Puerto Rico Mission

December 22

2011-12-22T15:44:00.003-04:00

Just a note to say Merry Christmas from Mary and I.

We are all together with our two sons and their families...a rare treat indeed! We hope Christmas is special for you as well.

Thanks for your friendship.

December 21, 2011

2011-12-21T14:41:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone. This will be the last blog of the year. Thanks for stopping by to read throughout the year. Mary and I wish you a Merry Christmas.

We finished out the year on a high. The last two Sundays we had attendances of 115 and 121. The church building seats 125 so we were at capacity. This year we passed the 100 mark more than ever before in the history of the work and in particular, August and September, when we were over 100 every Sunday.

In addition to the increase in attendance, people were brought to the Lord, and new families have been meeting with us every Sunday. We now have over sixty families in the church directory. The vast majority of the members are involved in one of the seventeen ministries of the church, and two of our church members are either preparing for ministry or teaching at a Bible institute. Special mention should be made of Santos Torres, a member of the church, who works three days a week with me in ministry in calling, planning, and in other administrative functions of the church. Church finances are up which allowed the church to give 20% of its income to benovolence/missions. Five missions teams from KY/NC worked with us and the church this past summer and we anticipate 5-6 groups in 2012. We hope to make our fourth missions trip to the Dominican Republic with the church's misssion team along with a team from Knoxville, TN.

On to other things-- this last Sunday was the church's Christmas program. We did the worship with acoustic guitars and the worship leaders were dressed in traditional garb. Mary had found a drama and some of our church members translated it into Spanish. The kids (all 22 of them) did a great job and brought the house down with their antics.

Christmas continues on in Puerto Rico till Janaury 6. So, our adult drama ministry is preparing for the first of Janaury, a drama written by our Fine Arts director. After the service the Three Kings will give gifts to all the kids.

Thanks for your friendship this past year and, for many of you, these MANY years of interest in our lives and ministry. God bless you all.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

November 19

2011-11-19T10:19:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone. Good to be back in contact with you once again. Let me give you the good news. First is the conversion of two individuals, a man and woman. Concerning the woman, perhaps I shouldn’t say conversion. She confessed the Lord at the age of eighteen and was baptized in a Pentecostal church but had lived a life apart from the Lord for many years. This past year she has been faithfully attending our congregation. Recently she asked if she could be rebaptized. When I inquired as to her motive she replied was she was unsure of the motive of her baptism the first time. I have always believed the Lord wants us to be at peace about this matter so I granted her wish. As for the other conversion, this man had had a checkered past (as my mother-in-law used to say), never attended church and was at the end of his rope. After a couple of Bible studies he too was immersed.

Since the last blog we hosted our third “Festival de Alegría” (Fun Festival) October 31 at the Aguadilla mall. Hundreds of people with their kids visited our activity booths to get candy and play games. We gave them literature about our church including a link to the church blog. Perhaps some contacts will come from the effort.

Last Sunday was the kick-off to our annual ministries fair. Each year in November we present to the church members all the ways they can be involved in our church, seventeen ways to be precise. The vast majority of the members present signed up for participation in at least two ministries. Now may the Lord add his blessings to our efforts in 2012.

This Sunday, the 20th, is the church’s annual Thanksgiving celebration. We hope to be well over the one-hundred mark to enjoy a turkey dinner as well as enjoy a concert by Melvin Lorenzo a well known Christian singer in the area.

We wish blessings upon your lives, Happy Thanksgiving.

October 10, 2011

2011-10-10T08:34:00.013-04:00

"Howdy", as they say from my wife's neck of the woods. We wish you a happy and joyful day in the Lord. Summer lingers on here. It climbed nearly to ninety yesterday. I told Mary I would love to smell the fragrances of fall, my favorite time of the year. I still miss it after nearly forty years in Puerto Rico.

The last two weeks have been busy, busy and blessed. October 1-8 we received the fourth and final missions team of the year, a team of twenty-five from the Harroldsburg KY area. Three pastors along with some great adult team leaders brought a hard working team of young adults and teens who took on and finished four projects in the span of four work days. Three houses were painted, as well as a concrete floor poured (by hand). Hats off to a hard working group of believers.

Yesterday our church enjoyed an annual event, Splash Day. After church the kids delighted in the thrills of three inflatable houses, water and all. As for the adults, we tried to not get wet. All of us savored some roasted pork and chicken.

Attendance continues to hold up. The last two weeks were marked with attendances of 107 and 109 (not including the team from KY).

Coming up next is our effort to reach out to the community with the Fun Festival (Festival de Alegría) at the Aguadilla Mall set for the 31 of October.

Until then we wish you the best.

Johnathan and Mary

September 25, 2011

2011-09-26T08:45:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. Thanks for dropping in to read our blog. Summer lingers on in PR even as temperatures fall in the USA.

We are happy to report our attendance has continued to climb, over one-hundred for the past month.

I suppose this good attendance in part has been the result of special events in our church calendar. Last week was Grandparents Day. Services started a little slow but before the singing was over we had one-hundred and six occupying the chairs.

Then today was Pastors Day, an annual event in many churches in PR including our congregation. As the name implies, the service was designed to honor the elders/pastores. In addition to gifts and special recognition given to the pastor/elders, a great dinner of BBQ pork/chicken with all the "fixins" fed everyone who stayed for the dinner.

Today's attendance one-hundred and ten, a full house for a church that seats one-hundred and twenty-five. I am surprised at the number of visitors that continue to show up each Sunday, many of them repeat visitors. Joy and unity are noted among the believers; qualities noted in any healthy church and evidence that the Spirit's influence is impacting the lives of many believers.

That wraps it up. Blessings on your day. Enjoy the cool weather. I wish we had a little of that here.

Until next time... Have a great week.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

September 13, 2011

2011-09-13T11:41:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. Today is a rainy, "stay inside" day as tropical storm Maria hovers near us. We probably got 4-5 inches of rain last night.

Last Saturday the fourth missions team of the summer boarded the plane to return to their homes. These dear people were a wonderful group (as all have been). They were members of a Presbyterian church and Christian church from Harrodsburg, Kentucky and a Presbyterian church from north central North Carolina. These groups were assigned the task of replacing a floor and porch for a woman in a poorer area of town and also painting a Pentecostal church building. In spite of hot, humid conditions, they kept at it till both jobs were completed with excellence. Tears of joy and gratitude welled up in the eyes of the lady and a plaque of appreciation was presented to the group by the Pentecostal church.

Present with the group was a doctor, so our church organized a medical fair where we had two doctors avaliable as well as a pharmacist and three nurses ready to respond to people's concerns. I believe we had thirty-seven attend the event. We were pretty happy with the turn-out considering the only time avaliable was a week night. We hope to do this again but in the Aguadilla mall early next year

Sunday was an uplifting day with a fine attendance of over one-hundred. New people continue to visit. Two couples keep coming back..both young families.

Next Sunday is Grandparents' Day. It was set for last Sunday but with tropical storm Maria on our doorstep we postponed it a week. I will fill you in on the details next time.

Blessings on your life.

August 22

2011-08-22T09:57:00.002-04:00

Last night we shut everything up, tied everything down, and hunkered low as Hurricane Irene came ashore here in Puerto Rico. As it approached the island it quickly grew from a tropical storm with 50 mph winds to a catagory 1 hurricane with 75 mph sustained winds. I was a little restless as you can suspect but our concerns were unfounded. The hurricane exited the island around twenty miles from our town and all we got was some moderate wind and rain. As a whole, the island was fortunate, suffering only limited property damage and no loss of life.

The last couple of weeks have been busy and satisfying. August 14 we held our annual Friendship Day. This year we moved it from April to August. We had a guest speaker/singer present the message. Friendship tokens were given to every person and after the service we all munched on cake and sandwiches. Our local people tallied 121. In addition to the local crowd we also had in our service a basketball team from Asbury University; twenty of them. That swelled the attendance to 141, an overflow crowd. We had to put additional chairs down the side aisles to accommodate everyone.

The Asbury basketball team came to do some service projects with us in Aguadilla. They painted the facade of the church building as well as 88 metal chairs. In addition to these projects they also painted a couple of houses we had lined up. In their free time they practiced and also played a scrimmage game againt the University of PR, Aguadilla campus. Asbury won by over 30 points. These young men and chaparones were a great group of people.

Yesterday we met early to hold a special workshop provided by the Civil Defense. Puerto Rico, and in particular Aguadilla, sits atop a very active seismic zone. Past records show ever 75-100 years we have suffered a severe

earthquake/tsunami. We are at that marker right now. So, in an effort to help our people, our church sponsored a readiness workshop. Around thirty-five participated. Overall, church attendance was down yesterday. Some of our members work for the city and were busy getting ready for Hurricane Irene. Others apparently stayed home to get ready for the storm. Still others were under-the-weather.

Thats it. Until next time, thanks for reading.

August 1, 2011

2011-08-02T09:54:00.004-04:00

Hi from the "Island of Enchantment", Puerto Rico. It is nice to be back after a few weeks away from the blog. As I am sure it is with your life, we are busy and days slip by very quickly.

Since our last blog we have had the privilege to see two people become Christians and another place her membership. Those recently baptized had been attending our services for some time but had showed little interest in a life changing commitment. But, as Jesus indicated, the Spirit's movements are often mysterious. Our congregation was delighted.

Visitors, "invites" by our members, continue to appear nearly every Sunday, a good indicator that our church members are proud and glad to be part of our fellowship. Attendance has been unusually good this summer. In spite of some off Sundays, we have been in the mid-eighties and nineties many Sundays. Two weeks ago, July 25, our local attendance was one-hundred and three. Furthermore, present that day was a missions team made up of four churches from KY/OH. They pushed our attendance to the one-hundred and thirty-four mark. It was a standing room only crowd. After church everyone enjoyed an outing at the beach where we munched down one-hundred and twenty hot dogs plus all the trimmings.

This missions team did a fine job working in the neighboring city of Mayaguez. Under the auspices of a Baptist church they painted a public school facility that was in dire need of some TLC.

Two weeks from now another group will be coming to Aguadilla to work with us. We have a couple of projects lined up. This group is the basketball team from Asbury University in KY so in addition to the tasks we have in mind, they will be giving a basketball seminar at a private high school in the area.

Earlier this month a good number of our people climbed into a big yellow school bus to attend the annual "Flower Festival" in the mountain town of Aibonito. I think we all came away happy, tired and certainly a little poorer with flowers/orchids we probably didn't need. A week later, the young men of the church traveled to the wildest wooliest part of the island to spend a day caving, swinging on grapevines over ravines and checking out ancient Indian petroglyphs.

This coming Sunday is Promotion Sunday for the kids at church and then the next Sunday is Friendship Day. We are gearing up for a grand occasion and a fine attendance for both events.

God bless. Thanks for reading.

Johnathan and Mary

June 24, 2011

2011-06-24T12:49:00.003-04:00

"Hi" to everyone. We are glad to be in contact once again after a nice vacation. Since we have been back, it has been busy times. While we were absent the church ran smoothly; no ruffled feathers and everyone doing their job. Three of our church members preached in my absence and did the Wednesday evening Bible study. I love it when I see so many capable people in our church taking charge.

Three events have transpired since our last blog. Towards the end of May we had an annual event in which we congratulate our graduates. If my memory serves me well we had thirteen recognized and honored with a gift.

Then, two weeks later, we had our first "Arrancando con el Verano" event. A loose translation would be, "Summer Kick Off" event. It was an afternoon of water events as well as jumping in a huge inflatable play house. We had ninety-two in attendance.

Last Sunday was Father's Day; a rather big event in our church. Generally, attendance for that day drops off a little. Yet, since we had a mission team from Harrisburg, KY present in the service, our attendance was over one-hundred. Each dad got a gift and all of us enjoyed the dinner cooked up by some of the best cooks in Aguadilla...the ladies in our church.

This week has been a week of making sure this mission team has had all they needed to complete their assigned tasks. The photo shows part of the group after completing their task of painting a house for an older gentleman who frequently attends our church. The place was a mess and required over a day of prepping. At the end of three days it turned out beautifully and the Christian brother was deeped appreciative of their act of kindness.

I believe this catches you up. Mary and I wish you God's best. Thanks for your interest in this ministry.

Johnathan and Mary

May 23

2011-05-23T16:42:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone. I will make this posting rather brief...hurrah :-). Yesterday was Awards Day at the church. This is one of the annual events in our church in which our Women's Society takes charge. There were thirteen graduates this year ranging from kinder to adults. Each person received a small gift recognizing their accomplishments. Later in the basement of the church building a cake was cut to mark the occasion.

Mary said we had a pretty good attendance...eight-four. One of our young men preached the message. I was out of town speaking in the San Juan area. We have five people capable of preaching and many who can teach. The church is truly blessed.

Blessings to each of you.

Johnathan and Mary

May 9, 2011

2011-05-09T08:51:00.007-04:00

As you know, yesterday was Mother's Day. Here in Puerto Rico, after Christmas, Three Kings Day and Good Friday this is the most celebrated day of the year. I made my gift purchase for Mary online and stayed as far away from the malls as I could. Even a week ago Mary and I tried to go to the movies and there was not one parking space to be found. Imagine Saturday, the day before the big event.

Our church never misses an opportunity to celebrate and "give honor where honor is due." Mother's Day clearly punctuated that principle. The whole morning service was given to recognizing the importance of our mothers.

To the delight of the congregation, our grandaughter (a total suprise to us) and her first cousin sang a song for the mothers in both spanish and english. As the service progressed a gift of a flower, presented in a hand etched vase, was given to the mothers followed by a beautiful solo sung by our music director, Martha Lasalle. After my message we all filed down to the basement for a great dinner. The guys did the cooking, serving and cleaning up. One of the young women in our church beautifully decorated the dining area to mark the occasion. It was a wonderful celebration.

The attendance count was one-hundred and three. I reflected on the fact that we had a few families out which would have nudged the attendance to a capacity crowd.

Until next time.

Johnathan and Mary

April 25, 2011

2011-04-25T12:28:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. Since our last blog we have been quite busy. Saturday the 16th, our church sponsored a marriage seminar. Our invited guest speaker was a Christian psycologist from the San Juan area. He gave a wonderful seminar on communication and conflict management. Twenty-five of our people attended. In order to allow the adults to enjoy the seminar we contracted a Christian clown to keep the children busy with Bible classes and a variety of activities. Everyone I talked to loved the activity.

For the past month, twelve of our church members were busy getting ready for a Good Friday cantata. Our Fine Arts director wrote the script as well as composed two of the eight songs presented. Scripts and songs were memorized and costumes and scenery had to designed and created. Finally, the zero hour arrived. We were unsure of what to expect in attendance. I had thought perhaps around one-hundred. As best as we can figure, there was an attendance of one-hundred and thirty to one-hundred and forty. Every seat was taken and we had to put chairs down the middle aisle.

Yesterday, our day began with a sunrise service. Mary said we had twenty-nine for the activity. It is always a special time. Everyone arrived excited and joyful. After the service several of the ladies perpared a great breakfast.

At 3:00 PM the whole church met for the Easter celebration service. Our special guest was a men's trio. For an hour and a half they did a marvelous job singing, playing the guitar and harp and exhorting the congregation. What a blessing. We had just two short of the one-hundred mark.

Last night Mary said she wanted to go back to work so she could rest :-). I can hardly blame her. We were busy!

Hope your last two weeks have also been busy and delightful.

Johnathan and Mary

April 4, 2011

2011-04-04T08:37:00.011-04:00

Good morning. Summer is fast approaching in Puerto Rico. It seems we jump from cool/warm weather to hot/hot. We hope spring is sprung or right around the corner for you. While in the States last month we thoroughly enjoyed the cold weather, a rare treat for Mary and me.

Sunday before last was our annual Kite Festival. It was a wonderful event with a good attendance of ninty-eight, an uplifting service, and, an afternoon of food and kite flying...almost. There was no wind.

Nevertheless, we all had a great time since there was also a birthday party for one of the children. All the kids went home with toys in their hands and cake in their tummies.

Saturday 26, one of our church members gifted in doing handcrafts organized an activity in which eighteen of our ladies participated. I am always delighted with such events for it provides opportunities for friendships to expand, a very important component in any church.

Last Saturday a group of eighteen children and adults from our church visited a childrens home to present a program to the children who are under the custody of the state due to abuse or abandonment. In addition to presenting a program our children presented gifts to the children in the home. Of course there were sandwiches, chips, etc. to top off the day. The outreach was the result of the combined efforts of several of our church members. I want to particularly mention Santos Torres who made the contact and arrangements and also our daughter-in-law Tania Ruiz de Reece who put the program together.

A group of twelve is working hard to produce an Easter cantata produced by our fine arts director. She wrote the script and composed two of the eight songs. It should be a wonderful event scheduled for presentation Good Friday evening.

For those who would like to view the church's blog I invite you to click on the following link: http://iglesiacristianadeaguadillainc.blogspot.com/. It is still being polished but avaliable for viewing. Good luck with the Spanish.

Until next time, blessings.

Johnathan and Mary

March 21, 2011

2011-03-21T14:15:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone. After a month furlough it is great to be back in Puerto Rico. Several events have transpired since we last wrote. Before I go forward with those details let me back up and thank the Hetricks from Shelbyville, KY, my family in Knoxville and Cleveland TN, Mary's family in Ft. Smith, AR, Cincinnati Christian Church, Farragut Christian Church, Madisonville First Christian Church, Mena First Christian Church and Central Christian Church for their warm welcome and kind gestures toward us.

While we were gone our youth had their annual retreat. I have heard only good reports of how it went. I have asked several parents and the response of everyone has been positive. Our church members did the whole thing, the teaching/preaching, cooking, etc. All came off without a hitch.

Then three weeks ago another annual event, Children's Day, was planned and organized by our Fine Arts director. Several of the adults as well as many of the kids helped out with the program. Mary said we had ninty-eight that Sunday.

I got back to the island last Wednesday the 16th and then Friday I was involved in a men's retreat. We began this retreat two years ago and this year we passed the baton to another church who did a good job putting it together. Like last year we had eighteen men in attendance, nine being from Aguadilla. My responsibilities were to deliver the evening message Friday and Saturday.

During my months absence three of our church leaders did the preaching and teaching on Sunday and Wednesday. It is great to realize that the church has many capable leaders when I cannot be present.

Sunday is our kite festival. There will be more about that in our next blog.

Blessings.

February 13, 2011

2011-02-14T00:26:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone. Since our last blog there have been a couple of major events to report.

First was the annual women's retreat. This year Aguadilla was in charge of the event. Our ladies began clear back in August to plan. Good planning almost always results in blessings and so it was this year. Mary reported there were fifty-eight women in attendance the best attendance in over twenty years. Our ladies did the teaching and the classes were excellent. In addition to the classes as well as handcrafts and a talent show our drama team presented a forty-five minute drama that was the "life of the party". Just yesterday I asked a Christian sister who had attended from another church what she thought of it. Her comment was, "I did not want it to end." I am so proud of our ladies.

On to other things, This weekend was dedicated to celebrating the church's twenty-fifth anniversary. Our board decided to extend the celebration for three days. For the first two services we enjoyed the preaching and singing of two well know ministers. They did a wonderful job and blessed us all with their gifts and talents. Then today, we concluded the celebration with a fine worship service. It was a delightful moment as we listened and learned about the history of our church, watched an interpretive dance by a couple in our congregation and listened to a guest singer bless us with his music. I finished with an exhortation to keep our eyes on Christ and never lose our zeal. After the closing prayer we enjoyed a wonderful catered meal. The attendance for the three services was 60, 80, 96.

This Wednesday is a baptism, the first of the year.

God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary

January 16, 2011

2011-01-16T17:56:00.002-04:00

Mid-January, burr...we sure are glad we live in Puerto Rico (Okay, I could not resist the dig).

The year is off to a good start. Two of our church's ministries have been shining their light for the Lord. The drama team of our Fine Arts Ministry presented a drama in two different chuches. They have the drama to present one more time...at the upcoming women's retreat. We are excited about the retreat. Our congregation is the sponsoring church this year. Nearly sixty women are registered; the best attendance in years.

On to another matter, our Benevolence team completed its first project yesterday, Janaury 15. We made a trip to the Children's Oncological and Pediatric Hospital in San Juan to give toys and personal effects to children and their parents. According to Santos Torres who organized the trip, we gave gifts to at least sixty-five children and family members.

Last week our attendance was down...sickness and travels but it was up today once again. I didn't get an exact count (Mary was sick and she does records) but I guesstimate in th upper eighties or low nineties.

January 3, 2011

2011-01-03T12:50:00.014-04:00

Well, we are off to a GREAT BEGINNING but before we go forward lets look back for a moment. 2010 was a great year! I have listed just a few of the accomplishments.

1. Seven people, through our congregation's efforts and God's blessing, were added to the kingdom.
2. The church grew some in spite of some people moving away.
3. At last tally we had over two-hundred and twenty first time visitors. This is a record for our church.
4. We had a record attendance of over two-hundred and fifty for a special service.
5. Over 20% of the time we hovered around or surpassed the century mark in Sunday attendance.
6. 80-90% of our congregation are involved in one or more of the seventeen ministries of the church.
7. Five of our people do substitute preaching in our church and in others in the area.
8. A Fine Arts ministry was established which includes drama, music and interpretive dance. Fifteen are involved in that ministry.
9. Benevolence/Missions carried out various projects including visiting an old folks home with gifts for many and a special program; visiting a children's cancer hospital with a program, toys and personal items; providing several thousand dollars to several families in the church going through financial crisis.

SO MUCH MORE could be said but let me assure you this past year was one of the best, if not the best, year we have ever had in Aguadilla.

On to other matters. Our annual Christmas event was produced in-house this year. A wonderful Christmas drama was written by our Fine Arts Director. Six of our adults performed the Christmas comedy. We had hoped to have one-hundred for the Friday night event. The final tally was one-hundred and thirty-two. The building was full and chairs were placed in the middle aisle.

Yesterday, January 2, 2011 was a great service. There was ninety-three in attendance. On the church roll we now have over one-hundred and thirty. We were blessed with four first-time visitors. May many more come this way in 2011. Perhaps we will break the two-hundred mark again.

Among the visitors were the Three Magi who brought toys for every child and a bag of candy for every adult. What a great way to start the New Year!

December 15, 2010

2010-12-15T16:01:00.015-04:00

Hi from the tropics. It seems like Christmas with temperatures dropping to the upper sixties at night and climbing to the upper-seventies during the day. Everyone is in a rush making preparations for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve and Three Kings Day.

At the church, preparations are also being finalized for our annual Christmas event. This year we are looking forward to a play written by our Fine Arts director. Six of our adults are busy practicing to ensure the comedy is just right. Before the service the ladies are hosting a dinner. Served is a whole roasted pig, rice with pigeon peas, potato salad and a variety of desserts most of you would perhaps find unusual. We are hoping to have over one-hundred for the event.

We will write one more time this year to give you a review of 2010 (A WONDERFUL YEAR!) but for now, Mary and I wish you a Merry Christmas.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Thanks for your friendship these many years.

Johnathan and Mary

November 21

2010-11-21T17:47:00.000-04:00

This week, from Mary:

Greetings once again from Puerto Rico! Today was our annual Thanksgiving Dinner, with turkey, rice and pigeon peas, potato salad, pasta salad, green salad, dessert and soda. So, as you can tell, we all left the building FULL!!

The service was great with 102 in attendance. Johnathan has been sick for four days with the flu, but managed to preach the sermon. We had a couple present an interpretative dance which is one of our new ministeries. They did a great job and were well received by those present. The band was in top form and the people sang with a lot of enthusiasm.

Last week we started our "job fair" in which people sign up for one or more of the 16 ministeries of the congregation in which they want to be active in during the coming year. So far, the response has been positive with many wanting to become more involved in the affairs of the church.

This coming Thursday, Thanksgiving, we will have several of the missionaries over for a Thanksgiving dinner, plus a few of our friends from here. Its always good to share holidays with friends and family!

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you. May God bless you this week as you serve Him in your area.

October 31

2010-10-31T15:18:00.001-04:00

Hi from the tropics. I looked at the weather report this morning and lifted up a prayer of thanks that we had dodged another bullet as hurricane Tomás roars past to the south of us.

Since our last blog three major events have transpired. First, two weeks ago our Benevolence ministry made a trip to San Juan to visit the children's cancer hospital. Twelve of us (that's all we we allowed to take) went to bless the children and families with a program, clowns, toys and gifts. All told, we visited around fifteen to twenty children. Our church, as usual, generously gave of their money, gifts and time to support the event.

Then yesterday, October 30, we took our outreach to the Aguadilla mall. Like last year we set up play stations, face painting, photo opportunities, and bags of candy and toys for two-hundred and fifty children. Last night I flopped into bed and every bone in my body ached. :-) But today is a fresh, new day.

I did not preach today We had a guest singer, Giosue Calveti, who presented songs and the message. It was a fine service. The congregational music was lively, contemporary and played by six musicians...all "home grown boys." One of the songs we sang was composed by our worship leader. She has written sixty songs to date. One-hundred and six was the attendance according to Mary.

So, as you can see, we did October in style; may the Lord have the glory and honor. God bless.

Johnathan and Mary

October 11

2010-10-11T08:52:00.004-04:00

Today is beautiful after last week's 15 inches of rain. October is our rainest time of the year as we transition from summer to fall.

Inspite of the rain, the annual Splash Day yesterday was a great sucess. Most everyone was involved one way or another. For the church service there were one-hundred and four present (twenty regulars were out due to sickness and travels). And then, most everyone stayed for the picnic dinner. Many took their turns on the huge inflatable water slides. All came away with a sense of satisfaction at how well it turned out.

The church band (guitars/keyboards/drums) meets each Friday for 2-3 hours of practice. At times I want to pull my hair out (what little there is) as we encourage and wait for the inexperienced to improve. However, we realize "Rome was not built in a day". Today for the worship service it all came together. They did a wonderful job today and what a blessing the music was.

There more good things coming up this Saturday but I will save that for the next blog. Thanks for reading.

Johnathan and Mary

September 12, 2010

2010-09-12T17:46:00.013-04:00

Today was Grandparents Day and we celebrated the event with a special program presented during the worship service. I was somewhat apprehensive as to the turn-out since it began to rain hard just before the service began. Rain here is like snow in the States. It generally affects the attendance. Nevertheless, we had a good crowd just short of one-hundred. A great program was presented by the children and gifts were given to every grandparent. After the service, cake and sandwiches were served to everyone.

Later on at 3:00 PM Mary and I returned to the church building to baptize a young woman. Her husband was baptized at the age of twelve but she had never made that commitment. What a great way to end the day. Seven have been baptized so far this year.

Today was the first time for me to preach in seven weeks due to special programs and my heart issue. It was wonderful to stand before the people once again and share a thought or two from the Word with the grandparents.

Until next time, God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary

August 31, 2010

2010-09-04T09:27:00.015-04:00

Well, it was a "nail biter". Hurricane Earl for a while was too close to call as it roared toward our island. Fortunately, it curved north/west and missed us by 125 miles. Nevertheless we still received 40-50 mph winds all night and part of the next day. Over one hundred-thousand were without power for a couple of days. These photos were the aftermath waves of Earl passing.

Among other things, our young adults and teenagers celebrated youth night last Friday. They put together a nice program of song, interpretive dance, and pantomine. In addition to their efforts, a guest speaker and band were also invited. I was somewhat apprehensive about the attendance since only rarely do we have Friday evening services. Nevertheless, our people came through for the youth and we had over eighty show up.

Our church members continue to preach in the wake of my forced vacation of one month (heart stent). They have done a wonderful job filling in. We have five who can speak if I am unable to preach. I think I am "mended" and back in the saddle.

As always, thank you for your continued interest in our lives and work in Puerto Rico.

Johnathan and Mary

August 16, 2010

2010-08-16T09:17:00.009-04:00

August has been quiet so far in Puerto Rico. There are no threatening storms from the east (Africa/Atlantic ocean) even though we are nearing the peak of hurricane season. This summer has been one of the rainest as well as the hottest summer EVER RECORDED.

Just a quick update on the church. I had the priviledge of baptizing a young woman yesterday. Our fine arts director had been talking with her about this committment and then at the conclusion of a Bible study last Thurday on baptism she eagerly said "yes".

One of our elders assisted me with the baptism since I had a heart stent procedure done a week and a half ago. The doctor had recommended limited lifting for two or three weeks. Everything turned out just beautifully and the baptism was a precious moment for "Ari" and the whole church. Thus far, six have been baptized this year.

Our young adults continue to step up to the plate. As their musical skills improve they are willing to play the piano (an answer to one of my prayers...finally :-) and guitar for the church service. In addition, our drummer is taking guitar lessons from me each Tuesday. He wants to broaden his talent base; a great idea.

Hey, thats the latest since last week. May the Lord bless you.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

August 9, 2010

2010-08-09T17:38:00.004-04:00

Hi from Puerto Rico. Yesterday the youth and young adults took over the planning and executing of the worship service. They did a marvelous job combining contemporary music, specials, and interpretive dance guided by a praise band/team. The congregation loved what they did and I suspect the Lord did too.

After the service nineteen people signed up for our Fine Arts ministry (music/choir/drama/ praise team and interpretive dance) We are excited about the possibilities of incorporating more and more of the young adults in leading the worship service.

One of the young adults preached yesterday. We have five in our church who can fill in in the event I cannot preach. One of them was out yesterday preaching in one of our sister churches. I am filled with delight and "fatherly pride" as our people more and more move out into ministry posssibilities.

Blessings to you and yours. Thanks for your continued interest in our work.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

August 1, 2010

2010-08-01T17:02:00.015-04:00

Hi once again from Puerto Rico. July and summer vacations are coming to a close in Puerto Rico. School is around the corner so church attendance is picking up. Today we had ninety and last week eighty-nine. Still several regulars were absent.

Yesterday was the last summer outing for the church. We had a small but happy group load on to a school bus and see some of the local attractions.

Today we had a guest speaker. A ministry entitled "Preparaos" (Prepared) taught us how to be prepared in the event of a major catastrophe. Since our 5.9 earthquake in May many have been on edge. Also, we are entering the two most dangerous months for hurricanes. Today's speaker explained how we could prepare food and water for storage for up to six or seven years using common items found around the house.

This week Johnathan is scheduled for a heart catherization. Evidently he has some blockage in one of his arteries. As for Mary, she is making good progress with her foot operation. Soon she will be "boot free" and walking as good as ever without the hammer toe problem. Between the two of them they make one whole person.

Last week a couple of our young men painted most of the church building. With just two or three more hours of work by our crew of men, the building will have a new look.

Until next time...

Johnathan and Mary

July 19, 2010

2010-07-19T19:41:00.008-04:00

Hi everyone. Wow, July is quickly disappearing before our eyes. Days have been busy beginning with an operation on Mary's foot (bunion). This was planned clear back in March after her first foot surgery was successful. Until Mary can recover (so far so good) I am in charge of the home/house so I have had to reduce my load somewhat for a little while.

Nevertheless, we have been busy with church work; planning, preaching, teaching, visitation and counseling. In addition to these responsibilities we planned for a group of seventeen from Louisville, KY who were with us two days, the 14 and 15 of this month. They were a hard working group who took on projects at three different locations. They painted a house, helped paint our church building and did some repairs and painted at a children's home. We, as well as one of our church members, were the cooks and "gophers". This group blessed us in an additional way by bringing with them money that covered many of the material costs for the projects.

As for the church, attendance has been down. Every July it happens as people leave on vacation. Nevertheless, services have been lively. I am team preaching three messages with three of the church members who are gifted in speaking and teaching. The reception has been good and interest high.

That is it for this time. Thanks for reading the blog.

June 20, 2010

2010-06-20T19:39:00.014-04:00

Hi. Welcome to our blog. Things are going well in Aguadilla. Attendance has been good. The last few weeks have been 91, 95, 104 and 89. Today's attendance of 89 reflects summer vacations, job conflicts as well as health issues which include Mary who was operated on this past Thursday... her foot. She seems to be mending well.

The twelfth, our church took its first outing of the summer. It was a great trip and thirty-six shared the day.

Last Sunday I was priviledged to baptize a young woman, the fifth baptism this year. In addition to the baptism one of our church members gave his testimony/sermon how the Lord brought him back from the brink of death after contracting a deadly bacteria. It was a convincing witness to the power of prayer.

Today was Father's Day. For church, the ladies took over and did a great job with the program and offered an excellent meal after the service ended.

I am amazed how multi-talented our church is. Four are capable of preaching and do so from time to time. Others are good teachers. Still others are musicians, singers and interpretive dancers. So many are involved in some way in the church. It reflects our theology that every Christian has a gift to be used for the good of all.

Well enough about that. Blessings to you. Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

May 31, 2010

2010-05-31T15:17:00.004-04:00

Hi once again from Puerto Rico. Thanks for dropping by to read the blog.

Good things have been happening beginning with the men's retreat, May 14-16. For the second consecutive year our congregation sponsored the island-wide event. We rented several cabins at a public vacation facility in the mountains. Two of our men as well as myself taught the Saturday sessions along with three others from participating churches. The overall consensus was very positive and we are already dialoging about next year.

Sunday morning, the 16th, the northwest tip of the island was shaken by a 5.8 earthquake. It was quite an unnerving experience but fortunately there was very little damage.

The following weekend was our church's annual graduates recognition Sunday. Gifts were given to all the graduates and light refreshments were enjoyed by all after the service.

Last week we enjoyed a visit from Dr John and Marsha Ketchen from Knoxville, TN. John is the president of our mission and he and his wife are good friends of many years. We took a few days off to explore parts of the island that were new both to them, and us.

This past Sunday, the 30th, we had a good attendance in spite of bad weather. It had rained the entire week and Sunday was no exception. Nevertheless we had ninety-five. At the end of the service I had the priviledge to baptize two women. What a delight to witness their obedience in Christian baptism.

That's it! Thanks for your continued interest in our efforts in Puerto Rico.

Johnathan and Mary

May 10, 2010

2010-05-10T20:13:00.013-04:00

Hi everyone. Thanks for dropping by to read the blog. Since our last blog we have had a couple of special events come and go.

First was a baptism. It is the second in three weeks and certainly a happy moment for the whole church.

On to to other matters; April 24 our Benevolence Ministry organized an outreach at a municipally sponcered retirement home. Many of the elderly in this institution have no family and depend totally on the city for their needs. Our church organized and teamed up with another church to provide a program as well as gifts of personal effects for the residents. In all there were over 25 who participated in the event.

Yesterday was Mothers' Day, a huge event in the cultural calendar in Puerto Rico. It ranks up there right after Christmas. Our church rose to the occasion. A flower and gift was given to every mother present. Two of our children/youth presented special music and one of our ladies delivered a charge to the mothers and all present. Afterwards a great dinner was served to one and all.

This weekend is the men's retreat. We will fill you in on the details next time.

Blessings.

Johnathan and Mary

April 22, 2010

2010-04-21T13:03:00.006-04:00

Hi. Well, Friendship Day is history. Sunday I closed the doors on the church building around 1:30 PM with a sense of satisfaction. Our people, as asked, backed the event by inviting their friends and family. We had over fifteen first time visitors present plus several return visitors. Each one was greeted at the door with photos, a small gift from the church and smiling ushers. Once inside the building they were blessed with an upbeat service; good music, great specials and a guest speaker/singer and his wife. It was a a delightful day followed up with refreshments in the basement. The final count for the day was a one-hundred and three.

Best of all was a baptism at the end of the service. Check out the photos in the side panel. God is working in the lives of others as well. Sunday there is to be another baptism. A young woman after two years of occasional discussions informed me last night she wanted to be baptized this coming Sunday.

Blessings.

Johnathan and Mary

April 13, 2010

2010-04-13T20:47:00.006-04:00

Hello once again from Puerto Rico. Three weeks have past since our last blog. A lot has been going on.

Easter week was busy as you can imagine, with churches full all across the island. Our church was no exception. For our Good Friday service one-hundred and sixteen were present to witness a drama on the resurrection of the widow of Nain's son. It was a powerfully presented drama and very appropriate for the occasion. Few chairs were left unoccupied in the building.

Two days later, Easter Sunday, we had another good attendance, one-hundred and ten. A guest choir from an area church presented a great Easter cantata. There were several first time visitors for both the Good Friday as well as the Easter Sunday service.

Last Sunday was an in-between Sunday. I say that because this coming Sunday is our third annual Friendship Day. It should be a great occasion. Even though Sunday was an "normal" Sunday we had a good attendance. I preached on "The most important question a person could ever ask", a sermon on the plan of salvation. As as result I just today took a lady's confession of faith and plan to baptize her this Sunday.

We will let you know how Friendship Sunday turns out. God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary

March 16, 2010

2010-03-18T18:45:00.004-04:00

"Buenos días" from Aguadilla. Today is the beginning of another work week. The "things to do" is growing. It should be a busy week.

Yesterday, March 15, was special. For the third year in a row we selected one Sunday as Children's Day, a day to emphasize and honor the children in our church. What a great day it was! Our primary worship leader, Martha Lassalle build the program around a "Grammies" theme. The kids sang, played guitars, pantomimed, danced and dressed up in costumes representing some of the nations of the world. They were a delight.

Mary said we had 108. My "preacher count" tallied many more :-). The were many new faces in the congregation as well as some returning visitors. 2010 is off to a great year.

Thanks for your interest in our work and lives.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

February 28, 2010

2010-02-28T22:06:00.007-04:00

Hi. This has been a very busy two weeks. First was a rare Saturday night service. We had a special speaker who was gifted in comedy/singing and speaking. Frankly, I was somewhat apprehensive. Saturday nights are not well attended. However we asked the church to commit and they came through in a big way. We had one-hundred and ten for the special event.

The following Monday the church had an outing. Forty-two members and guests participated in the event. As a result of that outing we have had some first visitors. Just yesterday we had a family show up for church that had been invited to the outing.

The next day we received a call from the best known singer on the island, Daniel Calveti, who informed us he was available to sing the 19th if we were interested. Some churches have tried for years to get him. The Lord opened up the doors and we quickly activated the church. We needed ushers, people to help park cars, servers to provide a snack, people to deal with the building both before and after the service and of course, everyone had to get busy and invite their friends. Our most accurate count tallied two-hundred and fifty. THAT IS A RECORD FOR OUR CHURCH!

Two days later the church celebrated its twenty-fourth anniversary. It was a great day; good sermon, good music and good food.

Five days later (this past weekend) the youth took off for their annual youth retreat. Several of the youth were first-timers. Five of our church members led the event. It turned out great. I stayed in Aguadilla to handle affairs at the church. I told Mary the retreat was in as capable hands as if we personally had managed it. I couldn't be prouder of our church.

Have a great week.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

Febuary 8, 2010

2010-02-08T21:26:00.003-04:00

Hello from Puerto Rico. Days are lovely in PR this time of the year. 85 during the day and 70 at night. Come and visit!

Sunday, January 31, the youth had a fund raiser to pay their way to the youth retreat at the end of February. The whole amount was raised in one day. They were thrilled by the way the church supported them.

Then this past Saturday night, February 6, we had a guest speaker who was a comedian/singer/preacher. He did a splendid job blending the three. Rarely do we have events on Friday evening, even less on Saturday night. Like in the States, they are not well attended. Nevertheless, we made a big push and our church members responded. As best as we could "guesstimate" we had over 110. That is the second time this year we have been over 100.

Today we had a return visit from a couple that has visited us as a result of our Mall outreach clear back in October. Their parting comment today was, "See you next Sunday."

There are many wonderful things happening this month. We will share them as they unfold. Thanks for your interest in our ministry and lives.

God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

January 24, 2010

2010-01-25T00:29:00.004-04:00

This week the blog is from Mary.

Greetings again from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico! The month of January has been a month of great giving by the congregation and anonymous individuals. Responding to the earthquake in Haiti and other needs, over $2000.00 has been given to benevolence/missions. Our people are a caring, loving people and work hard at serving Him and sharing what little they have with others.

The church also did a food drive for the Haitians. The good responce was taken to a distribution center in the Aguadilla area. Shortly after that they closed the distribution center. Meanwhile, at the university where I work, the English Department collected food. Since the center had closed, they asked me if our church could deal with the tremendous amount that had been collected. What a great opportunity to witness for Him! One of our church members works for a subsidiary of FedEx and they will ship it free; we just have to get it to them. The Lord uses many to bless others!

Today we had a young teenager sing a special. This was the first time many knew that he sang, plus, he played the guitar and wrote the song! God has given this young man a talent that he wants to use for the Lord.

In a testimony today, a man in the church shared with us that, since deciding to allow the Lord to fully guide his and his family’s lives, He has blessed them in many different ways. He wanted everyone to know that he had made this decision and the Lord had blessed him for it!

There is a new, young family visiting who have been there the last three weeks. They have a little three year old girl who really enjoys the Jr. Church. Hopefully, they will continue to come.

As always, thanks for your continued interest in the Lord’s work here in Puerto Rico.

Partnering with you,

Johnathan and Mary

January 12, 2010

2010-01-12T15:56:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. This is the first blog of 2010. We hope you had a great Christmas. We certainly did.

As with everyone, we were busy, busy throughout Christmas. The last of the Christmas events at church took place last Sunday, January 3. We had planned clear back in January 2009 to have a drama/cantata the first Sunday of the new year in 2010. I asked Martha Lassalle, one of our worship leaders, to write a drama for the occasion. In November, as the date drew near, Martha informed me the drama was ready. Shortly afterward she began to practice with five others from our church. Hours were spent rehearsing and building the props.

I along with Santos Torres did the promo work and we constantly encouraged our members to invite their friends. A light supper was prepared by our church members to cap of the evening. The Sunday morning services were changed to the evening hour and then we waited. The final attendance count was...135. Many first time visitors were present. Several of the church members families were there for the very first time. It was quite an evening. What a great way to start the new year!

May the Lord continue to add his blessings. Thanks for your interest in this work and our lives.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

December 20, 2009

2009-12-20T21:12:00.007-04:00

Hi everyone. This will be the last blog until 2010. Thanks for taking time to read our updates. Nearly two-thousand hits on the blog were recorded this year. It is good to know the news is getting out to so many. Our pledge to you is to be concise and yet infomative.

The last of our major events in 2009 took place last Friday the 18th. We had our first ever BIG church Christmas party. By faith we planned on a crowd of 175. The menu included a traditional dinner of roasted pork, rice, pigeon peas with potato salad finished off with a dessert of coconut pudding. After supper the plan was to move everyone inside for the program which included a puppet show for the children and a concert provided by two musical groups playing traditional puertorican Christmas music. The building was decorated and special scenes of Puerto Rico from the past were erected by some of our church members. All of the promotion was done and then we waited...

The thought crossed our mind, "Did we prepare way too much food...175 plates? Would the music be good? Would the church members do their part and invite their friends? Would our ladies do their part serving the food? Would everyone pitch in and clean up?"

We are happy to announce the answer to those questions was YES! There was good food, good music, good helpers and a good time had by all.

And, today I was informed we reached our 175; a near, if not record attendance for our church.

Thanks for sticking with us this year as well as all the others.

Blessings.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

October 16 - December 13, 2009

2009-12-13T17:30:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. I realize it has been a while since our last newsletter/blog. It seems we blink and weeks flicker by. We are at mid-December with Christmas right around the corner.

Without repeating too much from the earlier blogs, we had two major events in October. Our Halloween outreach (see Nov. 2 blog) at the local mall was a wonderful success. Over 500 hundred people were touched by our church. Earlier in the month our annual "splash day" was also well attended.

Since our last blog we had the delight of having our son Ben and his wife Tiffany visit us for ten days. Those visits are few and far between so we took a few days off to be with them. Early, Thanksgiving Day, they headed back to MI and we shared a turkey with friends and family later on that afternoon. The Sunday before we celebrated Thanksgiving as a church.

The church has been preparing for 2010. Mid-November we had our annual ministries' fair. Around half of the adults signed up to work in one of our sixteen different ministries. As soon as that bit of housekeeping was done, we prepared for the election of deacons, a bi-annual event in our church. The ordination ceremony is set for the 27 of December.

These past two weeks we have started the big push to have everything ready for a church Christmas party the 18th of December. The party is actually an outreach effort. A special band is coming in to play as well as a father/son duo. Puppeteers will provide a lesson and entertainment for the children. Without going into details, several other activities are on the schedule for that evening. We are hoping to have in excess of 150 for the event.

On to personal matters; last Thursday Mary had foot surgery so she will be laid up for 3-4 weeks. So far it seems she is healing well.

Also, we celebrated 35 years of marriage Saturday, December 12. What a wonder venture/adventure it has been. We have been blessed.

Thanks for your continued interest in our efforts in Puerto Rico.

Johnathan and Mary Reece
Missionaries to Puerto Rico

November 2, 2009

2009-11-02T21:44:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone. Well, our long-awaited Halloween outreach at the mall has come and gone. Last Saturday was the target day. We began planning the event in April, making contact with the local mall seeking permission to host a childrens' activity center on Halloween day. What delight when they finally gave us a "thumbs up" sign the first of October.

We quickly designed four activity booths, and offered face painting as well. There was also a photo "opp" with our four clowns and candy/toys for every child that completed the activity stations. The event began at 1:00 PM and ran till 5:00 PM. To make this event work we had forty-one of our church members participate in the outreach. You should have seen the delight on the faces of everyone. What fun we all had!

Everyone agreed it was a great success! At least two-hundred and forty children completed all four activities to receive their candy and toys. A conservative guess is we made contact with over five-hundred people. We made sure that we placed in the hands of every child a flier about our church.

To enhance the activity we invited a ministry of puppeteers to give various shows throughout the afternoon. They did a wonderful job and each effort complimented the other.

By the end of the day, one-hundred and eight children had their photo taken with our clowns. The parents gave us their address and phone number and we will begin to follow up this week on those contacts by personally delivering a free photo of their child with our clowns.

The next day, Sunday afternoon, I wanted to do nothing but set down and take a nap. I did not get that nap but I did get to see the game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings.

Blessings.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

October 29, 2009

2009-10-29T07:28:00.002-04:00

Greetings once again from the Reeces in Puerto Rico!

Today was a great day here in Aguadilla. After a very good service we all went out to the surrounding grounds for "splash day". With a large slide and a large "slip and slide" plus a little baby pool, the children were entertained for three hours! The adults got busy with hot dogs, sandwiches, chips, brownies and soda. Two dominos tables appeared and were quickly put into use.

With an attendance of 93, almost all the food was consumed, so there was not much left to clean up after it was over. As you know, it is a joy to share with Christian friends and family. Such was the afternoon here in Aguadilla.

May the Lord bless you as you start the new week serving Him.

July 21 - October 15, 2009

2009-10-16T18:33:00.003-04:00

Hello from the island of Puerto Rico. September has slipped by and it is already October. These past couple of months have been busy and productive as the details below will testify.

LATE JULY: Toward the end of July our church made their fourth missions trip to the Dominican Republic. We had five from our church make the trip along with a medical doctor, a member from one of our sister churches on the island. We also paired up with a missions team from a church in Shelbyville, KY. The trip was marvelous and so much good was done. Almost one-thousand pairs of eyeglasses were collected to be used and/or left in the Dominican Republic. While there we saw nearly 150 patients and fitted them with free glasses. The medical doctor traveling with us saw 150 patients and prescribed medicines (what we all had taken with us). Nearly seven-hundred children and adults were taught in four separate VBSs. Toys and dental hygiene supplies were given to nearly everyone we saw in the VBSs. Furthermore, buildings were painted, driveways were prepared for pouring and sermons were preached. Indeed it was a very good week.

AUGUST: Back in Puerto Rico, we had the privilege of witnessing a baptism in our church family. That same week was capped off with an evangelistic outreach at a local university. We coupled up with a few people from other churches and presented Youthtour 2009 (a Christian concert with a gospel message “stinger”) at the University of Puerto Rico in Aguadilla. It is the same university where Mary teaches. Later on the 29th of August we sponsored a concert. The guest singer was Ezekiel Colon, a well know Christian singer here in Puerto Rico. We had 154 in attendance. The building was jammed packed. Thankfully we had planned to have a separate special activity for the children or everyone simply would not have fit.

SEPTEMBER: The 5th of September, 50 of our church members and guests enjoyed an excursion to a couple of beautiful sites in Puerto Rico. It was the best attendance we have ever had for one of these events. Needless to say, I was delighted with the turn out. The following Sunday was Grandparents' Day a day of special recognition for all those duly qualified. Gifts were given out and a special program marked the event. Dinner was served in the basement. Finally, last week, September 27th, was Pastors' Day, a day in which I and the other elder in our church were recognized for our work with the church.

EARLY OCTOBER: October 2 and 3 our youth held one of their annual events “Conéctate 2009”. It was two nights of music, preaching, talent demonstrations and stand-up comedy. The last night of the two-day event Mary and I shut off the lights at 12:00 AM. Her comment was, “You have to stop planning so much. You are wearing me out.” Before we can rest we still have Splash Day set for October 18 and a Halloween outreach at the Aguadilla mall October 31. May the Lord add His blessing to these events!

Mixed in with these events have been numerous church member house calls, visits with the sick, special services in the home of a lady who has been visiting the church for a couple of months, camp development meetings, sermon preparation, Bible studies to prepare and a long list of other items I will not burden you with. So goes life for the Reeces in Aguadilla.

Blessings.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

Cross-cultural ministers to Puerto Rico.

September 14, 2009

2009-09-14T14:31:00.001-04:00

Wow, we are already in the middle of September! Things still are quiet to the east of us. No hurricanes so far, at least any that have threatened the island. Today was a good day at church. The attendance was good and the mood was very positive. It seems we are finally beyond the ups and downs of summer.

Today was Grandparents Day. A special program was designed to recognize these fine folk, beginning with decorations to spruced up the auditorium. The program included a drama, a PowerPoint presentation, a special reading and gifts for every grandparent present. After the service, cake and soda was served in the basement. We love to look for ways to give recognition where recognition is due.

There are some good things happening later on this month but I will save all that for the upcoming weeks. Blessings to all of you.

Thanks for your interest in this ministry.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

September 7, 2009

2009-09-07T17:36:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone. So far so good with hurricane season. After a couple of scares, all of the storms have dissipated or gone north of Puerto Rico.

Last week Mary and I both were under the weather with colds. It seems I picked it up at the concert last week and then proceeded to give it to Mary, our granddaughter and now her mother. Fortunately, it is nothing dangerous, just some discomfort.

Yesterday's church service was well attended. Mary said we had ninety-one for church. There were several first time visitors. I guess that is always a good sign. Then today our church enjoyed an outing. I was surprised when fifty signed up for a boat trip on a local lake followed up with a tour of a beautiful cave called Window Cave. The day was definitely a success.

We hope your Labor Day weekend was also a happy experience. Blessings to you.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

August 31, 2009

2009-08-31T19:24:00.002-04:00

This week the blog is from Mary:

This past week was a very busy time here in Aguadilla, leading up to a concert Friday night by a very well-known Christian singer, Ezequiel Colon. With everyone inviting their families and friends, the concert was well-attended, with 154 there to hear Ezequiel. His wife has a Christian clown ministry so she had a special class for all the children below in the basement of the church building. There were 32 children of all ages present.

Sunday we had a great service with 81 in attendance. Johnathan started a series of sermons on marriage; his first was entitled, "Honoring your mate". It was very well received and the people listened carefully. After services, the young people had a cupcake sale to raise funds for their different activities. It was a good day!

Storms continue to form off the coast of Africa and we watch them carefully as they head our way. So far, all have turned north before they get here. May this continue to be the path!

May the Lord bless you this week as you serve Him in your area.

August 23, 2009

2009-08-23T20:09:00.001-04:00

Last week we indicated we would be involved in an outreach called "Youthtour 2009" on a local university campus. Two others and myself began planning in May a series of musical tours in local universities and high schools. Thursday was the first event. Five good Christian bands participated in the event. A local youth pastor gave a brief message. All told the night was a success, except for the small crowd of university students, h-u-m. Yes, the most important thing, the students, didn't show up as we had hoped. I am guessing insufficient promotion. So, its back to the drawing board to make adjustments. Youthtour 2009 will go on at a different place and a later date.

This Friday our church is sponsoring a Christian concert at our church building. A well know Christian singer, Ezekiel Colon, will be the featured singer along with his wife who will provide activities for the children. We are hoping all will turn out well. All efforts are being made to ensure its success.

Sunday attendance seems to be finally normalizing after an up and down summer. So many of our folk are having trouble with their marriages, health issues, job (or no job) related stress, etc, etc. Many struggle with their commitment to the church when life throws them a "beanball".

Hey, we had a great day in church! Good enthusiasm, good participation, and good message. I felt satisfied as I closed the church doors.

We hope you too had a satisfying Sunday as well. I'll close here.

Blessings.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

August 17, 2009

2009-08-16T21:35:00.003-04:00

Greetings from hurricane alley! Seems that the season has started with a "bang" this week with two headed our way. Thankfully, they seem to be going either below or above us. For this we give thanks!

Today was a great Sunday with a baptism at the end of the service. A young woman, along with her husband and son, has been coming to the services for some time and today she obeyed her Lord in Christian baptism. We expect the husband to follow shortly.

This coming Thursday night is an evangelical outreach concert at the University of Puerto Rico here in Aguadilla where Mary works, sponsored in part by our church and some of its members. Four Christian musical groups will be performing and sharing their testimonials with the students. We ask for your prayers for this evening.

As school enters its second week, a real concern for swine flu continues here on the island. Several schools have cases of this flu so we also ask for your prayers about this matter. Most stores are just getting more hand sanitizer on the shelves--for several weeks there was NONE to be had!

May the Lord bless you. Thanks for your prayers!

August 7, 2009

2009-08-07T16:35:00.004-04:00

Hi from hot, sultry Puerto Rico. We are back from the Dominican Republic. I did not think it was possible to find a hotter place than Puerto Rico in July... but I was wrong. Our entire missions team from Puerto Rico complained of the heat. But, we survived.

The trip was a wonderful experience. The Shelbyville Christian Church missions team along with our team of six from Puerto Rico were able to bless so many people, as well as be blessed ourselves. For the sake of order, I have listed our accomplishments in Punta Cana as well as La Romana.

Three one day VBSs with attendances of 75, 60 and 175.
One evening family fair with 400 in attendance. Those present were given gifts of toys, hand creams, and toothpaste and a brush.
One eye glass clinic in which 150 patients received an eye exam and free glasses.
We left 400 pairs of glasses to be used in another future clinic and will send 350 pairs later on.
A medical doctor that formed part of our Puerto Rico team saw 150 patients. The Puerto Rican churches provided free medicines for the patients.
We rubbed down the plastered block walls of a new multipurpose building on the church property in Punta Cana and then painted the part of the building that was done.
The grounds at this new church site in Punta Cana were also cleaned up by our team.
We removed a section of a deteriorated driveway and got it ready for new concrete to be poured the day after our departure.
The church grounds in La Romana were cleaned up and made ready for the family fair.
We preached on two separate occasions and two people made decisions for the Lord.
Our ladies helped with some of the kitchen responsibilities.

Each church (three in all) that formed the missions team provided toys, medicines, glasses, school supplies, VBS materials to make the trip a success. Each of the teams complimented each other. It truly was a special trip.

I know we from PR arrived home worn out but content and I am sure that was the case for the team from KY.

There you have it. Thanks for reading the blog.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

July 20, 2009

2009-07-20T09:12:00.001-04:00

Hi once again from Aguadilla, PR. Days are busy in our "neck of the woods". We are in the midst of preparing for the upcoming missions trip that begins this Thursday. We leave at 7:00 AM for the Dominican Republic and will be there for one week. Among the things we will be doing are: VBSs, a family fair, eyeglass clinic, a doctor's clinic, building, repairing, preaching, teaching, etc. It should be a good, productive week.

Yesterday the attendance was down. July is always a down month for the church. Members have visitors/family from the States and more often than not stay home with them instead of coming to the service. Others are traveling. Just yesterday eight of us announced we would be absent next Sunday due to travels. However, obviously, it is a temporary thing.

Saturday we had a church outing in which twenty-three took an all-day trip to Guayama, a historic town on the southeast side of the island. We left at 7:30 AM and got back at 6:30 PM. It was a l-o-n-g but fun trip.

For the next twelve days we will be out of touch in the Dominican Republic. Pray for us please.

Blessings to all.

Johnathan and Mary

2009-07-13T11:44:00.000-04:00

Hi once again from the NW part of Puerto Rico. I just got back from an island-wide men's retreat. Our church was the sponsor of the activity, the first in over twenty-five years. Based on earlier estimates we had anticipated over twenty-five men but only half of that showed up. Although that was somewhat of a letdown, the event was still a great success and blessing for all who attended. Everyone enthusiastically agreed that a similar event should be planned. So it looks like another weekend will be filled in the 2010 calendar. Four of our men (including myself) as well as one man from another church taught on a variety of themes related to men. I could not be any happier with the quality of teaching they presented. Our church is a blessed congregation.

I'll close here. Until next time...blessings.

May 1 - July 5, 2009

2009-07-06T18:58:00.001-04:00

Hello once again from Puerto Rico. We hope the summer is going well for you. Lets catch you up to date with a brief review from May 1 to July 5.

Early in May, as is the case everywhere, we celebrated Mother’s Day. A well designed program was developed to honor all the mothers present. Mary said we had one-hundred and two in attendance.

Later on that month our church recognized eleven of our graduates, from kinder to graduate level. After a guest speaker delivered the charge, a gift was given to each graduate; then cake for all in the basement.

Also during the month our benevolence/missions committees continued to do fund raisers to cover the operating expenses related to those ministries. Generally our church is very supportive of the efforts of these programs. Just yesterday a special offering was taken to fund these outreaches and the response was generous. These two ministries have teamed up to support the church’s upcoming mission’s trip the end of July. Benevolence has been collecting crayons, pencils, coloring books and school supplies to take to the Dominican Republic July 23. As a compliment to that effort, the mission’s team has been collecting used eye glasses to be given away at an eye clinic while in the Dominican Republic. We have been able to collect over one-thousand pairs! We praise the Lord and are grateful to the churches that were able to partner with us on this project.

The first of June, Mary and I were in NW Illinois speaking to two churches in the Quad-City area. We were well received and felt most welcome among those dear Christians. As soon as we got back, the 17th of June, we rushed to insure all was ready for Father’s Day. It was somewhat of a challenge since Mary and I both picked up a bug while in the USA, but all the plans came together, and the fathers were well “taken care of” that day.

June 28th, a guest speaker, Dr. Orlando Brinn and his wife Mara, blessed us with a marriage seminar during the Sunday school hour. Not only did they teach but also blessed us with their voices and a message. Our attendance was ninety-two.

Yesterday was a day of goodbyes. One of our families is moving to the States. The economy continues to force people to uproot their family and relocate in the USA. In the last three years over thirty-five members of our church have had to move. That is one-third of the church! Nevertheless, our attendance has remained stable as new people come in and identify themselves with us. Yesterday’s attendance was in the mid-eighties with some families out due to sickness, others with travels and even a death in one of our families. After church we had a church picnic. To culminate the day I was privileged to baptize a young teenager. It was quite a day. Well, I am out of space. Until next time, may God continue to bless you.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

Cross-cultural ministers to Puerto Rico

June 28, 2009

2009-06-28T21:01:00.002-04:00

Hi from hot, sultry Puerto Rico. Summer has arrived with a vengeance. Last night I thought I was going to melt through the mattress. Few houses have air conditioners and ours is no exception.

Today for church we had a guest speaker who taught about marital relationships. In addition to teaching, he and his wife were wonderful singers and blessed us with a concert followed by a VERY long message...(well it cannot all be good). All told, it was a good day. We had a good attendance of ninety-two.

This week I begin preparing for the upcoming men's retreat; you know, sermons, lessons, menus, lists of what to bring, etc. We have around twenty signed up for the first men's retreat in over twenty-five years. Our church is sponsoring the event. May the Lord add His blessings.

Blessings to each of you.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

June 21, 2009

2009-06-21T21:22:00.002-04:00

Hi once again from Puerto Rico. After a quick furlough to the US to visit a couple of churches in NW Illinois, we are back on the island. The good folk in Community Christian Church in Moline, IL and Countryside Christian Church in Port Byron, IL certainly made us feel at home and welcome. We extend our genuine thanks to them.

With our return to PR we seemed to have brought with us a nasty cold. First I and then Mary have taken our turns shuffling around the house feeling pretty much under the weather. I think I am beginning to mend finally. Mary, unfortunately, had to continue to push to get things ready for Father's Day here at the church. There was a dinner and program to plan. I felt sorry for her because I knew she beginning to feeling under the weather. Tonight she crashed and went to bed early. Perhaps tomorrow will be a new venue for her.

The church service went well although the attendance was inexplicably down somewhat. After Father's Day gifts were given to the men, three of our ladies extolled the virtues of their husbands. I have to admit, all three men were deserving of their wife's praise. After church there was a dinner of rice, beans, salad, roast chicken and dessert.

Tonight Mary and I sat down and reserved our flight for the upcoming missions trip to the Dominican Republic. The dates are July 23-31. Details are falling in place for that upcoming event. We hope it will be a blessing to many.

I shall pause here. God bless you all.

Johnathan and Mary

June 12, 2009

2009-06-12T16:18:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone. It has been a while since our last update. In part that is due to a week's vacation we took with my sister and her husband. We had a wonderful time together. The ensuing week was spent preparing for a short furlough to northern Illinois.

Last Sunday, June 7, we were at Community Christian Church in East Moline, IL. We were received warmly and renewed acquaintances with those dear people, supporters for over twenty-five years. This week, in between speaking engagements, we have visited with our son Benjamin and his wife Tiffany in Kalamazoo, MI. It had been fifteen months since we had seen each other. This coming Tuesday we fly back to Puerto Rico and get back to the tasks at hand...which are many.

As always, thanks for your interest in our work. Blessings.

Johnathan and Mary

May 11, 2009

2009-05-11T08:37:00.005-04:00

Hi once again from the Caribbean. This week was spent in preparation for Mother's Day. That might seem a little surprising to most, but Mother's Day is much bigger than in the States. After Christmas, and Three Kings Day, this is the biggest day of the year. Mother's Day was a grand occasion at the church. Every mother received a flower at the door. During the service they also received a gift as well as chocolate. One of our mothers, an elder's wife, was chosen by popular vote "Mother of the Year". She received a bouquet of flowers and a warm round of applause. Instead of me preaching, five of our men spoke about their wives as the mother of their children. It was a total surprise for these wives and few dry eyes remained as the men spoke of the great qualities their wives possessed. The service was closed out with a little girl singing a beautiful song about the importance of praying mothers.

As soon as services were over, everyone enjoyed a great sit-down meal prepared and served by the men. Several stayed after the meal to insure all tables and chairs were put away and the basement cleaned up. It was certainly a great day to showcase the talents of our men. Our church is blessed.

I asked Mary how many we had for church. She said one-hundred and two. Once again, we had some first-time visitors. Each Sunday we seem to have new faces appear. May the Lord continue to add his blessings.

Doing our best for the Lord,

Johnathan and Mary

April 28, 2009

2009-04-28T20:18:00.007-04:00

Hi once again from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Today was Friendship Day at the church. For three weeks we had promoted the event; a special speaker, special music, good song service, and good food after church. This year we put up a 20x30 foot tarp in the front lawn of the church for the dinner. Several men arrived early to get everything ready and then stayed to the end to make sure everything was put away.

The bottom line is that it was a great attendance: one-hundred and twenty-three. It was a capacity crowd, every chair but three in the building was taken. Thirty were guests, several being first time visitors. This year we are ahead of 2008 for first time visitors and last year was a record...200+.

After sitting down to catch our breath, Mary and I were off to visit some church members to begin planning Mothers' Day.

We hope you have a great week. Thanks so much for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary

2009-04-22T09:29:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone. Sunday is quickly closing and I wanted to do this blog before the day got completely away from me.

Last week I spent most of the week in bed. A bad case of the flu finally caught up with me. Boy, it was a doozy...four days flat on my back. I am still not fully over it.

So much about me, today we were somewhat off in the attendance. So many people were out with the flu, others with deaths in their family, still others with family members in the hospital in San Juan, and so on and so forth. Nevertheless, the song service was good and half-way through the service a couple renewed their vows after ten years of marriage. It was a sweet affair and we all celebrated the moment with cake and goodies after the service.

I guess that is it. Hope you have a great week. Thanks for partnering with us!

Johnathan and Mary

2009-04-13T09:54:00.004-04:00

Well, Easter week is past. Tonight as I nurse a cold and reflect on the past couple of days I have a sense of satisfaction. Wednesday through Friday morning was spent preparing for an evening Good Friday service, the biggest religious holiday on the calendar in Latin America. Our attendance reflected that fact. Every chair was taken and chairs were placed in the middle aisle. According to Mary's count we had one-hundred and forty-eight. It was a beyond capacity crowd as the people listened to a musical written by one of our church members.

Then, Saturday our choir continued to practice for their concert Easter Sunday morning. Although the choir was smaller than in other years, the group did a fine job. A little girl in our church sang one of the specials. Her song brought tears to the eyes of many in the service including my own. After the final "amen" the kids piled out of Jr. Church to look for Easter eggs, an annual event in our church as it is in many churches. Over one-hundred and sixty eggs were found by the twenty-five children present.

Earlier in the day we enjoyed a sunrise service on the grounds of the church. After an informal service we all enjoyed a great breakfast of pancakes.

That's it. We hope your Easter was special as well.

Blessings...

Johnathan and Mary

April 8, 2009

2009-04-08T15:48:00.003-04:00

Hello from Puerto Rico. It is finally starting to feel like summer here... HOT! We are in the very dry time of the year, almost a month behind schedule.

Last week was a slack week in our church. Attendance was way down due to a lot of sickness and undisclosed personal matters. Down days seem to play with my joy. I suppose it goes back to my childhood in So. IL where the attendance rarely varied more than 10-15 on a given Sunday morning regardless of the size of the congregation.. I have talked with pastors here from many denominations and the attendance in their churches also fluctuates a lot. It seems to be somewhat of a cultural matter common in all churches across the island.

Anyway, today we had a nice attendance of ninety-two, more where we normally are on most Sundays. Our speaker was a minister from Providence, RI. Pastor Caesar Jiménez did a wonderful job preaching about the triumphant entry of Christ, a fitting message for Palm Sunday.

This week is an exciting week with Good Friday on the calendar and of course Easter Sunday on the horizon, but more about all that next week.

God bless you.

Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary.

March 25, 2009

2009-03-25T09:42:00.010-04:00

March is quickly slipping away. Looking back, it has been a good month with great attendance and excellent services. Last Sunday was no exception although the attendance was lower than unexpected. The service was nevertheless, a blessing. A potter was our guest speaker. He brought his wheel and clay and did a splendid job teaching about faith and growth in adversity, certainly appropriate for the times in which we live. The people watched and listened with great interest. The positive comments were many.

Mixed in with the day was a moment of blessing and sadness. The blessing was the presentation of a couple's new baby, always a special moment for the entire church. The child had been longed for a few years. In spite of some concern with the pregnancy and an early delivery, the child was born perfectly healthy.

After the presentation of the child we also had a solemn moment as one of our elders shared his last Sunday with the church. He is moving to the States Wednesday, the 25th. His stabilizing presence and good Bible knowledge was a blessing to the church. He was an elder for over tens years and will be missed.

Afterward, the missions committee sold a light lunch to raise funds for the upcoming mission trip in July. The church members generously supported the fund raiser and a nice profit was turned for the event.

Yesterday was a local holiday so the church sponsored a site seeing trip. Twenty of the church members traveled by bus to see a "Dry Forest" located on the south side of the island.

That's the latest dear friends. Thanks for your continued interest in what we do. May the Lord always add his blessing.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

March 16, 2009

2009-03-16T18:00:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone. Yesterday was our annual kite festival. What a lot of fun we had. Our attendance for church was one-hundred and six. That is the second time we have been over one-hundred this month. I commented we had only two visitors so the attendance reflected the "home crowd". That is good news. This year has had its ups and downs with attendance but as scripture says, "We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus."

After church we had a picnic on the church lawn with grilled hot dogs to eat. Most everyone stayed for the event. Nearly everyone had decorated a kite using the theme: "What Christ means to me and my family." Some were wonderfully creative. By three o'clock the event was over and everything put away. The night before I had come down with a cold, so after the last box was stored away I flopped on the couch and did nothing the rest of the day...except attend a board meeting later that evening.

Thanks for your interest in the work. Many good things have happened through out the years and many more are sure to come.

Until next time...

Johnathan and Mary Reece

March 11, 2009

2009-03-11T17:32:00.001-04:00

Hi once again from Puerto Rico. Last week was the church's anniversary. It was a great occasion. The attendance was one-hundred and thirty-two. I suppose that is the best attendance we have ever had for an anniversary. And certainly, it was the best attendance this year. The preaching was good. The music was a delight. A dinner afterward was abundant and delicious.

Today the attendance was up again. Mary recorded ninety-two for the worship service. I was pleased. We had a lot of regulars absent but we also had several visitors which filled in the gaps.

Thanks for your interest in this work.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

February 28, 2009

2009-02-28T14:55:00.004-04:00

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

February 23, 2009

2009-02-23T10:54:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. As winter grinds on in the States we are having our best weather. Day time temperatures are in the low 80's and in the low 70's at night. Why am I telling you that? I suppose it is simply to have a little fun at your expense. When August and September roll around and we are dodging hurricanes you can repay the favor :-)

Today we had a guest trio present the church service. The group, Pregoneros del Rey, who have played for over forty years, did a masterful job. In puertorican tradition two played guitars and the other a percussion instrument. The Lord used them to touch many hearts including my own.

Next week is our anniversary. It should be a grand occasion.

Thanks for partnering with us in these uncertain times. God bless each of you.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

2009-02-15T18:58:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone. The church celebrated St. Valentine's Day today in the Sunday service. I was primed to speak about the passage where Jesus said he was the Resurrection and Life but the St. Valentine's Day activities took up the entire thirty minutes reserved for the sermon. By the time I stood up to speak it was 12:30 PM. Nevertheless, NO ONE COMPLAINED (hum!!) and the people left with candy and a Valentine.

Not all of the women were present. Five from Aguadilla had attended the annual women's retreat and three stayed until the end. Mary said around a total of thirty attended. Apart from some minor issues, she said it was great.

Thank you for partnering with us. We constantly thank God for His provision and your prayers.

God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary

February 9, 2009

2009-02-09T16:54:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone. Last week got away from us before we could report. However, the last two weeks have been very good. Lets bring you up to date.

The last day of January was our first Women's Makeover Day. Our guest speaker, a Mary Kay representative, spoke on self-esteem. Afterward, three professional beauticians offered their services free of charge to style the women's hair, and teach new makeup techniques. Our daughter-in-law who organized the event said fifteen were present. The ladies were requesting more, and similar, events.

Yesterday, February 8, was the church's third annual Children's Day. Three of our talented adults provided a great program for the children...all thirty-five of them. They decorated the front of the church so it appeared to be a campground and wore jungle safari outfits to create the desired ambiance. After their presentation, a group of guest puppeteers presented a great program entitled "Promesas" (Promises). Everyone watched with rapt attention. We had ninety-six for the occasion. Afterward there were refreshments in the basement and gifts for every child present. It truly was a great day.

That's it! Be sure and lift us up in prayer.

Johnathan and Mary

2009-01-25T22:18:00.000-04:00

Today the attendance was down somewhat. Although some members were absent due to other commitments, a good number of the absences were due to the annual youth retreat hosted by our church for the seventh straight year. This year three churches participated in the annual event. I believe we had twenty-five in all for the event. I am especially proud of our church members. This year, like last year's retreat, I stayed behind to take care my responsibilities here in Aguadilla. Our youth leader and his wife as well as five other members of the church ran the camp. I could not be prouder of them. By all accounts the word is that it was a great retreat.

God bless.

Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

January 18, 2009

2009-01-18T20:10:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone. Today was a pleasant service. Although the attendance was down somewhat from what I had expected, the service was animated. Afterward, the youth had lunch for sale in the basement. They were raising money to go to the youth retreat this weekend. The youth leader said they raised nearly $185.00.

The church's web site is finally up and running! Please check it out at:
http://www.iglesiacristianadeaguadilla.org. If you have any comments or suggestions, please, don't hesitate to let us know! Hope you can read spanish :-)

May the Lord bless you as you serve Him this week.

Thanks for your prayers!

Johnathan and Mary

January 11, 2009

2009-01-11T22:16:00.001-04:00

Today is winding down. This afternoon was spent enjoying our granddaughter :-) Tonight is board meeting night. This week is a week of meetings. We are pushing hard to get all of the ministries functioning properly and off to a good start. Tuesday night, Wednesday night, as well as Friday morning are all scheduled for meetings. Then next week more of the same. May the Lord add His blessings to our efforts.

I woke up early this morning concerned about having enough space for the upcoming youth retreat, Jan. 23-25. An unexpected, large crowd is a nice problem to have. I suppose some will have to sleep on the floor. However, all will work out.

We are pleased to announce that within a week we will be posting the church's new web page. Hopefully by next week we will be able to give you the web address.

Take care. Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary

January 4, 2009

2009-01-05T15:51:00.008-04:00

Hi everyone. This is the first blog of 2009.

Today was a great day at church. I am always amazed at the talent in our congregation. Today three of our church members sang specials. One of the singers composed his own song which incorporated the names of several of the church members. As you can imagine, it was a hit. After the song service the children filed down to the basement to hear the story of the Magi and the Christ child. As the story was concluding, in walked three of our men in full Three Kings regalia. Gifts and candy were given to every child.

The attendance for the day was ninety-six ...just a few from that special number of one hundred. Years ago we dreamed of our church being an example for other Christian Churches on the island by reaching one-hundred in attendance. Although we still do not average one-hundred, we are narrowing the gap.

Tonight we went to our fourth Christmas/Three Kings Day party in four days. Whoa! (Pass the Zantac.) We munched on roasted pork, rice and pigeon peas, potato salad and green bananas in a vinaigrette sauce while enjoying musical compositions with a salsa and merengue beat. It dawned on me we had made light years of progress in our transition from mid-America to Puerto Rico and Latin America in general. Tonight we felt at home in a setting that years ago would have caused the bravest of missionary recruits to flee. I suppose we are fully acculturated and that hints at why the church has grown steadily over the years. And maybe, just maybe, the best is still yet to come.

We are excited about the up-coming year. God will do good things though the church in Aguadilla. Pray with us as we consider the year before us. God bless you.

Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

December 28, 2008

2008-12-28T11:42:00.002-04:00

It is time to wrap up the year. What a wonderful year it has been. This year, more than ever before, the church has surpassed the one hundred threshold in attendance. Of course there were many times in the nineties. We even reached one hundred-seventy for a special service. And yes, we had some off Sundays. But they were the exception.

This year we again kept a record of our first time visitors. The last count was two hundred-three for 2008. That is certainly a record for our church. Our people are inviting their friends and guests on a regular basis. They seem to be very happy with the church.

Twelve people were baptized this year. Others should have but no decision was made. Hopefully with time they will also commit to the Lord and His church. There were also three rededications and two new families are meeting with us regularly who have indicated they wanted to be part of our church directory.

The year’s programming was rich and varied. Top quality singers and musicians were invited to present concerts. Many guest speakers blessed the church as well. Our '"in house" programs such as Children’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Grandparents’ Day, Pastor’s Day, Fall festival, concerts by the choir and plays by our drama team are just a few of the many things that brought variety and blessings to our congregation.

Looking into 2009, the church calendar is laid out. It promises to be a great year. We long for the Lord’s blessing and recognize our dependence on Him. As Palms 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord build the house, the laborer labors in vain.”

Of course this is possible in part because of you and your commitment to this ministry. Mary and I are so grateful for your faithfulness to the work in Aguadilla. Thank you.

God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

December 21, 2008

2008-12-21T00:39:00.009-04:00

Hi everyone. This is the last blog before Christmas. Tomorrow is a big day for the church. It is our annual Christmas service. A father son duet will present the program. They play guitars in a most beautiful way that captures the attention of all who listen. I know we will be blessed. A good crowd is anticipated. After the service a Christmas dinner is planned with all the trimmings. It should be loads of fun.

Mary and I wish you God's blessings as we approach the traditional date to celebrate Christmas. As always, thanks for your friendship and interest in this work.

As always,

Johnathan and Mary

PS The service today was wonderful. Once again we were over one-hundred. The father-son duet had transformed into a trio. They were marvelous, truly a blessing and a delight to hear. The dinner after the service was scrumptous. Everyone left with a full tummy and a happy heart.

Merry Christmas

November 30, 2008

2008-11-30T22:27:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. Hope all is well with you. Last Sunday was our annual Thanksgiving celebration at the church. We had a good crowd in spite of some regulars missing due to sickness. Instead of a sermon, several of the church members gave a short testimony to the blessings they had received in 2008. Before they spoke, our children played two songs on the hand bells. Afterward, we enjoyed a great turkey dinner with all the trimmings. For Thanksgiving our family had two dinners to share. The first was with missionary friends and that evening with our daughter-in-law's family.

God bless.

Johnathan and Mary

November 17, 2008

2008-11-17T12:52:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. Last week was spent organizing the church for 2009. Perhaps you may remember that we held our annual Ministries Fair the last of October. It is a time when everyone signs up to help in one of our twenty-four ministries in the church. The two weeks after the event Mary and I were in the States for a short furlough. So, as soon as we got back last week we began organizing the leaders for the different ministries. There is still organizational work to be done. Perhaps this week we will wrap it up.

Yesterday was a good church service. We had another good attendance...ninety-four. Our former associate minister, Javier Ortiz, gave the message. We also had a guest contemporary band play/sing several specials. They did a great job and the whole congregation was involved with their music.

Next Sunday the church celebrates Thanksgiving. Certainly there are many reasons to give thanks. I will give some details next time.

God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary

November 12, 2008

2008-11-12T18:31:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone. After a two-week visit to the States we are back in Puerto Rico. October 26, Mary and I had the opportunity to participate in Heartland Christian Church's, forty-fifth anniversary. It was a grand occasion. As an added bonus we had the chance to see lifetime friends. To make the blessing complete my brother, sister and their spouses were with us (or perhaps we with them) to share the occasion. Last week, November 2, I spoke at Carterville First Christian Church and Mulkeytown Christian Church. As in past years I was warmly received. My thanks to those dear people.

While we were in the States our drama ministry presented one of the morning messages with a drama entitled "Hassles" ("ajetreo" ). Evidently it was well received and well done. Our son Andy preached the other Sunday while I was gone.

Yesterday we had a guest speaker who spoke to all but especially to the singles and encouraged them pursue sexual purity and gave some suggestions as to how they could do that.

Things are ramping up for the holidays. As events unfold we will share the details.

Blessings,

Johnathan and Mary Reece

October 19, 2008

2008-10-20T09:44:00.006-04:00

Hi once again. Today's service was a "keeper"....here are the details.

I finished a three-part series on the Holy Spirit: His work in us and through us especially as it relates to our work in the local congregation. At the conclusion of the service, last week's as well as today's, we asked the church members to sign up for 2009 to work in one of the twenty-four ministries of our church. After today's service the vast majority did just that. We are pleased with the response of our people.

As part of the today's worship service, one of our church musicians, along with the band members, presented two songs played and sung as closely to the original tracks as possible. He did a beautiful job as did the band. The congregation thoroughly enjoyed the presentation.

After church we celebrated our annual "Octoberfest" activity. This year, as in the last two years, we had two 25' - 30' inflatable slides for the children and adults to enjoy. Served up was barbecue and potato salad. The final count for the day was 109...once again topping the century mark this month.

This Thursday Mary and I travel to the States to be present for Heartland Christian Church's forty-fifth anniversary. I have the privilege of speaking for the occasion. We will be off island about ten days.

Have a great week. Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary

October 12, 2008

2008-10-12T16:39:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone. Last week was spent preparing for our annual ministries' fair. For the past four years our church has conducted a ministries' fair to show the people how and where they can work in our church. There are twenty-four different ways people can plug in. Some of the ministries require an occasional input while still others demand a weekly commitment; such as the musicians. This past week, Mary and I worked on several PowerPoint presentations related to the fair. Tied into this was a two week sermon series on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I taught the Spirit works in us as well as through us. At the end of the service most everyone signed up to use their talent and gifts for the Lord in 2009.

Today was a well-attended service. Although it seemed to start a little slowly, the final count was one-hundred. I am happy to report that many times this year we have reached that century mark.

Part of the service included a special in song by one of the men. I commented to one of the members after church that just a couple of years ago this same man would bring the rest of his family but would sit in his car and not come in to the service under any circumstances. Slowly the Lord has broken down resistance in his heart to the point that he sings with gusto in the service and now sings specials.

Have a great week. In spite of the troubling times, the Lord is sovereignly in control.

Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary

August 1 - October 2, 2008

2008-10-05T17:22:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone. It has been a while since we last wrote. We were without internet service for over a couple of weeks. That being said, there is a lot to report but I’ll be brief.

First and foremost, eight people have been added to the Lord’s body since our last newsletter. August 8, a young man was immersed. A little more than a month later, September 21, six declared their faith and allegiance in the Lord and were also immersed. Then, this past Tuesday, another individual was also baptized. Santo Torres and I had spent many hours talking with these people about their baptism only to have them tell us they were not ready. Then finally, the dike of resistance gave way as the Spirit touched hearts. What a sweet delight to see people take this step of faith/obedience.

The church has celebrated several successful events these past two months. The best attended was a concert by Claudina Brinn, a well-known Hispanic Christian recording artist. As best as we could count, the attendance that evening was around one-hundred and sixty. Our building was jam packed. Only by providing programming for the kids in the basement were we able to accommodate the crowd. Out of that concert a new family has been faithfully attending our services. The wife made a commitment at the end of that concert. We hope she too will be immersed soon. Still others have made decisions of renewal and commitment these past few weeks.

Other successful events include: Talent night, our first ever Grandparents’ Day, Pastors’ Day in which the elders and I were recognized and honored, an all-church outing, a guest men’s choir, and two guest speakers. For most of the Sundays the attendance has been good, even climbing to over one-hundred and fifteen for the men’s choir concert.

This has been a wonderful year. As we try to do our very best to seek excellence in everything, the pay-off has been rich. Just today one of our deacons informed me we have had one-hundred and sixty-five first time visitors this year. He also informed me over one-hundred and forty consider our congregation their home church. (I sure wish we could get them all to church every Sunday and on time!!!)

Of course, this work and ministry is possible because of individuals and churches like you. Thank you and may the Lord be praised. Blessings to each and all.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

Cross-cultural ministers to Puerto Rico

September 14, 2008

2008-09-14T20:31:00.002-04:00

This week, the blog is being written by Mary. (Johnathan decided you needed to hear from me for a change.)

It was a good week for us. Services today were exciting to be a part of. One of the young men of the church taught the adult Sunday School class and did an outstanding job--it was only his second time to teach. It's good to see the future leaders taking charge!

The sermon really touched the hearts of many people, who asked for prayer at the end of the service. Johnathan spoke on the Lord, reminding us that there is only one way to Heaven, and that is through Christ. A man whom we have been praying for a long time, raised his hand for prayer. The Lord is working on the hearts of several of the people here.

Next week is "Pastors' Day" in which we honor our elders; Pablo, Edwin and Johnathan. A great program is planned. The children were all busy today practicing for next week. After the service we will top it off with a dinner of chicken, rice, beans, salad, and cake.

May the Lord bless you as you serve Him this week, wherever you are.

Mary Reece

September 9, 2008

2008-09-09T18:04:00.003-04:00

Well tropical storms/hurricanes have gone north and south of us and somehow the island has been spared of any serious weather this year. May it continue to be the case.

This week I was a little under the weather with a flu bug but I am pretty much back to normal.

Church today was a special occasion. We celebrated our first Grandparents Day. We had a great worship service. The song service was dynamic. People sang their hearts outs. After a PowerPoint presentation dedicated to the grandparents and tokens given to every grandparent present, our guest speaker, Caesar Jimenez, from Providence, RI delivered the morning message. After the service we celebrated the occasion with cake and coffee.

We counted ninety-four and still many members were out for a variety of reasons.

Until next time.

Johnathan and Mary

August 31, 2008

2008-08-31T20:05:00.004-04:00

Today capped off a good week. Although we had to cancel Wednesday services due to heavy rains from Gustav which passed just to the south of our island, yesterday and today were both blessings. Yesterday we finally had a church outing that had been rescheduled twice. We filled up a school bus to capacity and by 7:30 AM were on our way to the south side of the island to explore Hacienda Buena Vista, a restored 1900 century coffee plantation. After a great tour we traveled to the city of Ponce for some shopping at a nice mall, a favorite with our women. By 6:00 PM we were back in Aguadilla, worn out but happy.

I was a little apprehensive about our church attendance today considering so many were tired from the long trip the day before. To the contrary we had a full house. A men's ensemble from the San Juan area presented a great concert. As best as we could tell there was around one-hundred and fifteen for church, pretty much filling up the building. Afterwards, Mary, Tania (our daughter-in-law) and Santo's wife, Monsi, prepared lunch for the choir and the members of the church board and their families.

Take care. Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary

August 26, 2008

2008-08-26T09:15:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone. Last week was a busy week. So much of the time was spent preparing for a concert by Claudina Brinn, one of the best known puertorican female Christian singers on the island. We had begun to make contact with her 4-5 months ago and were delighted when she agreed to come and sing last Friday. Radio spots were produced and played, Eight-hundred tracts were given out in the area, and a few hours were spent announcing the event with a loudspeaker system.

We also made preparations for the children who would be present. A Christian clown was contacted to provide programming for the children. As best as we could count the attendance was between 150-170. One person made a commitment to the Lord and many people passed to the front for prayer.

Saturday, Santos Torres and I traveled to San Juan for a camp meeting. The camp organization is in the process of redoing the by-laws...a slow, tedious process. We left early Saturday and got home in the late afternoon...tired.

Services were good yesterday. The service was robust and the attendance was pretty close to normal. Then, yesterday afternoon, three of the men in the church, as well as myself, took the youth on an outing. We made it home around 7:00 PM just in time to try one of Mary's homemade cookies. Life can be rather pleasant can't it?

Johnathan and Mary

August 21, 2008

2008-08-21T17:17:00.001-04:00

Another week is gone. Someone has said, "time flys when you are having a good time. Today was a good service. In spite of several out with travels and job committments we had a good attendance. The service was lively with good music and a light-hearted spirit pervaded those present.

Our split Jr. church is going well. Everyone is doing their part by working twice as often to provide a better education/worship service for our children ages kinder through sixth grade.

This Friday we are hosting one of the premier Christian singers on the island. So far we have been pushing hard to promote the event. We do not know exactly what to expect but we could easily have a standing room only crowd of 150-175 people. We will let you know how it turns out next Sunday.

Thanks for partnerning with us.

Johnathan and Mary

August 10, 2008

2008-08-10T20:36:00.005-04:00

There are several people attending our church who either have not been baptized or were baptized as babies rather than as believers. I try to follow up on these people from time to time to remind them of what Scriptures teach. Thursday, Santos Torres, a deacon in our church, and I talked with two women about this step of commitment. After an extended discussion they were still unwilling to give their hearts totally over to the Lord.

The next day, Friday, we once again talked with two young men and again neither would agree to being baptized. We left their home somewhat dejected and disappointed. As we drove home my phone rang and it was one of the young men who had changed his mind. He wanted his baptism to be a private matter so we met him at the church building within the hour and baptized him in obedience to the Lord.

Church attendance is still a little off from the usual 80-90. School begins tomorrow so I suspect many are doing last minute shopping. I will never quite understand the thinking of some people :-)

Good things are coming up the end of the month but more about that as the month progresses. Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

August 3, 2008

2008-08-03T22:22:00.003-04:00

Well, we are fast approaching the heart of hurricane season. So far it has been rather quiet off the coast of Africa. Fingers are crossed. I believe our church building is as ready as we can make it in the event of a storm.

Friday we enjoyed "Talent Night" at church. Normally we do not have Friday services. These evenings are reserved for occasional special events. Around ten or twelve people participated with drama, pantomime, poetry, a Bible lesson and a sermonette. After the activity we were to have a campfire but we got rained out so we opted for hotdogs in the basement. The activity was well supported by the rest of the congregation.

Today the service started a little slowly. People were a little late getting to church. Eventually they showed up and we had a great service. There are a lot of needs among our people. At the end of the service many all over the building asked for prayer. The weak ecomony is a source of anxiety for several in the church. Unemployment runs around 12-15% and makes for difficult times for the island and it's people.

Johnathan and Mary

July 28, 2008

2008-07-27T20:43:00.011-04:00

Last week was a week of holidays. Monday, Friday and then again tomorrow. So the week has been a little slow from the standpoint of work. Nevertheless, a couple of days were spent planning, visiting church members, studying for a new Bible study over the book of Hebrews, maintenance around the church building and many other details that I won't throw your way :-)

Today Damian Mendez, one of our budding leaders in the church, did a fine job teaching about the tabernacle, dressed in full high priest regalia. With the aid of multimedia the people followed his teaching with interest.

This afternoon some of our youth did a walk, the first of many activities designed to draw them together. They have become fractured due to personality clashes and immaturity. Hopefully this will help them along.

The best to you.

Johnathan and Mary

July 20, 2008

2008-07-20T23:41:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone. It is Sunday evening and time to relax after a pretty long day. Last week I mentioned we were taking a group of church members to San Juan Saturday to support a sister church in it's Family Day. The turnout was good. Twenty-one of our members made the all-day trip in a school bus...whee! The sponsoring church was delighted when we rolled up for the day. We had more people than they did!

Today, Sunday the attendance was down just a little. Tomorrow is a holiday so some of our members were gone for the long weekend. Speaking of church members; next week one of our men is going to come in full costume as an OT high-priest to teach about the tabernacle with its furnishings and some of the parallels to the Christian faith.

We hope you have a wonderful week. Do not forget to pray for us.

Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary

2008-07-13T23:53:00.001-04:00

Well, we are at mid-July, a time when traditionally the attendance dives. However, the church service was great today. The song service was well done. The band played well. I preached the morning message. Mary counted ninety-two; good for mid-summer. As we dismissed the children to go to their service, eighteen little ones filed out and down to the basement. There was a murmur of delight and smiles were seen all over the building as they jumped up and ran out. We are blessed. Our church has several young families and there are more children on the way.

Our ladies Makeover Day was canceled at the last minute by the beauty school due to sickness. This Saturday we have a twenty-four signed up to go to San Juan to support a sister church in their Family Day. It should be a great day. May the Lord add his blessing.

Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary

2008-07-06T18:58:00.001-04:00

A happy belated 4th of July. We hope you had a nice holiday. Mary and I spent the day at home with friends. We ate more barbecued ribs than we should have and had that extra piece of cake we usually shun. After all, it was the 4th. The day is celebrated/not celebrated on the island. By that I mean there is not a lot of hullabaloo with decorations, flags and fireworks. Yet the banks and government offices are closed and the beaches are jammed.

Most of our church family is back from vacations. Today we were just a few shy of a hundred for church. There was a good spirit among the people. A good crowd tends to have that effect.

This week we are scheduled to look over the church program, make some adjustments and pump up the ministries for the last half of the year.

Saturday we have a special activity for the women but more about that next week.

God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary

May 22 - June 29, 2008

2008-06-29T16:55:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone. After a two-week hiatus, we are "back in the saddle again." From the last of May till June 9 Mary and I were in the States (CA, OR). We got to see some places that we had wanted to visit since childhood. As an added blessing we had the chance to visit with some family/friends as well as a dear friend who used to be a missionary in Puerto Rico.

During our absence and throughout the month of June, with the exception of Fathers' Day, the church enjoyed a change afforded by guest speakers. Most of the speakers were members of our church. The end of May, Marta Lasalle, a recent graduate of a local Bible institute, blessed the church with her angelic singing voice. Although due to travels Mary and I were not able to hear her, several members spoke highly of her songs and thoughts. Then, last week, Santos Torres, one of the deacons of the church, preached the morning message. He did a good job speaking about the importance of maintaining a living relationship with the Lord. As for mid-week Bible studies during our absence, Damian Mendez, a good scholar, taught on the origin and formation of the New Testament.

In addition to our church members leading the Sunday services, we had two guest speakers from outside our congregation. One of the ministers from the San Juan area spoke the first week in June. The elders said he did a great job. Then today, we had a guest singer/speaker from the east side of the island. Last November he sang and preached. Since he did such a good job the board decided to invite him back. Several people were touched by his music and preaching.

Speaking of preaching, our son Andy has been filling in for a church in town while the minister is on vacation. I am quite proud of his willingness to do some substitute preaching when called upon. More on his family; our granddaughter had her second birthday. She is a delight to all of us. Mary had to miss church today. She threw out her back picking up our granddaughter :-)

Summer attendance is down somewhat as it is in many churches. We have several families traveling in the States on vacation as well as work related matters. Locally, families have visitors from the States and often miss church... it is kind of a cultural thing. So, all of this does have its effect on our attendance. However, this is a temporary situation. Today things were back up. I did not get a count but I suppose we were near 90-100.

I hope your summer is also going well. Thanks for your interest in this ministry and our lives. I 'll close here. God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

June 1, 2008

2008-06-02T01:24:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone. Mary and I are taking a short vacation. We will be back to writing the blog June 15. While we are off-island our church is under the guidance of our elders and capable leaders. We were told the service today went well... just as we had expected.

Johnathan and Mary

May 25, 2008

2008-05-25T20:47:00.004-04:00

Well the church finished up May in style. It was a great weekend. Yesterday, Saturday, we did a men's outing. I believe the head count was twenty-eight. The women have always had their activities but this was a first ever for the men. We had a great time and explored some of the mountains of Puerto Rico.

Today, Sunday, we continued a great weekend by recognizing our graduates. Eleven of our youth and adults were honored with gifts and a round of applause from the congregation. To make the day complete we had a team of six puppeteers present the Sunday sermon. They did a great job encouraging our graduates to excel in their studies and life's goals.

After the service everyone filed downstairs for refreshments. The attendance was once again over one-hundred...one-hundred and six to be exact.

Mary and I will be in the States for a couple of weeks and then we will be back to continue to serve the Lord in a great year, 2008.

Thanks for partnering with us,

Johnathan and Mary

March 29 - May 21, 2008

2008-05-21T15:02:00.007-04:00

One more week and we are in June. Where has it gone? These last two months have been great. Let’s catch up.

April 13th our church hosted a spiritual gift inventory seminar. Although we had done this several years ago, many new members have been added to the congregation. The event was a rousing success. We had around forty adults attend the four hour seminar. Below in the basement there was a full program arranged for the children. With the children there was a total of sixty-two present. Yesterday, after we cataloged the gifts in our database, we returned the results with an explanation of each person’s gifts. As mentioned, the entire event was well-received and we look forward to seeing Christians use their strengths for the Lord.

In the past few weeks we have made some additions and improvements to the church premises. A new sidewalk has been poured and new security lights installed. I think we have made the building about as flood-proof as we possibly can; and just in time for the rainy season! This has been a ongoing problem for over a decade and we hope to finally settle the matter once and for all. The first big rain storm will surely test our efforts so keep your fingers crossed!

April 27th the church celebrated its 20th anniversary. It was a great day. The attendance was wonderful; a full house, (over one-hundred). Our special music and worship service was powerful. As for the dinner after the service...it was divine. Such events truly make an impression on visitors and we strive to exude excellence in all things, not just the spiritual.

The second Sunday in May was Mother’s Day. The men and children “put on the dog” for the mothers and women of the church. There were tears of laughter and joy, gifts for all the mothers present, and, a fantastic meal cooked and served by the men of the congregation! The attendance that day was one-hundred. Many times this year we have broken the century barrier for our Sunday service. Furthermore, we have had around twenty-five more visitors than we did last year at this point. The church with its ups and downs is on the move and a positive spirit permeates our congregation. Our church is indeed blessed.

This coming Sunday, May 25th we are congratulating our graduates. A group of Christian puppeteers will be presenting a program designed around the graduates.

As always we ask you keep praying for us.

Johnathan and Mary Reece,

Cross-cultural ministers to Puerto Rico

May 18, 2008

2008-05-18T19:10:00.005-04:00

We are quickly nearing the end of May. The month has flown by so quickly. One more week and we are at the last Sunday of the month.

Today was a good service, with an attendance in the mid-eighties. I spoke on unity and the importance of following the prayer of Christ in John 17. Fortunately, our church has been unified throughout the years.

This past week was a week of trips to San Juan. Tuesday I spent the day with our nephew and niece (here on business and pleasure) and later on in the week I returned for a preacher's meeting. Later I did a hospital call to visit one of our church members.

The rest of the week was filled with important, but mundane, tasks. I will save you the pain of recounting those :-)

Thanks for partnering with us!

Johnathan and Mary

May 11, 2008

2008-05-11T21:26:00.007-04:00

Well Mother's Day has come and gone. Mary and I are sitting around relaxing after a busy and somewhat tiring day. The church service was good. Kids sang, two women did an interpretive dance and gifts were given to every mother present. Afterwards the men prepared a great meal for everyone and cleaned up as well. Mary said we had one-hundred in attendance. It seems everyone left happy.

In addition to Mother's Day, we also had my nephew and niece from Dallas, TX visit with us over the weekend. It had been years since they had last visited so their time with us was special.

We hope your Mother's Day weekend was also special.

Thanks for your partnership.

Johnathan and Mary

May 4, 2008

2008-05-04T20:27:00.007-04:00

Next Sunday is Mother's Day. I suppose that after Christmas it is the most important event in the island calendar. Everyone goes all out to recognize their mothers. Our church is no exception. Last week was spent organizing next week's event: You know, dinner, gifts, music, tokens etc. We will share the details next week. A full house is expected.

This past week was also spent planning the calendar into the fourth trimester of the year. We were able to book a very popular Christian singer for the month of August. The building will be filled for the event. Perhaps the Lord will touch some hearts that evening. We also scheduled events for September through November. Never before have we had as complete a calendar as 2008. It is an exciting year!

Also, some days were spent doing office chores, ordering office and church supplies, contacting church members about a sundry of church related details, and preparing a sermon and lessons. Some of the afternoons were spent visiting some of the church members. As for the evenings, Tuesday I taught an evangelistic Bible study. Wednesday was our mid-week Bible study at church, and then Thursday night I visited a home to offer some marital counseling. Friday night was free (thank goodness), and Saturday night was spent reviewing the sermon and praying. And there was still time to play with our granddaughter :-) How was your week?

Thanks for partnering with us.

Johnathan and Mary

April 27, 2008

2008-04-28T01:35:00.005-04:00

Well, as you can see, our new sidewalk is finally done. It turned into quite a project but we were delighted with the results. Friday we gave it its final coat of paint, just in time for our anniversary which was today.

The church anniversary was great. As always, quite a bit of effort went into the event; special music, special decorations, special speaker, tokens for the guests, and of course lots of food to celebrate the event. Our attendance was over one-hundred with several of the church members missing. The guest speaker from the neighboring town of Mayaguez did a great job and our own Marta Lasalle did a beautiful job with the music. She is quite gifted with music and worship. The whole service was uplifting. May the Lord continue to bless the congregation throughout the years.

God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary

April 20, 2008

2008-04-19T20:58:00.015-04:00

Well, I had almost forgotten what stiff sore muscles were. But after a full week of carpentry and concrete work I discovered nerve endings and muscles that had laid dormant for quite some time. Nevertheless, the new elevated sidewalk at the church is almost done. Last Thursday we poured five yards of concrete, by hand! By Wednesday of this week we should be totally done, securing our church basement against all but the most catastrophic of floods. They say "never say never" but this project will give us a lot of peace of mind as the rainy season approaches.

God bless you.

Thanks for your partnership and interest.

Johnathan and Mary

April 14, 2008

2008-04-14T15:40:00.008-04:00

Today is Monday, a new work week. I normally take Mondays off but today we are starting a small project at the church. The board has decided to raise the sidewalk about six inches. Without going into details, it is part of our on going efforts to control occasional flood issues with our building. So four of us men are going to tackle that project this week.

This past Saturday our church sponsored a Spiritual Gift Inventory conference. The turnout was very good, as good as we could hope for for the half-day biblical conference. We counted sixty-two adults and children present. In support of the conference our church provided lunch for everyone. Mary, as usual did a fine job organizing that aspect of the event. Also, for the children present, we provided a Bible class as well as a clown show. Over all, the whole event was quite a success.

I guess that wraps it up until next time.

Johnathan and Mary Reece

April 6, 2008

2008-04-07T01:40:00.007-04:00

Well, a new week has begun. Last week was an in-between week. By that I mean, in-between events in the church. Easter is behind us and this coming weekend is our spiritual gifts inventory seminary. It has been several years since we did such a seminar and it is something we want to begin doing with every new believer. There is a lot of interest. I believe there are fifty-two of our members signed up for the four-hour event.

On to other matters. Several of our church members are really struggling financially. Often, even as college graduates, they cannot find a job and if they do, the pay is substandard. Faith is put to the test at times such as these. Concern and worry is clearly seen in the faces of these dear brothers. Our hearts go out to them. We hold them up in prayer and the church often steps in with money to help out as it can.

Today was a good day with the believers. There was a total of 85, even with several big families out. There was a good spirit among the people, even with the problems mentioned above. Please continue to pray for your brothers and sisters in the Lord here in Puerto Rico.

Take care. Until next time...

Johnathan and Mary