May 22, 2018

Mom needs a repaired roof

Good morning. The calendar reminds me we are in the last third of the month. Wow, time is moving quickly. This past month has been filled with a flurry of events and activities. Perhaps I should make a comment or two about the continued hurricane relief effort even though we are at the eight month mark. Presently I am working with seven families providing them with roofing supplies, mattresses or some appliances. I received a call last night from an individual who had lost the roof of his home and all its contents. Finally, he is able to move back in and is ready for the help we had promised him. I got another call today asking if I could help a pastor in a town on the southwest-side of the island who lost everything.  Yet another case, the lady pictured to the left lost most of the roof to her home. She is a single mom. Her husband abandoned her and her two children soon after the storm. I have seen so many similar cases. It is heart-breaking. We bought her roofing materials. At last count we have helped one-hundred and fifteen families recover a sense of normality with the purchase of major appliances, furniture, roofing and flooring and even car repairs. This weighted focus is ending as we come to the end of our available funds. It has been quite an experience.

Food storage workshop

Although all of the islanders are looking anxiously towards hurricane season, which is right around the corner, perhaps our biggest threat isn't a hurricane of the magnitude of Maria. Such a devastating storm comes only every eighty or ninety years, on average. However, in the back of the mind of so many on the island, is the very real possibility of a major earthquake. These have occurred since the seventeenth century with startling regularity, every seventy years. In 2018 we are thirty years over the average time lapse and everyone is expecting the big one at any moment.  In an effort to prepare our church members we have, in the past, and again last Saturday, offered a workshop on how to vacuum pack food to last at least five years. The group was smaller than we had expected, around ten. We will offer it again before too long.

Church events have been coming and going like clockwork. The end of April, after church, the sky above the church property was dotted with homemade kites and the air was heavy with the fragrance of roasted hotdogs. We had a good crowd and an enjoyable couple of hours together.

Mothers' Day was also a big deal. It always is all across the island and our church is no exception. Every year we go all-out to make sure the mothers are honored. The service included a brief sermon, special music, interpretive dance by the girls of the church, gifts for the moms and the whole day was tied together with some shared goodies in the basement. Attendance was down a little; we had expected over one-hundred but had ninety.

VBS

This week, under the guidance of Santos Torres, my colleague, the church is providing the refreshments for a VBS in a public housing area. Chad Mayes from Haroldsburg, KY and Asbury University athletes are providing sports and handcrafts for the outreach effort. Last night, the first night, seventy children showed up.

Finally, just in passing, the United Women ministry as well as the Prayer ministry have had well attended events this past month. The women are pumped. The girls in the interpretative dance ministry meet each week to polish the movements for the songs we will be singing the following Sunday. The youth are excited about helping teach the smaller children during Jr. church. There are other good things happening (including new air conditioners for the auditorium) but I will spare you those details.  I suppose I should stop. Blessings to you.


Johnathan and Mary