Property Update: About to Cross the Finish Line!

 

What a month! 

We have been praying for a new home for our church, a place we can begin anew after the double blow of hurricane Maria and the following Covid restrictions. 

A Jehovah's Witnesses building came available, but was about three times the amount we had saved for a church property. But, through prayer, some negotiations, and generous giving, it happened. We are about to take possession of our new church home.

The promised matching fund of $30,000 came in and all is ready for the next step.

What remains? There was some disagreement between the Jehovah's Witnesses and the government about whether they owed property tax or not. They are in the process of getting that cleared up, hopefully, soon.

We have secured a great Christian lawyer here to help us in all of this. His help has been invaluable in guiding us through the process.

We were happy to have a storefront to meet in after the hurricane's devastation. But a one room church is hard to grow. We are anxious to have a church with rooms for Sunday school classes, a nursery, kitchen, and all the kinds of things that makes it a family friendly church. This desire has now become a reality!

Please rejoice with us, and send up a prayer of gratitude for what God has done. Having a church building with no monthly payments is a real blessing. It is also a good preparation for the future independence of the church. God is good. Amen!

How a $9,500 surprise in one day is getting us a building for our church in Puerto Rico!

This morning, I was anxious about the deadline for raising $30,000 dollars. This afternoon, I  stopped worrying.

The story:

Our church here in Puerto Rico raised a bit over $40,000 towards a church property. We were stifled by our small, post-hurricane storefront rental. We found a church for sale listed originally at $160,000. After negotiating with them over a few months, the price came down. They were willing to sell to us for $140,00 with the parking lot, or just the building for $100,000!

A pastor heard of our need and told us that of the $60,000 remaining for the purchase of the church, he would help with $30,000, if we could raise the remaining $30,000 by October. Hurray! 

But could we do it?

This morning, I called our mission agency and found that in addition to the $40 thousand our church had saved, $20,866.30 had come in, for a total of $60,866.30. Amen!

But the morning was not over yet. I got a call from a church in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, where we had visited last Sunday. The love offering was $6,500! Then, a church in Paso Robles, California gave $1,000! That same morning, a pastor called from Washington state and indicated that his church might give $2,000 toward what was lacking to get us into that new church building! 

All this together, plus some from another church we helped start here in Puerto Rico, means we can get that church! 

Amen! Now, with so much good news in one day, is it too much to hope for a parking lot to go with it? I don't think so. If God can supply over $9,5000 in one day, what might He do for us between now and October, when we hope to make the purchase?

If you would like to help with that parking lot, closing costs, or new paint, we would be happy to show you how to do that. Contact our mission agency here, and they will show you how to contribute. Thank you to those of you who already have!

Help us get the $30,000 matching gift for our new church property!

A pastor called recently and pledged $30,000 if we could raise the another $30,000 to purchase a church property for our church in Puerto Rico! 

What is special about this property? After the horrible hurricane destruction of hurricane Maria, we first met in homes and now are meeting in small store front. It is fine for a small group, but has no rooms for growth. We need a place where we can invite families with children, have a church nursery, and have Sunday School rooms.

A rare opportunity came about. The Jehovah Witnesses are selling their church in town for less than the price of a house! It even has rooms for a missionary apartment in the daylight basement!  

It is a rare opportunity. But also a limited opportunity. The matching funds offered were given for a 6 month time frame. Since that initial offer, one giver has dedicated $3,000, so we are 1/10 of the way toward the goal already!

Take a look at the video. Can you see what we see? A place for a Baptist church in the heart of Puerto Rico. 

Please contact our mission agency, CBM, and help us get that church and the matching funds we need!

(For helping us by PushPay: Select "Missionary" in the drop down menu, and put "Prelgovisk/Church in the memo." )

March: Cast Off, Boot On, Therapy Begins, School Opens

It's been super busy here this March. The Christian school I work with here in Puerto Rico plans on having students return to the class room March 23. I teach 11th grade Computer Science there and help in the office. The government regulations we need to comply with here in this US Commonwealth are quite extensive and we are busy trying to make it all happen in the time available.

Having a fractured fibula doesn't help.

I'm finding everything is a lot slower in a wheel chair and on crutches.

I was able to get my cast sawn off  last week and now wear a big boot to immobilize my leg. Therapy is scheduled to begin in a few weeks, and until then I am supposed to do range of motion exercises and some light resistance work. 

I got some exercise bands to help. I didn't think much of them before now, prefering home gym equipment. But Im beginning to appreciate them. The bands have a higher "Spousal Acceptance Factor" than a well equipped home gym. What they lack as exercise equipment, they make up in cost saving, space saving, and portability.

So far, I haven't overdone it yet. It's hard not rushing the process a bit when there is so much to do.

Missionary Update-Feb 2021

It's been a while since our last post or podcast. Many supporters started following us on Facebook and I  have fallen into the habit of posting my updates there and have fallen behind in communicating as well as I should by printed prayer letters or by online blog posts. I apologize.

I will include a year 2020 prayer letter in a link here and give an update below.

Our churches continue under Covid restrictions. They are allowed to meet at 25% of capacity, but many do not meet, for fear of injuring their elderly church members. Our congregation is like a small family group, and we all felt like we should have Sunday morning services together. It is a blessing to teach, preach, sing, pray, celebrate the Lord's supper and have fellowship with each other.

Our Puerto Rico Bible College has a few new students, one from a Puerto Rican family in North Carolina. The college is fulfilling our vision of training believers for the ministry, who can then evangelize and plant churches within Latino communities in our country.

Our Son-in-law, Abe Kennedy, has been installed as pastor of Southgate Baptist in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. We enjoy watching his sermons on Youtube. Daughter Bethany went from being the wife of the youth director to the wife of the pastor and seems to be adapting to the that change just fine. 

On my way home from teaching a class at Levittown Baptist Academy, I left the car to bring in a garbage can and slipped in some curbside mud. I landed hard on my knee and twisted my foot about 90 degrees to the side. I hollered and neighbors came running and, with Tina, helped me into the house. I got an x-ray and found I had a fracture in my lower leg. I got a boot, but it wasn't enough. Now, I have a cast and will get a follow up exam next week to see if I need to escalate treatment. 

So, for right now, I am doing as much as I can from home. Teaching my class on the Pentateuch in Spanish by Zoom, though, feels very unsatisfactory. I miss the energy I get from being in the presence of the young people who are there preparing for the ministry. Their hope, faith, zeal and positive spirits are better felt in presence than through a video portal. But, we are doing what we can and God is blessing.

Our church has been able to save and we have been gifted with funds toward the purchase of a church building. We have about $40,000 available and we have some prospective places ranging from $100,000 to $140,000. Please pray for the healing of my leg and my mobility, and also that we will be led to right place and be able to acquire it for the work of church planting here in Puerto Rico.

Dios Les Bendiga,

(May the Lord Bless You All)

Steve and Tina Prelgovisk.