in global missions. Currently, more than 200 students from 18 Latin American countries are enrolled at BTS—and many already serve in ministry.
