Hard work and Rewards
Tina & I have been working harder on our mission field than ever before. But Praise the Lord, there are a lot of blessings to show for it.
It gets better. Sunday morning a girl named Joyce (about 11 years old, I think) stood up in the morning service all by herself & said, "I got saved Friday & I want to be baptized!" What a great week!
Irrepressible Enrollment: The government hurt our enrollment at Puerto Rico Baptist College by denying many student visas. But I just heard that we now have enough new students coming in to replace our graduating seniors.
My main job is church planting, but we also are training young men & women at the College to serve as the future missionaries we need in Latin America. Some come from Peru, Mexico, Columbia & even California to train here. They then return to evangelize their own lands. It is a ministry that yields great rewards in the workers it provides for missionary work.
Excitement Building : Two college age students that served in our church have decided to become missionaries. Zuley from Peru went & helped a church in Wisconsin reach Mexican families in their town. She is going to start deputation next year & is applying to serve in Panama. Stephanie from Connecticut spent the summer in India & helped at a Bible college there. It is a thrill for me to see the support & prayer we have received bear fruit here and then see that fruit bear new fruit around the world.
Family Expanding, Ministry Expanding: Our daughter Bethany & her husband Abe graduated from Pensacola Christian College this year. They went as missionaries to Saint Croix, one of the US Virgin Islands. Abe serves as youth director & helps at the churches rescue mission.
Our twin daughters Sarah & Kristin hopped the 98 miles between our islands in a 12 seater Cessna. They are helping with the move & also in the mission work this summer. They both plan on going to Pensacola Christian College next year.
Our other daughter Rachel is working, helping husband Max get through Seminary. She is raising one year old Hannah & is expecting her second child. Max is getting his Master of Divinity & plans on being a pastor or missionary.
Tina is preparing to cook for 50 people at the College. Along with her church work, home improvement projects and family care, she outworks us all.
Facing Our Giants: We just heard some sad news. Because of financial troubles in more than one of our supporting churches, our monthly support is expected to drop about $300 a month.
We celebrate the givers & sympathize deeply with those who sacrifice to keep us serving in this fruitful field. But we are anxious as well, seeing some giants on the horizon. We are facing the giant of college enrollment for our twin daughters next year. Essential home repairs, car problems & the cost of doing ministry present a great challenge.
I know David slew his giant with just a sling shot & one of the five smooth stones he had saved in his shepherd’s pouch. I know God gives the victory. My concern is that our giants seem to be increasing & the resources decreasing. Please help us face these giants. Even a small gift or a modest level of monthly support will go a long way in getting the job done & our girls through college.
We Might See You In Person Very Soon: We plan on reporting to our supporting churches & seeking new support June-July of next year. We need a way to travel from Tacoma to Los Angeles & then to Montana and back. If some of you could provide hospitality for the two of us or use of a car for those 2 months, it would help reduce our expenses greatly. We need your help & appreciate it greatly.
Dios Les Bendiga (May God Bless You All),
Steve & Tina Prelgovisk
PS. We publish our missionary news frequently at Prelgovisk.Blogspot.com. Please print out copies & share with others.
