From Good and Bad, to Better AND Worse.

I
If you are bi-polar, it makes a big difference to you if you find yourself on the emotional South or the emotional North Pole. If you wake up and see igloos and Polar Bears, you know it will be a fine day. But if you wake up and see penguins... well, some days we would rather skip over. This week we have seen it all!

From Bad to Worse.
You can see form the photo that we are doing almost an entire engine rebuild. It is needed, so I can be philosophical about that. BUT in about 6 weeks we will be leaving this car in Puerto Rico and must buy/borrow one as soon as we get into Los Angeles, CA, Dec 10th. But, what to do? We must maintain what we have, so the expenditure must be made.

From Good to Better.
One of my church members stuffed a $100 check in my pocket Sunday morning. Then the men got together and gave us $500 towards our car repair. Another member is dedicating a lot of time to helping us with the project. So, instead of costing $2,500 to rebuild, we are maybe in the $1500 range. At least we know we have great friends! And there are few greater blessings then when a church you started rallies together and comes to your aid!

From Better to Best?
That is yet to be. We hope our Stateside friends can lend a hand. Hope to see you all shortly!

Old Guy Hug

I get impatient when I have a present to give someone! I ordered some large print bibles and had one set-aside for William Baez. He is an 80 year old who has walked to our church for the last 6 Sundays in a row. He shook my hand and smiled as he entered the church

"I have something for you!" I said. "Today I am keeping a promise I made to you. Here is a large print bible"

"For me?" He gasped. "Wow! How much is it?"

"Nothing." I replied. "Here we do not charge anybody for the Word of God."

"But I must give you something. " insisted William. "You must tell me how much it cost."

I answered;" Well, that is between you and God. It cost us about $20. But I won't take any of your money for it. If you insist, put what you want in the offering plate, but don't tell me about it. That is something private between you and the Lord."

I smiled and extended my hand, attempting to end the conversation on this note and get back to greeting the other people arriving for our morning service.

"What! You can't give me a handshake after all that!" He beamed. "Come over here and let me give you a big hug!"

And he did!

Mixed Emotions: Car Breaks, Umbrella busted, Friends Faithful

It is great to have friends who can get you out of a jam! But who wants to be in a jam!

The OIL LIGHT went bright red as my car climbed the mountain road towards home. I only needed a minute to maneuver out of the traffic, but the engine died. I felt scared for the safety of the six college students I was bringing home. I told the college girls to get out and wait for us in a safe place. The three guys and I pushed the car across the center lane of traffic and onto a safer side street.

My assistant pastor Tulio has a cell phone, so I called around for help. I stood out by the main street so our rescuers could find us. But we had a lot of wind and a rainstorm as Tropical Storm Alpha passed close by our island. My umbrella turned inside-out a few times as I fought to keep it stable in the gusty winds. I was going to deliver three of the students to help a Puerto Rican Pastor who lives higher up in the mountains. Fortunately he was able to find me and get his kids home safely. My deacon Wilfredo came and took our three and me to our house. Miguel, a church member and car repair guy, came with a friend and managed to nurse the car home, where it sits waiting for a new oil pump.

So, the important thing is that all seven of us, plus the car, got home safely. AMEN! Also, it was a blessing that it was sunny Sunday morning, as we all walked to church. It is about half a mile down hill. We made quite a parade, Tina, the twins, our three college helpers and I all walking to church! I guess if it had to happen, it was a blessing that all I had to suffer was an inside-out umbrella, getting wet and the expense of a car repair. It could have been worse!

Car (I Hope) Fixed Just in Time

Miguel and his friend picked up a water pump and installed it in our 92 Toyota Previa this evening. A day or two of extra labor and an additional $90 appears to have solved the cars remaining problems. Tomorrow I have an three hour round trip to our Bible College and plan on returning with a van full of college kids to help us in our church planting efforts up here in the interior mountain region. Well, if the car breaks down, at least I will have company!  

What Bugs me is....Bugs!

Does your Baptismal Preparation List have these items?

1. Check for iguanas in the water. Remove iguana droppings.
2. Check for giant centipedes!

Well, ours does!

We found this large and dangerous insect yesterday. They are not deadly, but the pinchers are VERY powerful and they have painful venom. Fortunately, we have Poison Cane Toads in our yard to keep the numbers down!

The most noticeable wildlife is our whistling frogs, the Coquis. They are cute and musical, and (almost) make up for our more gruesome guests.

Non-Bug Bugs.
Two brothers come to church Sunday without their parents. One is in first grade and his big brother, Caesar, is in eighth. The little brother was disruptive in the service, to the point that he threw a hymnal. I used all the psychology I possessed to get him out of the service. I asked Irving, our helper from Barcelona, Spain, to preach that Sunday, so I was free to deal with the problem myself. I told Caesar that I thought we should take his brother home and explain to his mother what happened. So I took one hand, Caesar took the other, and we walked up the hill to their house.

I said to the mother, "We want to have your sons in church, and you too! But the little one is having trouble behaving today. I think the best solution would be for you to come and sit with him in church. You know best how to motivate him to behave. Please let Caesar keep coming. We will welcome you, and the little guy too, when you think he is ready"

I was a bit nervous on how the mom was going to take this.

She said, "Pastor, I know how he is. Do not worry. I will keep him home and punish him!"

I said, "It would be best, I think, if you came to church with him. I am not asking you to punish him. BUT, you are his mother, and know what is best for him!"

I think it went VERY WELL. This could have been an explosive situation. But, praise the Lord, she spoke respectfully to me AND trusted me to return to the church with her older son, Caesar. I know that God can transform an ugly bug into a butterfly. From what I saw Sunday, a transformation could be taking place in a home very near our church!

"You Want Me to Keep Coming to Church Don't You?"

Today I stopped and talked with an elderly man who has come to our church for five weeks in a row now. He was friendly but then he got serious.

He said; "You want me to keep coming to church, don't you?"

I replied, a bit confused, "Well, Yes! Why do you ask?"

He answered, "When we take turns reading the bible in your adult Sunday school class, and it is my turn, I can't read the verses well and I get embarrassed. Look, I need some help. Please get me a large print bible. I'll even pay for it if I have too!"

I said, "Don't worry about that! I promise you will get one!"

I just ordered 3, one for him and 2 to make available for other who may be struggling with the same problem. I would like to get 5 more. They are $20 apiece. If you would, please help us provide these for our "Senior Sheep."

What about the car? We got it back together and it runs, but it still has some problems. There is still a leak somewhere and the engine runs a bit rough. I am waiting for Miguel to come by today and take a look. Please keep us in prayer!

Back Together!

$500 can go for a lot of things, but today it went for a car repair. It was $500 well spent. I feel that way because it was a done at my house by a church member I trust, and was really only just enough to cover the cost of the parts, with some extra to enable Miguel to pay his assistant. I also got to witness to him a little today. If the car HAD to breakdown and be repaired, it really could not have happened in a better way or with better people involved.

BUT furlough is coming, airline tickets must be purchased, a car must be acquired somehow in the LA area for the beginning of our travels, etc. The $500 we spent came out of money being saved for these needs. Now there is less and we will face a greater challenge. If you can help us in the months ahead in some way, we would appreciate it very much.

During the repairs, we found 3 more bad seals and had to run for parts again. A big rain storm came over but we had a good couple of hours without rain. The engine and transmission were reinstalled, and we didn�t have any parts left over, which is always a good sign. I drove it to town and we got groceries and it seems fine. It was a short trip, so the new thermostat did not open up yet. Tomorrow will be more of an extreme test, as I will be teaching in Bayamon and returning with three college students up the mountain road that leads to our home. It is an hour and a half trip through a heavy traffic jam both ways. Pray for us!
 

Hoping for a Better Day, Preparing for a Worse One!

IF YOU BEAT YOUR SWORD INTO A PLOWSHARE, YOU WILL
PROBABLY END UP PLOWING FOR SOMEONE WHO KEPT THEIR
SWORD. - ALBA GU BRA (Pseudonym meaning "Scotland
Forever")

We don't always know the best times to plow, fight,
fix a car or take a day off ahead of time. But we do
the best we can.

Miguel came by and we were set to get the engine
reconstructed and into the car, when some torrential
rains came, the city shut the water off AND the
electricity went out. No fun fixing a car in the rain,
especially when you can't wash up afterward. So we
spent the day trying to make sure we have all the
parts. Tomorrow is "Dia de la Raza" so we will have
all day to work on it providing....all of the above
does not continue to delay. Even if it does, we will
try to make it happen.

It is still raining hard. The river is high and some
areas of town are getting flooded. We are high enough
not to worry about the flood, but plenty high enough
to get my heart pumping pretty hard when hiking home
up the hill with a bag of groceries.

Please keep us in prayer. I have missed a few days
training some nationals already, and don't want them
to get discouraged.

Miguel brought a friend along to help fix our car today and a lot of work got done today. Miguel is not charging me for his labor, but the extra guy isn't helping us just for fun, so we will need to pay him something.

Hard Work Gets Done By Working Hard

We got a lot done today. Everyone worked so hard!

Well, maybe not everybody! 

We found the leak

Getting this engine in and out will run over a hundred dollars just for the seals, etc.
 

And the cause of it all is...!

We found this plug and two others eaten through with corrosion. Someone saved a few dollars a few years ago by putting in some cheap ones. Errr!

The question now is: When can we get all this put back together and running again? We are stretched a bit thin as it is between starting a church and training workers in two Bible Institutes. But prayer, hard work and help sent in a timely manner has saved us in the past. We could use your help with all the above!

Creative Car and Computer Solutions

I asked a man once, why he had left home and moved to our area. He said; "Well, my girlfriend left me and my dog died!"

Fortunately, we are not that bad off! BUT, My computer hard drive died and my car engine has sprung a leak in a very bad place!

Friday A.M. at 8, a church member (Miguel Fontanez) is coming over and will be removing the engine from our 1992 Toyota Previa. Miguel is a great blessing. He will only take payment for the parts he buys for the car. He is giving his labor for free. I have been teaching him guitar lessons for free for about six months now, and I did not plan for him to ever pay me for them. It looks like I might get paid back four or five fold for the time I have invested with him!

It still is likely to be expensive. And it is keeping me from teaching in our Bible institute in Ponce. I just might have to finish teaching some classes by correspondence if I am without a car for very long.

Why the Puppy? Well, after the hard drive died, I did not have the original operating system disks to reformat the hard drive. New ones are expensive, so I did some research and found a FREE operating system (ie: Bill Gates gets no money from it.) It is called Puppy Linux. I got a version of it called "Chubby Puppy." Thanks to Chubby Puppy, the computer that I thought had died works just fine now. Chubby Puppy can't do everything (You get what you pay for) but at least I can do email and all the basics for now, and the price is right. Now I can wait for a good deal on a Windows operating system instead of having to buy one right away out of necessity.

So Computers and Cars Have Problems, But God Has Solutions! AMEN!

Up, Up and...?

Our furlough begins this December, and that means we will get to be in the States this Christmas! Even though it is a few months away, we need to buy our tickets now before the prices start going up. Airfare will be $1080 for Tina, the twins and I from Puerto Rico to Los Angeles, California. Bethany and Rachel will join us there, flying in from Pensacola, Florida, where they are attending Pensacola Christian College. Their airfare will be about $320. That makes the tickets total about $1,400.

I hope to buy the tickets within the next few days so we can peg the price at a more economic level. If you can help, please help!

The Biggest expense is not the airfare, but getting a good car when we arrive. We will need it from Dec. 2005 till the end of May 2006. We will drive (Lord willing) from LA to Tacoma and then out to Florida. We hope to fly back to Puerto Rico from Orlando, Florida, as it has the best rates to our island. We then need to sell the car (or return it somehow if borrowed) or leave it with Bethany and Rachel to use at college. We had thought to buy a used Sienna Mini-Van, but they seem expensive. But we need a car for six that is safe enough to cross the US in winter without getting us stranded somewhere in North Dakota. We are open to borrowing, or ...? Going to Orlando in May/June of 2006? You might find a real good deal on a car, and not have to rent one when you go to Disney World! If you have any ideas about how we could do this, let us know!

I do trust the Lord. But I believe that by sharing our concerns here, God may meet our needs through some of you. God may channel a blessing through your hearts and hands to a time and place where it can make a big difference for our family and His work on the mission field.

An OddFellow Comes to Church

We seem to be doing well this month. Church attendance is up. We are seeing results from our visitation. A man I have been after for about 6 months has come three Sundays in a row. He told me today, "I have been a Mason, and spent 30 years in the Odd Fellow lodge and was treasurer. This is the first real church I have ever been in, and I like it!"

His name is Wilson Baez. He is 80 ears old and in surprisingly good health. He walks about 3 miles every day, so I have seen him a lot around town and have struck up many conversations with him. I asked him "Why are you always walking around town?" Wilson responded, " I love visiting sick people in their homes and cheering them up."

He cheered me up today! I hope that Wilson will continue liking all he sees and hears in our church and come to know Christ as his Savior. I would like to make the rounds with Wilson and gain a new brother in the Lord and a new visitation partner for our community outreach here in Comerio, Puerto Rico.

You Know You Are a Missionary Kid when...

Our daughters seem to be turning out rather well. Bethany and Rachel are studying at Pensacola Christian College and our twins, Sarah and Kristin, are a big help at our mission church here in Puerto Rico. Missionary kids don't have it easy.

They say you know you are an MK when...

You know what REAL coffee tastes like. Whenever anyone gets sick you say "It must be an ameba." You can't answer the question, "Where are you from?" You speak two languages, but can't spell in either. You flew before you could walk. The U.S. is a foreign country. You have a passport, but no driver's license. You have a time zone map next to your telephone. Your life story uses the phrase "Then we went to..." five times. You watch nature documentaries, and you think about how good that would be if it were fried. You think in grams, meters, and liters. You speak with authority on the quality of airline travel. National Geographic makes you homesick. You keep dreaming of a green Christmas. The nationals say, "Oh, I knew an American once..." and then ask if you know him or her. You are grateful for the speed and efficiency of the U.S. Postal Service. You realize that furlough is not a vacation. You've spoken in dozens of churches, but aren't a pastor. Furlough means that you are stuffed every night... and have to eat it all to seem polite. You stockpile mangoes. When you sing songs to yourself in a language other than English. When you mother gets excited over finding Doritos at 7-11. When on deputation you have memorized Dad's messages. When after the church service you look for a slide projector to put away. You carry Bibles in two languages to church. You send out birthday invitations in a foreign language. When your five foot tall mother is taller than most of your church members. When you go on furlough your Mom buys everything in the store. When adults want to pay you to teach them English. When the family gathers around the computer to check the E-mail. When all your clothes have been worn by someone else. When you find a seven year old picture of yourself on someone's refrigerator.
When the message on your answering machine is in two languages. When you move into a new house you take a gift to all your neighbors. When your Mom sends you out to sweep the street in front of your house. You consider parasites, dysentery, or tropical diseases to be appropriate dinner conversation. You tell people what certain gestures mean in different parts of the world. You would rather have a Land Rover Defender than a Lexus. When you complain of being too cold in the air-conditioned malls You realize what a small world it is, after all. You never take anything for granted. You know how to pack. All preaching sounds better under a corrugated tin roof. Going to the post office is the highlight of your day.

How Hot Is It?

Forget your thermometer, just watch your cat! Ginger does NOT nap where the sun shines in. You know you are in the tropics when you find your cat sleeping white belly up to reflect more light. 

How would you like to find this where you do your baptisms? We did! And another one came to watch! 

Sarah was doing her school work today when she heard a splash, looked out the window and saw a big iguana! It seemed to be hiding from another one that followed right behind it. Tina ran and took these photos. Tina thinks that the one in the water was the female as it was darker and had smaller back spines. It seemed like it was trying to keep away from the greener iguana. I was returning home from teaching at our Bible Institute, so she had to handle the situation by herself. She tried chase the darker one away, but it would not budge. Finally, after the greener one was chased away, the dark one made its move and dived for the underbrush. They like to climb our avocado tree and keep an eye on things. We don't see them often, but it sure made today a bit more exciting!

These two uninvited visitors really make an impression on you when you see those sharp claws and dorsal spines up close!
 

Recovery!

Our Youth Group Helper, Irving, Recovers from the Dengue

Irving (on the left) had a rough week, but is slowly getting his strength back. You can see we are trying to keep him well fed!

Friday Night Youth Group Fun

We hold our youth group meetings Friday nights from 7 to around 9:30. The young people of our church enjoy getting together and fellowshipping at church or in the homes of different church members. Last Friday they watched a home video of the Christmas play they did in 2004. They are planning another one this year, and we already have requests from two other churches to do it for them as well! What a great group of young people! 

Our Youth Group

We started up our youth a few weeks ago, after not doing much with them during the Summer. I am happy to report that there is a lot of excitement and growth. This is their Sunday school class. My assistant Tulio is teaching (wearing tie) and Wilfredo (right of Tulio) is our Adult leader of the group.

Help Needed for an Upgrade

Our work has gone up a couple of notches, but our tools don't always keep up with the work we need them to do. My computer monitor died today, so I had to borrow a monitor our twins use for home schooling. I was going to drive to another town and try and get another monitor, but then Tina and I began to think about it. It is just a few more months before our furlough begins, so the money for a new monitor might be better spent going towards a much needed laptop.

Laptops are more expensive than we can afford, but it looks like the best tool to make good use of our time and to do some of our big jobs right. In Puerto Rico, my ministry involves travel between three towns on a weekly basis, with many opportunities in each location to get some work done that could be best done on a computer. I really could use one here right now, and of course we will need at least one when we travel, visiting churches and making Powerpoint presentations beginning in December of this year. The twins have their homeschool curriculum on computer CDs, so a laptop for each of them would help keep them from falling behind on their school work during our travels. I know it is a lot. But the work is great and the time is short, so we ask those of you who are willing if you would please help us. With your help, we can travel with the tools we need to get the job done, do it well and in a timely manner.

Could you help us with this? I was willing to wait till we got to the States, but the monitor failure puts this questions on our table for an immediate decision. In seminary I used to get my scratch paper from the trash can next to the Xerox machine, and did a lot of my work on that. We are not too proud to use humble means in our ministry. We just want to do it right and redeem the time, as the days remaining demand our best stewardship of time, treasure and talent.