Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints. (Psalm 116:15)
All of us have faced the death of friends and loved ones. Just a few weeks ago, tragedy hit the Cruz family. My older brother, Frank, 74, was abducted and brutally murdered in Puerto Rico. Frank had been a pastor for many years as well as running a drug rehab center. His shocking death has left many questions. As I write, the local police are still investigating this crime. I ask for your prayers for our family, and especially for his wife, Mary, and their children and grandchildren. (I am writing more about my brother, Frank, in my upcoming book, The Devil has no Mother, scheduled for release later this year.)
Nicky Cruz speaking at a church
Edgar
Several years ago, I was conducting a series of crusades in El Salvador. I had received a request to visit the maximum security prison where the leaders of the two major gangs in this hemisphere are incarcerated (the 18th Street Gang, and MS 13). I have been told by people in Central America as well as by the U.S. Department of Justice that these organizations are responsible for much of the drug trafficking that occurs from that area, up through Mexico and into the US. More than this, it has been documented that Islamic terrorists groups fund these gangs in their on-going attempt to destabilize the US.
During the crusades in El Salvador, I was asked to meet with the President of the country – Antonio Saca – to discuss their problems with gangs and crime. The request to visit the prison actually came from the prisoners themselves, many of whom had read Run, Baby, Run. Due to an extremely hectic schedule, I was unable to visit the prison at that time. When the leader of one of the gangs inside the prison called me personally, I promised him that I would return.
The first opening in my schedule was a few months later, on my birthday. There were hundreds of men inside the prison, most of them tattooed from head to toe, who essentially had control of the prison. Just weeks prior to my visit, there had been a riot where 8 inmates had been killed and a Catholic priest had been kidnapped.
So, on December 6th, I walked into the prison with a couple of friends and spent the next 4 hours ministering, praying and leading many to the Lord. The prisoners surprised me with a birthday cake, fried chicken, and bottled water (you do not even want to know what kind and color of water they have to drink!).
During that visit, I met the top two gang leaders for one of the gangs – El Viejo Lin and Edgar (his street name was El Diablo – The Devil). Both accepted Christ that day. After returning to the U.S. I spoke with them several times over the phone (they both had cell phones!).
Edgar was released not long after that meeting and began to be discipled by a local pastor. Edgar soon began to testify in churches about his dramatic conversion. One day he accompanied a missionary to testify at a high school in an area where there were rival gangs. After the assembly, several rival gang members followed Edgar and the missionary. They were cornered and shot multiple times. The missionary was injured severely and died a few hours later; Edgar was killed instantly, leaving behind a wife.
Urgency
Nicky Cruz preaching in the streets
God is using these two tragedies to continue to inspire me and create a sense of urgency in reaching others for Christ. Life is short and there are no guarantees. But God is faithful and trustworthy. In Psalm 37, King David describes the reactions most people have when confronted by evil and evil doers: fear or envy. But David chooses a third reaction:
“Trust in the Lord and do good…commit your way to the Lord…Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” (vv. 3,4,7)
This is an evil world and evil things will continue to happen. Our only choice is to continue to trust in Him, to keep fighting for His Kingdom and to stay close to Him.
Thank you for your continued support in prayers and finances. I have seen thousands come to Christ over the past several weeks. There is such a hunger and desperation out there. If you and I aren’t the ones presenting the answer, the only answer, then the enemy will offer his counterfeit answer. My prayer is that as you continue to invest in His work through NCO and TRUCE, He will in turn supply your needs miraculously.
Continuing to trust,
Nicky Cruz
P.S. Pray for Gloria and me as we prepare to go to Latvia and the Ukraine next month to minister to hundreds of Slavic pastors and thousands of Slavic people. Also, your continued support helps us to minister to people such as these two who sent in these prayer requests in the last several months: “Nicky, please pray for my 15-year-old daughter who was gang raped…,” “I feel like I shouldn’t be alive sometimes…I need help…” The need is great.
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints. (Psalm 116:15)”