Birthplace: My name is Marco Aurelio Augusto Martinez Arroyo; my parents are Luis Felipe Martinez Farfan and Melva Nancy Arroyo Viteri. There 6 siblings—Luis Eduardo Manuel (30), Jenny Melva (28), Patzy Beatriz (27), Me (26), Daniela Sebastiana (22), and Jonathan Josue (21). I was born on February 15, 1979, in the Jesus Maria district, in the Province of Lima , in the Department of Lima, Peru. 

How I came to Know Christ: Right when I was born my father was converted to Christianity. However, it wasn't until I was 12 years old that I was saved in a church anniversary campaign. Because I had understood the plan of salvation, the pastor was able to see clearly from that day on that I was saved. How God changed my Life: Everything was good as I was growing up until I was 16 years old, when I became curious about the things of the world. I got a job in the “Goldex” and was in a good position; and, because of the workload, I began to miss church services. Also, I was earning a lot of money; and I began to compromise more and more socially. I changed the type of music I listened to, and I began to frequent clubs and parties. I had the opportunity to enter into a music group where we sang at parties for the space of about one-one and a half years. We started to present ourselves in club concerts, and none of the points of relationship with the church or the things of God were important to me. Leading this type of life, I met a drug-dealing friend of high rank, who was older than I was, who became my friend because I looked like his dead brother. I met him in a club, and he told me about his life. Even though he did not give me any details of his life, he told me about his experience. He had a lot of money, a new car, cute girlfriends, he new models and this type of thing. So, I lived like a lost person, with women, gambling, and cigarettes. Thank God that this man helped me to not become involved in drugs, not even marijuana. He always perverted me with women and alcohol. He “loved” me his way, until I became their prisoner, and I did not know anything of him. Being in this type of world, in improper places, I know deep down “You are a child of God; you have got to change!” But, I turned a deaf ear to it, and I did not want to hear warnings. I lived in my grandparents' house; my parents did not enter into what I did because they thought that I just worked. In time, I started to become bored of my life, the gambling, the money, the music, and even the women—everything that was enjoyable for a short time very quickly became very old. I was in anguish; I had a battle between God and my flesh. One day, arriving at my grandparents' house, about one o'clock in the morning after having argued, I was mad because I had no feeling in my life, and I thought that God could not forgive me of all the things that I had done. The strange thing was that when I turned on the radio there was a Christian broadcasting station, and I never touched those dials. And, in the bed with my cigarette in my hand, as I listened to the preacher, that spoke about the first love of a Christian, I began to miss the moments that I had passed at God's side, I missed singing to him in the morning like I used to, I missed talking with Him, and the thing I missed the most was telling him with all of my strength that I loved Him. I knew that I couldn't. 

But the preacher defied me to change my life and give up everything for God…while I was in the bed thinking…I heard the voice of the enemy that told me that I wasn't worth anything, and it seemed that the preacher knew what happened and said: “Satan is a liar and wants to deceive us because he knows that we are children of the great King.” These words I remember clearly! I put out my cigarette and knelt in my bed and with much crying, I asked him to forgive me, pouring out my soul before Him. I told Him that would go to Him because He was the only person who had the solution, and that I had no one else to go to. God's answer was immediate; I was able to understand that His arms were extended to me, offering me his forgiveness, giving me a new hope, a new opportunity. The next day was Sunday, and I went to church. At the end of the service, I spoke with my father, who was the pastor; and I told him everything that I had been. I asked forgiveness for all that I had done, and that he would give me the opportunity to ask the church for forgiveness. It was very painful for the brethren of the church, and for my own brothers and sisters hearing every work of what I had been and done. It was a great blessing because that same day many young people went out with me and asked forgiveness from the church for the lives that they were leading. It was a day of victory for the children of God and His church. From that day on, the only thing that I have wanted was to give him everything that I have left of my life in order to please God. What the book of Hebrews says about faith and the great examples of the Bible like Samson, Barak and others who, through faith, conquered kings and received promises, and others who died by the edge of the sword, and the great suffering that they experienced, some until they were completely devoid of themselves to preach the Word has impacted and influenced my life very much. 

My Calling into the Ministry: In 2003, in a Word of Life camp, in Canete, I listened to a pastor named Beto Mayta. He preached about the importance of taking the gospel that he had a secular job and a good economic position. He left everything and this influenced me, and I made the decision to take the gospel to the Muslims. And in my heart, I decided that it did not matter to me what happened in my life, I wanted and still want to give Him everything that I am. I prayed very much for a place to prepare myself, a place where I could be ready for every building, if the doors were open to me to go and study the Word of Life; but, in time I realized that God wanted me to come to Arequipa . The Seminary has helped me to se clearly that God had a plan for my life; and, hearing the messages by Brother Edgar Feghaly, I can understand in a more clear way the reason that God has brought me here. I never knew that the missionary had a plan to go to the Muslim world. I believe God brought me here for this purpose. 

My Plans for the Future: When I told all this to my girlfriend, Rocio, we cried together because we could see that God considered us in His plan, in his work; and that it is out desire to be able to work not only with the Muslims, but with all mankind. We would like to go to the east, and take the gospel to the people there. Even though it's not easy I am not afraid to go to them, because I know that God will give me all that I am lacking and that even though in my heart, I have a desire to work in Spain with Brother Beto Mayta. I desire that God will take me to the place that He wants me to be. I know that God will provide all our necessities; we pray that God will affirm us in His ministry and will guide us into his perfect will.