As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every VALLEY shall be filled, and every MOUNTAIN and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth. (Mark 6:4)
Greetings once again from the Breaker’s,
Through the years, we’ve had our ups and downs. Our lives can easily be summed up as a trek through many hills and valleys. (And, lately a lot more valleys than hills!).
Looking back, it seems like just about the time we get up on a mountain high with the Lord, we get knocked off into a valley by the devil. And many times when we’ve found ourselves destitute in the valley of despair, suddenly our great God and Saviour plucks us up and sets us again on the mountain of joy and victory!
As time passes on, the wicked world in which we live makes the mountains look smaller and the valleys look deeper. Still we press on, enjoying each victory, no matter how small it might be, while enduring each obstacle in our path, that would plummet us into a valley of despair. Our only hope is keeping our eyes on our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For He is God in both the hills and the valleys!
VALLEY # 1 FIXING
It’s amazing to me how God works. And even more amazing when circumstances work out in such a way that you know for sure it was God’s will to witness to someone.
The beginning of March, I drove with a friend to California for a meeting when my vehicle broke down in Vicksburg, Mississippi. We thought it ran out of gas, and were blest to be able to coast into a gas station while the engine was off. We thought it had something to do with the fuel line, so we changed the fuel filter, and did several other inspections before finally seeking professional help. Eventually, God brought into our path a young mechanic named Michael Barnett who worked on my vehicle until late in the evening. It being so late, I was tired and didn’t feel like witnessing to him, so when he drove me up to the parts store, I remained quiet. (Have you ever done that?)
It turns out we bought the wrong part, and the parts house was closed, so we had to go to his house for something to fix my truck. As we drove the 40 minutes there and back, I thought to myself, “Okay, God must really want me to talk to this guy, and I’m a fool for not speaking up sooner, so I’m going make sure I do so and give him the Gospel as plainly as possible!”
He claimed to be a Christian, but as we talked it was clear he was not. He eventually confessed he didn’t know where he was going when he died, and that he was trusting in his own works, hoping God would accept those.
I took him through the scriptures and showed him a bloody, crucified, and risen Saviour, pointing him to Jesus Christ’s finished work on Calvary as the only means of salvation.
Afterwards, he looked at me and said, “Wow, that’s the best I’ve ever heard it stated! You summed it up more clearly in just four sentences than I’ve heard it preached in my whole life in church!”
He then said he understood and accepted it, trusting only in the shed blood of Jesus Christ as sufficient to give him eternal life. I don’t know if he got saved then or not, (he might have believed only in his head and not his heart),but I could tell he certainly latched onto the message, asking me question after question. It’s one of those things where you don’t know his heart, but you can tell he was searching for truth and soaking it up while listening to me.
Late in the evening, he fixed my truck, and I drove to the closest hotel. Right when I pulled into the driveway, the vehicle quit, and I again called Michael to come help. He worked for another couple of hours, and even came back the next morning to finish fixing the vehicle.
We joked God must have wanted him to hear something, and that’s why my truck kept breaking down. But, I believe that’s exactly what happened! Please pray for Michael, if he’s not saved, he’d get saved, and if he is saved, he’d grow in the Lord. The last thing he said was, “I want you to come back to Vicksburg and preach to my family!”
Please pray God would open that door.
MOUNTAIN # 1 FURNISHING PEOPLE WITH A PURE SPANISH BIBLE
In Selma, California, I had a great opportunity to preach both a Mission’s Conference, and a Spanish Bible Conference in a newly formed Spanish-Speaking church. God really opened the eyes of the people who before used the corrupt 1960 Spanish Bible. The Pastor even told me that before the meeting, many of the people told him, “We are not going to give up our beloved 1960!”
But after three days of services lasting well over an hour and a half each, the people saw the errors in the corrupt 1960, and willingly changed to the pure Valera 1602 Purified. Many came up to me afterwards, thanking me for coming and telling them the truth. It’s always a blessing when people hear the truth and receive it gladly!
The Pastor of another Spanish-Speaking church in the area came to one of the meetings, and spoke with me before service. He belongs to the big Independent Fundamentalist 1960 Spanish Bible crowd (which I like to call the MAFIA) who attacks anyone that attacks their (per) version (the equivalent of an RSV in Spanish). He told me who he was and who he ran with (their “group” is all about following men instead of following God), and bragged on his “camp” (standard operating procedure).
He then said, “Do you know about those who attack the 1960 Spanish Bible version, and those that are producing newer versions?” (He thought at first I was in favor of the 1960 and on his side).
I replied, “I know all about those, and that’s exactly what I’m going to talk about tonight.”
He then continued by talking bad about those who were not in favor of the corrupt 1960. I let him tighten his own noose, before finally butting in and responding, “Hey brother, thanks for your comments, but I’d like to respectfully inform you that I’m not for the liberal 1960 Spanish Bible put out by the United Bible Societies which have an agreement with the Pope. Nor am I for it because it was heavily influenced by Eugene Nida, who produced the damnable theory of dynamic equivalence, and who was instrumental in producing almost all modern critical text versions of the bible in many different languages, nor do I use it because it allows women deacons, leaves Jesus Christ still in the grave, and says a person doesn’t have to forgive his brother here on earth, rather until after he gets to heaven.”
The pastor’s face changed, and he looked at me and said, “Um, what Bible do you use, then?” I replied, “The Valera 1602 Purified!”
He then responded, “Oh, that’s a good one, and that’s the one I do my daily Bible reading out of, as it’s based on the right texts!”
I wish I could have spoken to him more, but it’s clear, he uses the 1960 because he runs with a group of others that do the same, yet he reads ours knowing it’s the best.
Towards the end of the meeting, one of the men in the church gave me a small 1960 Spanish Bible entitled, “La Edición Bautista Fundamental” (The Fundamentalist Baptist Edition). On the first page I was shocked to see the same satanic symbol that appears on the New King James Version in English. If modern Fundamentalists continue to use and follow the corrupt 1960 Spanish Bible, they are not only getting closer to Rome, but also to Satanism. God help us, but they are already headed that way.
VALLEY # 2 FASTING
I promised myself never to travel without my wife. However, recent circumstances (my Dad’s death and my stepmom’s leaving us) have made us unable to travel together, as we have to take care of my grandmother. So I made the trip to California without Laura. But we made sure we followed 1 Corinthians 7 about fasting when we had to be apart (something not too many missionaries, pastors, or evangelist do nowadays. We just wish to be faithful in following God’s word).
Fasting and hard traveling eventually lead my becoming ill with a sore throat, body aches, and fever, yet I pressed on and went on visitation with a brother from the church in Selma, California who took me to the little town of Orange Grove. Most of this area was Hispanic, and we found ourselves witnessing door to door to many Spanish speakers.
As you know, seldom do Americans invite you in to speak anymore, but Hispanics are different, and we had a great visit with an elderly lady and her daughter in their living room. After trying to witness to her mother, and getting no where, I turned to her daughter, and witnessed for over thirty minutes. The Bible says that His strength is made perfect in our weakness, and being sick, I could really tell God was speaking through me and convicting her of her sin. Unfortunately she chose to put off salvation to another day. Please pray for her salvation. Her name is Esmerelda.
VALLEY # 3 FAMILY AFFAIRS
After my father’s death, my wife and I have been going through a lot of changes. We’ve had to move to my grandmother’s house in Milton, Florida, and use it as our base for the ministry, as we watch after her. We’ve also had to leave our Alabama house in the middle of restoration because my Dad’s wife is seeking lawyers against us (the house is 2/3 in our names, and 1/3 in hers). She desires us to buy her out, but is asking far more than a fair price. She might even try to force the sale of the house at auction, but if that happens, we’ll all get far less then the value of the house.
She’s also gone after my grandmother with lawyers, trying to get money out of her. Luckily, they have no case against my grandmother, but please pray this hassle would be over soon. It’s hard to sleep, or make plans not knowing what’s going to happen next.
Our plan was to sell the Alabama house after we fixed it up, so we could use the money to live on and to help in the ministry. But we can’t do anything until this is all over.
Sadly, our good names have been slandered through all this, and family members of my stepmom who before wanted to have me over to tell them how to get saved, have now decided they want nothing to do with us or God, even going so far as to call us “Stupid Breakers.” It’s sad. Please pray for their salvation though, as we hold no grudge, and earnestly want to see them saved.
MOUNTAIN # 2 FELLOWSHIP
Something we’ve greatly missed in these last days is good fellowship with other Christians. It seems like everybody wants to talk about everything but the Lord nowadays, and it’s hard for iron to sharpen iron. But God’s been good to give us some good fellowship these last couple of months.
On the trip to California, I enjoyed four days of constant fellowship on the road with an old Bible School Buddy. It was awesome to talk about the Lord and what He’s doing with us, what He’s put us through, and how He’s been so faithful.
We also had some great fellowship at a revival in Tallahassee, Florida, in April, with an evangelist and his wife. They too, like us, see the fallacy of the “Ask Jesus Into Your Heart” modern gospel which is so blatantly preached nowadays. It was great to see there are others out there like ourselves that are preaching the old blood-stained Gospel of the cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, even though it’s not popular to do so.
VALLEY # 4 FALLACIES
I wish it was all peaches and cream. It’d be nice if the ministry was all a bed of roses. And how great it’d be to have good fellowship all the time. But unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Instead, just about the time we think all is well, and everything is going fine, we get a letter like the one I’ve enclosed here with this prayer letter from an ill-informed pastor who says I’ve done nothing in the ministry and I am a complete blank. It’s sad that a pastor would write such a terrible letter. It’s even sadder still that every word of it is a complete lie. I don’t know who told him such vicious falsehoods and deceitful fabrications of the truth, but he swallowed them hook, line, and sinker.
It always amazes me how others think they can “judge your motives,” and yet be so completely wrong. One thing I’ve learned in the ministry is almost everything someone accuses you of is the very thing (or things) they are guilty of themselves!
Our only solace is knowing that the attacks in his letter are not true. But I do want you to see what kind of correspondence we have to endure for our stand for the Blood, the Book and the Blessed hope. I’ve intentionally left the pastor unnamed as not to hurt him or his ministry.
I wrote the pastor back humbly, only citing the words of George Muller which he spoke against his enemies, “I am content to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, and let Him confirm my character!”
Please pray for us though, as such letters, however false they might be, are so discouraging. Especially when we are in the valley and not up on the mountain.
Luckily, we received an email from a lady (also included in this prayer letter) that is just the opposite, in which she encourages us greatly and thanks us for our ministry.
MOUNTAIN # 3 OUR BRILLANT FAWN OF A DAUGHTER
Even though God took one daughter from us in Honduras several years ago, God has been so good to us, by giving us another. We count ourselves greatly blessed with our baby girl Emma, who is now 16 months old. Even in the deepest valley, we can’t help but be cheered up when we tell her, “We love you!” and she happily responds, “I love you too!”
She also comes up to us and gives us hugs and kisses. It makes everything worthwhile! And it reminds us how blessed we really are! No trial seems to big, no valley seems to deep when we look into her little blue eyes and see her smiling back at us! She is now learning her A-B-C’s. Or maybe I should say, she’s repeating them after us. She has yet to memorize them. But she is so very smart using words like, “Happy,” “Dadda,” “Momma,” “Please,” “Juice,” “Hug,” “Dog,” “Cat,” “Home,” and more. Because she’s so cute, and we are so blessed, we couldn’t help but make sure to include a picture of her in this prayer letter.
VALLEY # 5 FURLOUGH?
As we’ve mentioned before, family problems have left us uncertain of our future, as we battle lawyers, false brethren, and angry family members who despise us and maliciously attack us. Because of this, we’ve realized we need a break to take care of many pressing matters my father’s death has incurred. So many things have stacked up, that we need to attend to them.
Being in the ministry since 1993, and a missionary since 1998, I’ve never taken a real furlough. Oh, on three different occasions I’ve taken a month out of my busy schedule to take a trip or travel. Once was to come back to the U.S. and get married. But, I’ve never done what most missionaries do, which is to take a year long furlough every five to seven years. I don’t like the idea of taking that much time off from the ministry. It’s always been “Go, go, go!” with very little time to rest.
After praying about this for a long time, we’ve decided to take some time off. We just have too much we must attend to, which can no longer be put off.
I figure it’ll take three to six months, but then again it might be less. We only ask for your prayers as we take some time off to get our affairs in order. Please pray during this time we might get the Alabama house fixed too, and sold, as that would be a great blessing, and a great burden off our backs.
Our plan is to get to the point where we can leave the U.S. and live in a foreign country for good, as we carry the Gospel far and near for the glory of God.
In the meantime, we’ll continue sending prayer letters every two months, mailing out Bibles, and passing out tracts, while we work to get things settled. We also would like to have some meetings. If you’re interested in having me in, please contact me at the address or phone number below.
As always, thanks again for all your continued prayers and support.
Through the Valleys and the Mountains,
Robert and Laura Beth and Emma Lee Breaker
1 Sam. 12:24!
AN ENCOURAGING LETTER
Hello Bro. Breaker,
I have just recently come across your fascinating journals and website while searching for information on Ronnie Doss' orphanage where my 20 year old son, Bryce, will travel this June, alone, for 2 weeks. This has been in his heart for 2 years since we met a missionary couple from Florida who had returned from the mission field there. Bryce has been teaching himself Spanish and has a real heart for the Spanish speaking people. He has so many similar interests to you that I felt I must write you.
My son's interest in the Spanish people further piqued when my father passed away about 2 years ago in Brownsville, TX, a community directly on the Rio Grande River and minutes from Matamoros. (My condolences to you, as well, on the recent passing of your father. Your father sounded like a wonderful man, and I have never read a more beautiful obituary!). We still have my dad's house down there in Brownsville although we've earnestly tried to sell it. We now rent it out as a vacation home. The Lord has been good as having the house down there has allowed us the opportunity to go down into that area and into Mexico and has further developed my son's interest in the Spanish culture. We have recently moved to Memphis, TN (from rural Arkansas) and my son has recently helped to lead a Hispanic couple to the Lord in our home here in Memphis--his first "converts". Also, he has discovered an Independent Baptist Hispanic mission church here, and visits there regularly. He leads a Bible Study in our home, under the authority of our Pastor, [Pastor’s name] (whom we met 8 years ago when we lived in rural Arkansas, then lost contact with until recently--long story) and New Song Baptist Church out of Lafayette, TN. Bro. [Pastor’s name] is bi-vocational and he is mentoring my husband and working with him in our stone polishing business so he is frequently in our home. Bro. [Pastor’s name] has a heart for the Hispanic people, too, and was present and helped Bryce to lead the Hispanic couple to Christ. Pastor [Pastor’s name] spoke English and my son translated to them in Spanish. This really brought to light for us the Bible's reference to "speaking in tongues" as my son's Spanish is not that great, yet the Lord was able to use him that day and it was amazing to see how the Lord gave him the words for a clear presentation of the Gospel to be given! We are very excited about what the Lord is doing!! And I was very excited to recently find you on the web.
I have enjoyed reading your journals about your time in Honduras and my son is now reading them for preparation for his trip there. I am encouraged by your love for God's Word and zeal to preach the blood of Christ. This is our family's desire, too. I have a similar testimony to your wife as I was religious but lost, thinking I was saved, but realizing I had not truly repented and was not solely trusting in the blood of Christ. The Lord led me to this realization after our family moved to a podunk town in rural Arkansas where we experienced many hardships and trials which the Lord used to break me, increase our faith, and draw us closer to Him and His word.
I am writing you because Bryce seems to have many interests and convictions in common with you, including the study of the true principles behind the "War for Northern Aggression", and he also loves to write. He has written 3 books--2 of which are historical fiction based on the Civil War period and which contain a clear presentation of the Gospel and correct Bible doctrine. He has also traveled to schools, dressed as a drummer boy, and relating in first person about the Civil War and faith of the men who fought there, and has been invited by public schools to speak and offer his books and has been able to mention the Gospel as he is a "historical figure" talking. The Lord has opened many doors with this to share the Gospel. Bryce has felt the Lord has been preparing him through this for some type of evangelistic work as he has been able to travel around speaking, and through a series of events, the Lord has also emotionally detached us from "a physical home". Bryce is also a strong believer in separation of state and church and non-incorporation of the Lord's church. I really believe my son should connect with you. He, like you, has had to stand alone and with not much support. But I am beginning to see that is how the Lord tests a man's convictions and possibly prepares him for the ministry.
You also mention your sending church is Monterrey. That city has come up twice to us recently. Our pastor knows a woman who has something to do with a language school down there. And we also recently got into contact with a past church member whose father started several churches in Mexico, and she insisted our family visit a church she mentioned that is located in Monterrey. The Pastor was Spanish and so I did not catch his name, but I am curious about your sending church and who your pastor is there.
Reading about your work has been a blessing to us. When you get the time, please write back or contact my son. We would love to hear from you.
In Christ,
Letter writer’s signature
A DISCOURAGING LETTER
“Mr. Breaker,
I have neither the time nor the interest to help you into the “big time” after you failed as a missionary AND evangelist.
We didn’t dump you as a missionary because of any problem over ANY translation in ANY language. WE dropped you because:
1. You lied about being a pastor at Garcon Point—you only—“supplied” a couple of times when the pastor was absent. You didn’t win a soul to Christ the entire time you “pastured” either in Honduras.
2. You did not really pastor anyone in Honduras.
You did exactly what you are doing now---traveling back and forth to the States. THEN you were doing it to visit your girlfriend. You are now doing it to establish yourself as an authority on foreign translations—as a “saviour” to Hispanics.
3. You have always preached a lousy “Milton Gospel” established in your hometown, (Milton, Fla.)...
The $500 I gave to Park before you knew him, or met him, was after a conversation with him and a Mexican named Reyes. They told me they were interested in translating the AV into Spanish.
Neither one did. Reyes turned out to be a pastor who had some people in his church who wanted to revise another revision of Valera.
When Park sent you the letter that you mailed to me, he said, “Our positions” and “US.” He never mentioned his “buddy,” (you), the entire time I talked with him. YOU CONTACTED HIM AFTER I GAVE HIM THE MONEY.
Typical Breaker “move”!
If I had known YOU were involved in the translation, I would not have given him a dime.
No, sonny boy, I have never posed as an authority on any foreign translations. The interpreter uses Luther when I preach in Germany; the interpreter uses Valera when I preach in Mexico; the interpreter uses the version by Song Lee when I preach in Korea. I DON’T TELL ANY FOREGIN INTERPRETER WHAT BOOK HE USES; HE IS TRANSLATING FROM A KING JAMES SERMON FROM START TO FINISH.
Your position is so apparent that it is disgusting. There is nothing in anything you write that mentions LOST Hispanics or SOUL winning. Your MOTIVE of getting embroiled in an intellectual discussion over versions is ROTTEN. You are simply making a name for yourself by riding on the spirituality of “OTHERS.” In this case, Reyes, Park, Gomez, McArdle, and others.
You, yourself, have never produced anything. Now you are trying to get publicity by attacking BOOKS SO YOU CAN SELL YOUR OWN BOOKS, that is, according to your books which you sent me.
Our Mission Board and Board of Trustees know EXACTLY what your “ministry” is; that’s why they dumped you.
All of your publicity-mad little nobodies, (trying to hotdog it all the time), only want to be recognized as SPIRITUAL LEADERS. To do this, you are forced to associate yourself sooner or later with “[Pastor’s name].” You all have to hang on my shirt tail to get a hearing in the Body of Christ. Evidently, “[Pastor’s name]” must be in the spotlight since all of you are struggling to get into it. You’re getting connected with the wrong crew. Weldon Jones, (a life-long missionary to Hispanics), led more Hispanics to Jesus Christ in one YEAR with an “impure Valera” - THAN YOU DID IN 7 YEARS WHILE SPENDING YOUR TIME IN STOPPING THE PUBLICATIONS OF THE VALERA YOU DIDN’T LIKE.
Your “life work,” sonny boy, is your self-magnification of yourself as an authority on a foreign language.
I’ve never wasted half a sheet of paper, buddy, trying to prove that Diodoti, Valera, Luther, Visoiy of Michaelis were in error; nor that Olivetan or Erdosi or Song Lee should be corrected.
I was always too busy training young men as Bible believing, street preaching, soul winners, (over 400 of them), ordaining them, (over 150 of them), and sending them out as missionaries, (54 of them), to preach in 17 different foreign languages; while I was preaching in 91 prisons, where I have seen more grown men genuinely converted in A YEAR as you, or Park ,or Reyes, McVey have in seen in ten years.
In the future, send all of your mail to the head of the Bookstore, ([name left out]). I don’t have time to waste with “hot-doggers”- WHOSE MOTIVES ARE NOT TO GET ANYONE SAVED; IT IS TO MAKE A GOOD INCOME FOR THEMSELVES BY ESTABLISHING THEMSELVES AS AUTHORITIES WHO CAN CHALLENGE [Pastor’s name]. You all have to hang on my shirt tail. Wrong league, stupid. You’re not in my league, nor are your “buddies.”
You are in “THE SCHOLARLY COMMUNITY LEAGUE; STAY THERE!”
Pastor’s signature ”
[This letter is full of lies, and everything this man accuses me of is an outright lie, everything! How sad. I pray for him daily.]
