Over heated Sunday

Church went great today. I asked our 18-year-old assistant Tulio from Peru to preach and he did a great job. But later we had some problems.

After church Sunday, I drove the college student helpers back to our College but had trouble getting back home. Our 1992 Toyota mini van overheated and left me stranded right in the middle of traffic. The twins were with me, so I asked them to wait on the side of the road in case we were rear-ended and did all I could do to cool down the engine. About 15 min later, I restarted the car and got to a gas station, where it died again. I sent Sarah and Kristin inside the gas station to wait and I worked on the car another hour or so and finally got it full of fluids and risked the winding mountain road back home.

I would like a day off to unwind, but Church planting, my college classes, the IRS and some furlough plans all need their due attention this week. 

Music for Untaxing Taxes

Tax time for missionaries can be unnerving, especially in a US territory like Puerto Rico. But I came across this Acoustic/Classical Christian radio station on the Internet that helped keep my spirit joyful even during my tax preparation! I even said, "Amen!" and got goose bumps while sorting through our old receipts. Now, if it can put a smile on your face and a song in your heart during tax time, it has got to be a great radio station! My next favorite is "Rejoice Radio" from Pensacola Christian College. Here are the links if you would like to try them.

Rejoice Radio: (http://www.rejoice.org/)

Word of Truth Radio: (http://www.WordOfTruthRadio.com)

Victor Baptized! It was a close call, but we finally got him into the water today. Victor changed his clothes in the bathroom and came out, but suddenly had a struggle with fear when he saw the water. I spoke to him, our deacon Luis spoke to him and finally our youth director Wilfredo spoke to him. After he got into the water he calmed down and did just fine. But for about 15 min or so, there was some real doubt if he would win that struggle with his inner fear. We praise the Lord for Victor's victory and hope this is just the beginning of a better life for 27 year old Victor Fontanes. I just drove by the city plaza about 20 min. ago and saw him there. He gave us a big smile and waved us a friendly hello. It looks like he is still on the victory side in his walk with the Lord. Amen! 

Walking for Jesus

I walk to town and our church often for a couple of reasons: to save gas, lose weight and to leave the car with Tina and the girls in case of an emergency. But the MAIN reason is to meet and get to know the people of our town, so we may make new friends and minister to them. On the way back from the post office yesterday, a man stopped and offered me a ride home. He is a man who lives on my street and has seen me walk by his home often on my way to church. He was curious to meet me and I wanted to meet him, so I got in the car and during the ride home we had a bit of conversation. When we got to my house, he invited Tina and I to meet his wife and stay for dinner! His name is Raul Serrano, a Puerto Rican who served in Vietnam in the Airforce. He would like our prayers. I am looking forward to seeing what the Lord may do in his life. In the mean time, I will keep on walking for Jesus!

Fun with Garbage!

My primary ministry is church planting, but we also have a Bible college ministry to provide future pastors for the churches we are starting. One of my classes this semester is Physical Science. We have a pretty low budget Science department down here at Puerto Rico Baptist College and so are always looking for inexpensive ways to teach science. I have worked hard at finding inexpensive but quality projects and have come up with some experiments that the students seem to enjoy.

Yesterday we made the "Cartesian Diver" out of 2 liter coke bottles, straws and paper clips. When you squeeze the bottle, the little submarine you made inside the bottle sinks and when you relax your grip, the submarine goes up. With a little practice you can cause it to suspend itself perfectly still in the center of the bottle. I made an object lesson out of it by talking about the ups and downs of emotions, squeezing the sides of the bottle to show how pressure and stress may cause depression. Then I took off the top of the bottle to show a soul open to God in prayer. Then I squeezed again to show what happens to a praying Christian under stress. The submarine does not go down, but rises higher than ever before!

I really enjoy teaching science lessons that can be used as object lessons. I can imagine the 15 students in my class using this object lesson when they graduate and serve in churches all around the world. And then I get a really big smile on my face and my spirits rise higher than ever before!

Help! A Lizard is on my head!

Tina was gardening outside today and a lizard ran up her leg, her shirt and kept going right to the top of her head. She couldn't see where it was to grab it, so she walked over to some neighbor kids and asked, "Could you please help me get this lizard off of my head?" There was some laughter, but they managed to help Tina and the lizard escaped unharmed, so no one is the worse for the experience. And on the positive side, the neighbor kids now have a funny story to tell about us!

Share our service! Good Friday: 10 Am - 12
Left Side of the Church 

Share our service! Good Friday: 10 Am - 12: The Lords Supper 

Share our service! Good Friday: 10 Am - 12: Right Side of the Church just after the service ended: a family of four left just before the picture was taken. 

Share our service! Good Friday: 10 Am - 12: Teenagers helping with the little kids 

Share our service! Good Friday: 10 Am - 12: Victor: We will announce his desire to be baptized Sunday 

Share our service! Good Friday: 10 Am - 12:
Girl Talk 

Share our service! Good Friday: 10 Am - 12: Guy Talk 

Share our service! Good Friday: 10 Am - 12: Special Music 

Share our service! Good Friday: 10 Am - 12: Little disciple 

It seems a long way off, but we have some meetings shaping up already and need to look ahead to the end of the year. I was originally going to return in August, but we lost two teachers at Puerto Rico Baptist College this semester and I need to bridge the gap until Christmas break of this year.

We hope to fly into southern California in December, visit my family, and then stop in on a few churches as we work our way up to Tacoma, Washington. In January we have some meetings in the Tacoma area and then plan on heading out east a few states at a time until about April of 2006. Our daughters have been raised for the most part in Puerto Rico, so we have been thinking of showing them America during this trip. I have in mind to end our furlough in the Washington, DC area so we can show them some of the grandeur of our own country.

It is a bit scary making plans like this. Your help can make a big difference. We ask for your prayers, hospitality, financial aid, company and willingness to lend us a car, a camper, a hand or a place to stay for the night when we are in your area. We have felt a bit scared before, but the Lord has always blessed others who in turn have become a blessing to us. We hope we may be a blessing to you during our visit and personally thank you for your kindness and prayers for our family and our work among the people of Puerto Rico.  

A young college girl, Leann Deweese, is coming to help us this Summer. She is in her second year at Northland Bible College in Wisconsin. I heard that she is fluent in Spanish and has helped out in a Spanish VBS in Texas. She has a heart for missions and would like to spend her summer break on the mission field this year helping us here in Puerto Rico. Amen! I hope Leann will be a good example to other young people in the States who should consider serving the Lord on the mission field. What are you going to do with your Summer?
 

He Couldn't Wait!

We led 24-year-old Victor to the Lord a few weeks ago and went to visit him Tuesday night. Victor was not home, but his mother gave him a call on his cell phone and he returned home just to meet with us. We had a bible study with him and mentioned baptism. Victor said he wanted to be baptized and that we could announce it in church this coming Sunday! During the bible study, we mentioned a passage of scripture and Victor said: "I read that passage last night!" I was a little surprised and said; "Are you reading the your bible all by yourself?" Victor smiled and said; "Yes!" Now that is the kind of convert I like! One who just can't wait to read God's word!

Full Service Servant. Tulio is our young assistant pastor. He just turned 18 this week, but is over half way through his 4 year college degree. Tulio visits with me Saturdays, helps in the youth group Friday nights, leads congregational singing Sundays and preaches at least once a month in the church. He is unsure if he will return to Peru, go to North Carolina to help his father build a church or perhaps go to Bolivia as a missionary. We are happy to have him in our church, our Bible College and our home. He even cooks (sometimes) and washes dishes! 

Somebody Gets Saved

Carlos and Zuley came to church Wednesday night at my invitation. Another young man named Manuel dropped by unexpectedly. I presented the good news of the gospel to them and all three prayed, asking Jesus Christ to be both their Lord and their Savior.

Carlos and Zuley are getting married March 23rd and want to build their new life together upon the firm foundation of Jesus Christ. Manuel just happened to come that night and heard what council I had to give the young couple. We all went home rejoicing!

Spiritual Refreshment

I came across a book written by William Penn that has given me some spiritual refreshment. The book is called: "Some Fruits of Solitude." I read this quote this morning:

"There is nothing of which we are apt to be so lavish as of Time, and about which we ought to be more solicitous; since without it we can do nothing in this World. Time is what we want most, but what, alas! we use worst; and for which God will certainly most strictly reckon with us, when Time shall be no more."

Amen! The text of his book is free online. Just click the title of this post and it will take you there.

Lost Sheep Pays a Visit

I baptized a young college age woman named Zuley about two years ago but she stopped attending church soon after her baptism. She has been dating a non-Christian young man named Carlos. Carlos has a lot of respect for our church and has visited us a good number of times. Well, Carlos and Zuley want to get married and came to church Wednesday night to talk to me about it. I told them that I was happy about them in general and that I would counsel them and perform the wedding, on the condition that they were both of the same faith. I said that I could marry sheep to sheep and goats to goats but not a goat to a sheep. They both responded well to our initial pre-marital counseling session and understood about building their new family upon a firm foundation of faith. Please pray that Carlos will be moved to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior and that he and Zuley will become members of a good church, hopefully ours!

Time to upgrade our Missionary Presentation!

Furlough seems a long way off, but we are beginning to feel the need for improving our missions display and multimedia missions presentation. We used to call it a "Slide Show." Now we are hoping to present our field in a new way using a DVD player and a video projector. I have the DVD player but need to borrow or buy a projector. We hope to be in the States in around November of 2005 and into the early part of 2006. Save us a place in your Missions conference! We will need some help during our upcoming furlough. Places to stay, a car or camper to borrow and some friendly people to fellowship with, will go a long way toward providing just what we need. Please see if you can help us with some of our needs this year.

Revived Lives!

Our recent revival changed the lives of some of our church members. Today in church, a young man sang a special for us for the first time in his life. He (Miguel) came to the Lord two years ago, but had never sung in church because of fear. He told us he sang today because he learned in the revival meetings not to let fear keep us from serving God! Amen!

We had 44 come out Friday night, an all time mid-week record for us! Others gave testimonies about how they were touched by the meetings and good preaching from the Bible. Wow. It is exciting to see the Lord change lives!