Hispanic School student wants
to reach those he left behind
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___SAN ANTONIO--Henry Flores had been on a three-day drinking binge before he became a Christian.
___And on that night, he faced a choice between going to another keg party or giving his brother-in-law a ride to a revival meeting at a Baptist church.
___He chose what was for him the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference in his life since then.
___The San Angelo native arrived late at the revival meeting in Idalou that April night, but he was especially attentive because he wanted to know about Jesus.
___Just the week before, his wife had recommitted her life to Christ and promised God that she would serve him--with or without the support of her husband.
___At the revival, Flores heard about Jesus, and he responded by saying, "I want that Jesus in my life."
___He went home and told his wife: "From this day, you will never see me drink again. You will never see me use drugs again."
___The keg he always carried in his truck was indeed put away, and he did stop drinking, he said. After about a month, however, he fell back into smoking marijuana.
___He went to his pastor for help.
___"You've always been used to having your way," the pastor told him. "It's time to let God have his way."
___That was just the pep talk Flores needed. "Every time I had the urge, I'd get on my knees and pray, 'God, I can't do this, but you can.'"
___And the urge to smoke marijuana came under control.
___But he still had struggles with Christian living, he said. Over time, though, with help from fellow members of Segundo Iglesia Bautista in San Angelo, he came to feel more comfortable with the demands of Christ on his life, and he began sharing his faith with others.
___Several years later, he became a deacon in the church. When the church was without a pastor, the deacons took turns preaching.
___On the day it was Flores' turn to preach, his message on Abraham heeding the call of God got through loud and clear--to him. That day, he realized God was calling him to be a pastor.
___Flores had worked 13 years at the Levi Strauss plant in San Angelo. He had a wife and three children to care for. He knew he needed further education, but wasn't sure where to go.
___A pastor from another church told him about Hispanic Baptist Theological School in San Antonio, an institution of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
___He and his wife decided that was the place to go, so they sold their house in San Angelo and packed off for San Antonio. "If the Lord's calling me, I'm going," he said.
___Over the last three years of study at Hispanic Theological School, Flores has been reminded over and again that this is exactly the right place for him, he said. "I'm learning how to preach, how to interpret the Bible, how to counsel people."
___But more than those basics that might be found at many seminaries, Flores is learning about Hispanic cultures and how to bring the gospel to people in those cultures.
___"These are my people teaching me things," he said. "I've got professors who have been out in the streets, been preaching. They know what they're talking about."
___From these professors and his fellow students, Flores has learned that there are many Hispanic cultures, each requiring a different understanding.
___"We have people from Nicaragua, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Mexico, and the school itself has taught me how to work together with people of other cultures," Flores said. His teachers are helping him learn "not to bring my culture to work with people but to learn their culture."
___He's gained practical experience as associate pastor of Pinn Oaks Baptist Church in San Antonio and now as pastor of Mision Bautista Rainbow Hills.
___His wife, Isabel, is now a student at Hispanic Theological School as well. "We're a team," he explained.
___And as he looks around San Antonio and sees some Hispanics living the life he used to live, Flores feels an urgent need to reach them with the good news that changed his life.
___"I see a great need to teach them that God loves them and there is a better way to live," he said. "I lived that life. I've been there."
___
The Baptist Standard
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