Sometimes the Old Way is the Best Way.

Remember the Radio Flyer little red wagon? It was simple, sturdy and fun. The new model appears comfortable but looks as much fun as dragging around an Igloo plastic picnic cooler. I think "modernizing" it just defeats the purpose of a little red wagon: Simple Fun that Lasts a Long Time.

This new model is called the Cloud 9. It has an MP3 player and speaker system, for your child. When he gets tired of that, he can strap himself in to one of the two bucket seats using a five-point racing harness. At his fingertips will be a digital display panel, complete with temperature readouts, odometer and speedometer. Got a Juicy Juice Sippy cup handy? No worries. The Cloud 9 has cup holders too!

But after spending about a thousand dollars, is your kid really better off or more in tune with the outdoors? A wagon that is this expensive probably will never be allowed to leave the side walk or yard. So, if the purpose of a wagon is getting your kid to play outside and like it, that very purpose is defeated by the modern version of the same product.

The same thing happens in church work. As a missionary, we have seen a lot of so called "modern methods" for doing the work of evangelism and church planting, which in reality are methods that avoid doing the core work of missions.

We find there is nothing that beats knocking on a door, asking to come in and reading the Word of God in a person's home. Sometimes the old way is really the best way to get the job done. Besides, it's really more fun that way once you get started!

Please pray as we do it the old way. It is not the easy or most comfortable way, but it is really the only way to fulfill the central purpose of missionary: Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a message that has the power to change a persons life and destiny. There is no better way!

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth

Umm! Roast Guinea Pig!

Mission trips: We give as well as receive!

Here are a few pictures I got from some of my students, Nancy and Marta, who went to Peru and helped a pastor in the Lima area.

We like it when churches and individuals come on down and give us a hand on the mission field. Now we are passing on that idea: our students at Puerto Rico Baptist College take some of their vacation time to help in missions around the world.

These students helped a church in Peru and had some fun too. They built a snowman out of bricks and got to see a Peruvian treat: Roast Guinea Pigs!

Well, these trips are very educational!

Merry Christmas, Sad Christmas

Our Merry Christmas: My newly married daughters and their husbands arrived in Puerto Rico at 2:30 AM Sunday morning. It made for a long Sunday, but we are enjoying some great family time: good food, dumb jokes, old movies and good conversations. They will be with us for two weeks.

Sad Christmas: "Heb 13:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them."

One of my college students was flying home for Christmas and was stopped by immigration and taken to jail. It seems that he is a Mexican that has been in the USA since he was three, but that his papers were not in order. They took him from the airport and put him in jail, where he was dressed in an orange suit and handcuffs.

It was a real shock to all of us. He has studied with us for 3 ½ years and is only a semester away from graduation and becoming a Christian School teacher. He is definitely not in the same class as a "border crasher" or the kind of intentional illegal that the government tries to catch. He is just the opposite: a responsible and productive student who loves the Lord and helps others. We are praying and working to get him the help he needs to get out of jail and back to preparing for that productive future he was workings towards.

We give thanks for our blessing, and invite you to rejoice with us. But we also ask you to please remember and pray for this student and his sad situation this Christmas.