May 22

Good afternoon. Summer has arrived in PR. "HOT, HOT, HOT", sums it up. These have been busy and pressing days for us, both at the church and in our personal lives too. First the personal, Mary has been dealing with a few medical issues. Everything turned out well. But, she got a nasty case of the flu out of one of those visits to the doctor. Then, she was badly burned from a tea kettle full of boiling water. After three weeks things are improving 😊.

As for the church, as the old joke goes, "Do you want the good news or bad news first?' Lets start with the not so good. Yesterday we tearfully said goodbye to another of our church families as they move to the States.  So far we have lost seven people this year to moves. Last year it was twenty. As American citizens, anyone can come and go at will. I read the other day that the public school system had lost over 430,000 students these past three decades. So many young couples really find it a struggle to make it here.  Almost always the cause is  a lack of jobs or good jobs so the family leaves. Of course, our church is no different than any other congregation. I know of churches that have closed their doors because everyone moved away. Back to our friends, we wish them godspeed. Our attendance now runs in the mid-nineties rather than the low hundreds.

Presently, we have MANY church members sick with colds and influenza; this past Sunday I counted ten who were out due to sickness. Others have been traveling and still others have had to work or are on vacation.

Well that's the bad news, now the good! Mother's Day at the church was a real delight. The church building was full even though some of our members had to miss. The wee ones did a dance for the mothers, gifts were given to every mother present; and after the morning service the church provided a great dinner in honor of the ladies. Mary said we had one-hundred and nine.

The church continues to look beyond itself. Yesterday, a special offering was taken up to buy personal hygiene items for the homeless in our town. Also, a goal of raising $ 2,000.00 by the church has been meet. A total of  $6,000.00, the final target goal, has also been met as other churches and individuals chipped in! What is the money for? We intend to build a house  for an indigent family this summer in the Dominican Republic with the help of a missions team from KY. Santos Torres, my sidekick, is in charge of the project and has almost everything ready to go. He is a good man to have at one's side.

This Saturday, the 27th of this month, nine men from the church will be painting a house for an elderly woman with almost no financial resources. The church has bought the paint and all the needed supplies to do the project.

Finally, the church has become a sponsor of a Venturing crew (a branch of Boy Scouts of America). It is called Crew 288, in honor of when the church was officially recognized by the PR government (February, 1988). This weekend they took a navigation training program sponsored by the Coast Guard and PR government. I took the course. And yes, I passed 😀.

I believe that brings you up to date. Blessings on your life. Bye.

Johnathan and Mary