05/14/2026
Congratulations Hunter Martel!
We celebrate your graduation from Shiloh Ministries, and your powerful testimony of redemption! We celebrate what The Lord has done, and is doing in your life!
" My name is Hunter Martel. I am 28 years old from Eunice, LA.
As a child I grew up in the city.
My grandfather owned 3 cattle farms. I worked on farms during my childhood.
My dad was in and out of prison and rehab.
I truly love my parents.
While growing up I was in and out of trouble a lot in school. Experimenting with drugs, w**d, alcohol, and pills. Before the age of 16, I had experimented with every drug except he**in. I got kicked out at 16 years old. I ran to the streets of Eunice trying to find love. I didn’t know what love truly was. I used things I could get or buy. I partied every chance I got. I started getting involved with a street gang in my hometown, doing bad things to fit in, sooner or later that was my life. I did every drug, and was addicted to that lifestyle, and the drugs I was using. I was in and out of jail. Running, running every day. No one could tell me different than what I thought. I lost all I had, and when I got it back, I gave it away due to my actions and drugs. I came to a point in my life where I could not stop for nothing. Violence and survival were my main priorities. I was involved in some high-speed chases, and I came to a turn, flipping the car 4 times with not a scratch on my body. I was at gun point. I ended up in Allen parish corrections with 16 charges in Allen parish, 7 in St. Landry, and 8 in Eunice. I was doomed. I tried everything to get out of jail. I was told I was going to prison for a very long time. I had 28 felony charges and 4 misdemeanor charges. Nothing man could do for me from this grave I put myself in. I sat there for 14 months and prayed to God to help me change my life. Then one morning getting out of solitary confinement tank, I got offered to a year long program at Shiloh Ministries in Liberty, Texas.
God has revealed Himself to me. There’s so much power in His hands. He brought me out of that jail cell, sat me at his feet, and completely changed my life. He has reconciled me with my family and brought me out of that prison sentence. Nothing could take me from the power of God or tell me He does not care for me.
Psalm 40:1-5, states, "He brought me out of the pit of despair; out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked. He has given me a new song to sing; a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what He has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. Oh, the joy of those who trust in the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. O Lord my God you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all of your wonderful deeds I would never come to the end of them."
God’s timing is always worth waiting for. He wants to provide all our needs, but He will not force anything on us. God’s infinite power will change our lives only if we let Him. Our past is not a way of living. It is a lesson learned. And it will repeat itself till we learn from it… our failures are the most powerful teacher. How we handle it will determine whether we’re going to simply ‘get by’ in life, or ‘press on.’ Hebrews 10:36 states, " Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will receive all that He has promised."
