March 18, 2024

Monday morning is here. Coffee has been drunk, breakfast eaten and time with the Lord has been prioritized. Time to reach out to you, our friends and supporters. February is behind us and now we are halfway through March. What has been happening?  

will start with yesterday's event, the 38th anniversary of the congregation. It was a wonderful day. The attendance was a little over 90, even with some "regulars" missing due to work, vacations, and sickness. We had several visitors, both locally, as well as a group from a church on the south side of the island. A guest singer provided three "specials" and then our guest speaker, (an evangelist who married a former member of our church) did a wonderful job preaching from Jeremiah 29:11-12, "For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, plans for well-being, and not for calamity, in order to give you a future and a hope. When you call out to me and come and pray to me, I'll hear you." Although the passage was to give hope to Israel as it went through very difficult times, it certainly has applications for the church too.

And or course, as in so many small or medium sized congregations, after the service we had a church dinner, a delightful meal of stewed chicken with potatoes (with wonderful Puerto Rican spices and flavorings), along with rice and white beans and topped off with a selection of different desserts. No one left hungry. There was a lot left over so we took that food to Hogar Crea (Faith House), a substance abuse rehabilitation center, who happily received the unexpected gift. As our church was blessed in so many ways yesterday, we passed on the blessing to others. After all, is that not what we are to do…love others!

Going back a couple of weeks, we had an after-church event for all who identify themselves as youth…even if it was a matter of the heart and not a chronological count. A volleyball net was put up, tables games were pulled out and we ate an American favorite…hotdogs. A nice crowd showed up and people hung around until almost 4:00 PM

Mary and I will be in the States next month visiting supporting churches in AR, IL, and IN. Although we intend to continue to minister and serve in Aguadilla, we will be discontinuing our need for financial support at the end of this year. We want to give the churches an update as well as express our thanks for years of support of our work.   

 I believe this sums up the highlights of these past thirty days.  Until next time…


Johnathan and Mary

_______________________________

Click on photos to enlarge














February 12, 2024

Valentines after 49+ years
Good morning. The call to "rise and shine" has come and gone. Most of us in PR have been up now for 2-3 hours and today's tasks and goals lay before us. Our time, Atlantic Standard Time, is the same as Eastern Daylight Savings Time. So…coffee is drunk, oatmeal is consumed and now the newsletter. Howdy!

January flew by and now we are approaching mid-February. The last half of January went by quietly and now February and March with its events have been planned. Before I get to February, Mary and I took a couple days off in mid-January to go to an annual festival here on the island...SANSE. It is in some ways like Mardi Gras. The festival begins with a  parade, famous for cultural dancers, bands, and people wearing huge heads typifying well-known people on the island. Like Mardi Gras, the evenings are given to partying and the usual excess of alcohol. We enjoyed the parade and exploring parts of Old San Juan we had never seen due to security issues and then "holed up" in our hotel room before the (if I may use an old biblical work) licentiousness of the nights' events began. 

SANSE parade
 On to other things; February services have been dedicated to focusing on the concept of love. I started on Sunday the 4th with a sermon about the primary identifying mark of a Christian, apart from our faith in Christ. "This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35). Then yesterday our guest speaker followed up in the same theme. For the last two services in February the theme will continue to be addressed by two different speakers.

Yesterday's service was inspiring. Everyone who had a part did a beautiful job and the congregation was uplifted and moved to worship with enthusiasm. The attendance was very good as well. What a difference 15-20 more people can make in the ambience of an assembly. After the service, cake was served and candy was passed out to all present. A photo "station" was put up for people to take a photo with their Valentine(s). We had some visitors that keep coming back. That is certainly encouraging. One of my daily prayers is that the Lord would bring new people to the congregation. As Mary and I and our generation
Celebrating Valentines Day at church
age, another younger generation needs to take over so my prayer is: "While I am asking, could those people be younger families with children?" 

Looking on into March, the 38th anniversary will be celebrated. Throughout the years I suppose a few hundred have been ministered to. Many have been converted and others, already Christians, became part of our local body. Of those, many have moved away, some have fallen away or gone to other churches and seventeen have passed on to be with the Lord. Still,  others are arriving. I know you can see the same pattern in your congregation as well. Although language and cultures vary, some of life's patterns are unvarying around the world. 

I suppose I will stop here. Blessings to all.


Johnathan and Mary


____________________________________




SANSE parade in Old San Juan

 Surfs up