It became the custom of Ricardo and others of his friends to preach the Gospel in the town where Gomez had often been in prison, before the Lord saved him by His matchless grace. He now longed for others to know his Savior.
One day the missionary and five brethren decided to visit this same town, known to be fanatical, to preach the Gospel. They had not been there long when the church bells began to ring very loudly. Soon two policemen appeared and arrested the five brethren but, for some reason not known then, they did not arrest the missionary. It soon became apparent why the Lord allowed him to remain free.
The brethren were first put in the local jail and later deported to Argentina, without extra clothes, beds or money. They were not even permitted to advise their families of their predicament.
After much prayer the missionary, by the grace of God, was able to find out where his dear brethren had been taken. He felt he should see the Governor of the State, whom he knew well, to tell him what had happened to his friends and to plead for their return to their families. Upon hearing of the imprisonment and deportation of the five Bolivians, the Governor not only had them brought back to Bolivia, but also gave them a letter which permitted them to continue to preach the Gospel of the grace of God in that town. They were in Argentina over a week before being returned to their native country.
The Governor sent for the policemen, whom he reprimanded, telling them if they did it again, they would lose their positions. "Furthermore," he added, "these are honest men. They were only preaching the Word of God which is permitted in this land. They are not to be molested again."
It was with happy hearts that the brethren returned to their families, rejoicing in their deliverance and in the love and mercy of their Lord and Savior. The night of their deliverance was a happy occasion at the Meeting Hall, also. During the meeting the missionary asked how they felt when they were in prison and put out of their own country. One older brother, with the joy of the Lord shining in his face, said, "The Word of God says, 'If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified' (1 Peter 4:1414If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. (1 Peter 4:14)). This gave us peace." Truly the Lord had sustained these dear brothers during their trial.
While Gomez had been imprisoned in this fanatical town for his misdeeds, he had made some friends. One friend was still in prison after Gomez left. Gomez had a powerful voice which could be heard well at a distance, and the Lord used his voice to the salvation of his friend in prison. The friend heard the preaching and recognized the voice of his former prison friend. He listened very carefully whenever Gomez spoke, and the Lord graciously saved him during that time.
It was not long afterward that he was released. The first thing he did was to look up his old friend Gomez to tell him how he had been saved in prison while listening to his street preaching. He started to attend the meetings with Gomez and was soon gathered to the Lord's name, to remember Him in His death. It was not long before he, too, joined the little group in the Plaza to preach the Gospel of the grace of God to others.