July 23, 2020

Good afternoon. It is late July and days are hot and muggy on the island. I was in TN last week and even with mid-90 temperatures the heat was not as noticeable as here. It has to do with the higher humidity and the angle of the sun's rays. July-September are not my favorites. Nevertheless, there are so many reasons to be thankful, which I believe should be quick to form on the lips of believers. The closer we walk with Him the quicker gratitude comes to the forefront of our minds.

The past three weeks have certainly been different. Ending June I performed a wedding at the church building. The reception was done in the basement. Everyone wore masks and practiced the 6' safe distance code. Three or four days later two people present at the wedding tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. Erring on the side of caution, since four families of the church were present for the wedding, the board decided to cancel the service the next day until further testing could be done. Happily, those two people, after further testing, had a negative diagnosis. Then two Sundays ago, since the church meets outdoors, the service had to be canceled at the last moment due to heavy rains. Last Sunday the attendance was way down; about half of what we had been running. I suspect with a second outbreak of the virus, many opted to stay home. Hopefully things will improve this Sunday, the 26th.

I have not met with the congregation since the end of June. I left for TN and was there till the 17th of July. Because I had been traveling I was required to quarantine for two weeks from the date of my arrival. I am still in quarantine until the 31st of this month. Upon arrival, I did do a blood test for the virus and all came back negative. Still, there remains some margin of error so I will stay low for one more week. Different church members have been preaching in my absence.

My primary purpose in going to TN was to spend some time with my brother David, his wife Cindy, and their daughter Sarah. He had been diagnosed with advanced terminal cancer. As you can imagine, it was a bittersweet few days. I came back to PR last Friday, the 17th, and David passed into His presence the 19th. Many thanks to my sister, Nancy, and her husband, John, as well as Dr. John and Mrs. Marsha Ketchen for their extended hospitality. 

My dear brother, where do I begin? 70 years ago I suppose. I have known no one longer than my brother and sister.  As I contemplate his life the greater question is, "How do I stop talking about him?" He was a man who wore several shirts and wore them all well. Perhaps he was best known as Dr. David "Doc" Reece, a professor at Johnson University for many many years. Responses to his death on his FaceBook page as well as that of his daughter Sarah, have registered hundreds and hundreds of comments. So many acknowledged his finely honed teaching skills, yet even more, acknowledged his godly lifestyle and his influence upon their lives. True to the nature of godly people, the qualities of humility, generosity, holiness, grace, humor, wisdom, love and the other qualities of the Fruit of the Spirit, formed the pillars of his character, giving evidence that Christ lived in him and he lived in Christ. It was beautiful to see. I am proud he was my brother!

Before I close, I certainly want to express my thanks to the kind folk of the Madisonville (TN) Christian Church for allowing me to speak during the worship hour. They waited patiently even as I went a little long talking about the island and the church since Hurricane Maria in September 2017, the strong earthquake in January of this year as well as the virus. What a couple of years!

Until next time.

Johnathan and Mary