One day after Fabian Estrada left Potosi to preach the Gospel, the missionary visited Potosi to see how the little group of believers there was getting along. He also wanted to inquire as to the welfare of Fabian's wife and children. As he walked down the street toward the Meeting Room, he saw a man ahead of him who was so drunk that he was staggering down the street from side to side. The missionary was afraid he would fall on his face on the cobblestones. He was dirty and unshaven with long, tangled hair and ragged clothes, though his clothes looked as if they had originally been an expensive make.
The missionary hastened his steps toward him and took him firmly but gently by the arm. The man pulled away from him saying unpleasantly, "Who are you? Leave me alone!"
The missionary replied, "I am just an evangelist. I was afraid you were going to fall. May I take you home?"
Surprised, the man asked, "Why do you even touch me? Everybody else runs away from me."
The missionary answered, "We are all the same in God's sight. I want you to know He loves you as He loves me, and sent His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for you, to redeem you from your sins and from this kind of life you are now living." He quoted John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16): "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
The poor man listened quietly. Just then they passed the little Meeting Room. The missionary pointed it out to the drunken man, saying, "This is our Gospel Hall. I will take you home before I go in. If you would like to come to the Gospel meeting some evening at seven o'clock, you are very welcome." He then took him home, holding him by the arm to keep him from falling. He did not live too far from the Meeting Room, but oh! what a terrible "home."
The missionary found out later that his name was Ricardo Gomez and that he was from Chile. He had owned two jewelry stores there and was very rich when he came to Bolivia, but he had sold all he had for drink. He had come to Potosi looking for gold, was unsuccessful, and lost all he had. He became a "drunken sot," as he called himself.
He continued to attend the meetings and was very brightly saved. To the joy of the missionary he heard that Gomez was also preaching the Gospel in the Meeting Hall and on the street corner. Next time the missionary went back to Potosi he could not believe his eyes; Gomez had changed so! He was truly a new creature in Christ Jesus.
One day the missionary met the Governor of the Province of Potosi, who asked him, "Whatever have you done to Gomez? He was the worst character in Potosi. We didn't know what to do with him. He was in and out of prison so many times; we even considered sending him back to Chile. Now he is the mildest character, and he is loved by everyone, even the children. Everyone was afraid of him before."
Smiling the missionary replied, "That is what Christ can do for lost souls when they accept Him as their own personal Savior and trust in His precious blood to wash their sins away. 'For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved' " (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)).
The Governor was silent for a moment before saying, "If Christ can do that for a man like Gomez, it is surely worthwhile knowing Him as Savior."
As he handed him a little Gospel of John, the missionary told him, "Here is a little book that will tell you how much God loves you, too."