This happened in 1977 in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. I came one afternoon to escort Don Ramón to the church afternoon service. We were going to have a baptism, and since we were giving him Bible studies, I wanted to see if he would also make a decision to join the heavenly family, so I had invited him in advance to ensure that he would be there.

Since I did not own a car at that time, I walked to his house, located in a series of alleys in the eastern side of the city. I knocked his door and had no answer. Again and again I knocked. Disappointed, I decided that he was not home, so I started to be in my way back when I heard the soft- spoken voice of his neighbor, whom I had never met before. And boy was he drunk! He told me that Don Ramón wasn’t home but that he was willing to go with US to church. I was not only gladly surprised by the self-invitation, but also because he referred to “us,” since I was alone.

We walked to the church, after introducing each other, and when he sat in the back of a 300 hundred-member church. After the nice baptismal service and sermon, the pastor made the altar call. I was praying during all the service for this man to be set free form the slavery of alcohol. I approached him and asked if he wanted to accept Jesus in his life and he nodded. So I asked him if he wanted to go forward to the altar, to which he answered in the affirmative and started to walk forward. The lady (retired nurse) that sited closeby, told me not to leave him walk alone because she didn’t think that he could make it without falling on his face. I answered to her that God would help him. And He did. The drunkard didn’t walk straight, but he did not fall. That was the last time that he drank. My mother told me a few months ago that after 25 years, he still is a faithful church member and had remained alcohol free. Oh the power of our God to reach even the most hopeless of His creatures!

Martin Miranda skypilgrim@earthlink.net