February 28, 2009

Hi once again from Puerto Rico. Here is the latest update from your Kingdom-building partners in Puerto Rico.

Sunday is the church’s anniversary. We are expecting a good crowd. I remember long ago when we started in our living room...one person was present. Now, many years later, we brush one-hundred from time to time and average in the eighties. Certainly there have been many ups and downs over the years, but we have always attempted to keep our face to the sunshine so we could not see the shadows (Helen Keller). I like a definition of faith I read the other day. “Faith is the refusal to panic” (D Martyn Lloyd-Jones). I have needed to read that definition several times these past few weeks. Three families, with internal family/personal struggles, have let that affect their walk with the Lord somewhat. I suppose I could “panic” but faith says, “This too shall pass. The Lord is in control. Things will improve.”

In January our youth, along with the youth from two other churches, did their annual youth retreat on top of one of the highest mountains in western Puerto Rico. The report that came back was very positive.

Two weeks later five of our ladies enjoyed the annual island-wide women’s retreat.

Then, February 8, the church held its third annual Children’s Day. It was a wonderful occasion and ninety-six were present that day. Of those, thirty-five were children. There was a drama, guest puppeteers, gifts for every child, and food for all.


Last week we were blessed with a guest men’s trio. These men were masterful in their presentation. The whole congregation listened with delight as they played the strings off of their guitars, sang and gave testimony of God’s presence in their lives.

Nearly all of our ministries in the church are doing well. The benevolence ministry is finally moving forward after a slow start. We are sponsoring a clothing drive to help relieve some of the misery of street people. Our island is besieged with people enslaved to drugs and everywhere we go we see souls living on the street and panhandling to survive and support their sad state of affairs. Our efforts are coordinated with an existing street ministry in the city of Aguadilla.

The struggling economy has also taken its toll on Puerto Rico. In our church alone, three families have lost their jobs and others already without work are looking high and low for employment. Our official unemployment is at seventeen percent and unofficially it is over twenty percent. Whew!

In light of things here and in the U.S. we always give thanks for your faithful support and interest in this ministry.


Sincerely,

Johnathan and Mary Reece

Cross-cultural ministers to Puerto Rico