Cancer Compassion

A year ago, it was me waiting for cancer surgery. Today, I was able to comfort Manuel here after his recent surgery.

When people hear the "C" word, a look of fear comes over their faces, and sometimes I think it disturbs them more than the person who has it.

Manuel and I swapped stories, prayed together and compared scars. He won that contest, which is fine with me. He and I made this selfie so we could show our church members that he is doing fine in the hospital.

Please Do Us This Favor Right Now

Would you be willing to do us a favor?

Tina and I need your help.

A skilled videographer, Josue Laura, a former student of mine, has offered to prepare a missionary video for Tina and I. We hope to encourage viewers of this video to support us so that we may return to the field fully able to be a blessing to those on the mission field and to those who send us.

I am going to ask you to do the following in the next day or so:

Please record a simple, short video (in English, because it is for English speaking churches), more or less along these lines.

1. Your name and where you are from

2. How Tina and I: Have helped you in the past, How we are helping you right now. or How you have seen us help others.

[Examples:

*worked with Tina in the kitchen * we gave you an opportunity to serve in our church. *went soul-winning or did evangelism with us. *worked in a Camp ministry together * helped you develop a spiritual gift * offered hospitality, * opened our home to you *helped you with funds to attend class at the Bible college, *gave you comfort or council that was helpful. *fed you. *took you places. *helped you with you problems, *gave you an opportunity to preach or helped you make a sermon, teach a class or win a child to Christ, *treated you like part of our family, *Encouraged you in some way, helped you become a missionary, etc]

3. How you feel that we could help you succeed in the future in serving the Lord,

4. On the video, say something:
    a. To us: what ever you want
    b. To the people watching the video: What ever you want.

5. Post on Youtube and send us the link, or attach it to an email and send it to both me and to the video editor Josue. Me at: Prelgovisk@yahoo.com and to Josue at: joshua_778@hotmail.com

Thank you. Please do this soon because Josue has only a limited time to help us.

Steve and Tina Prelgovisk,
Continental Baptist Missions,
Puerto Rico, USA

We Baptise a Young Woman

"Pastor!"

"Yes?"

"What about my baptism!?"

This young lady came forward to be baptised about a month ago. Every Sunday morning for the last three weeks or so, she asked about getting baptised. I really like to see that kind of eagarness to do something good.

We had an abbreviated service so that our people could run over and visit a sick member of our church in a hospital near by our home.

Here is a little raw video of the baptism. The young lady gives her name, and as part of her testimony says that she comes to be baptised in obedience to the command of Christ in the Bible.

When the Sun Goes Down

Night time is the only time many of our people have free. We do have young people at our Puerto Rico Baptist College taking day classes, but what of our older church members with jobs?

For them we have the Night Time Bible Institute. 

We schedule classes two nights a week, two classes each night. I usually take one night and another pastor takes another. 

Here I am with some of our graduates, one of which is Luis Lopez, a deacon and Sunday school teacher in our church.

Day by day we do missions. but the work doesn't stop just because the sun goes down, so neither do we.

YOUR HELP NEEDED

WHAT WE NEED:
My wife Tina and I will be in Western Washington in June this year presenting the missionary work we do among the people of Puerto Rico.

We have most of our Sundays scheduled, but we need to schedule mid-week services and a few Sunday evenings in churches this June. Please help us share our ministry.

Our need is especially urgent as some of our supporting churches have fallen on hard times and have shrunk their missionary budgets. What we hope for is that we might raise at least $1000 of committed monthly support to replace what was lost over the years. Small amounts committed over time add up to keeping us on the field and being able to make essential house and car payments.

Besides churches, we would also be happy to accept personal invitations to speak about our field in homes or Bible study groups. We probably would say yes to any offer of hospitality, if you would be so kind as to offer any.

We have some great stuff to share! Hurry and confirm a date with us so you won't miss out on a blessing!

WHAT WE DO:
I serve as a church planting missionary to Puerto Rico with Continental Baptist Missions. My wife Tina and I also minister in Puerto Rico Baptist College, I as a professor and she as the cook. Our ministries are varied and extensive, including a ministry in a Christian school and a new opportunity to serve as Chaplain of the Civil Air Patrol, Puerto Rico Wing.

HOW TO CONTACT US:
Please contact us at Prelgovisk@yahoo.com

WHERE TO CHECK US OUT
Blog: http://prelgovisk.blogspot.com/
Website: OverlookedFields.com
Ministry Profile: Linkedin

Easter Epidemic?

This 22 year old young lady came to church and something good happened because of it.

I noticed her attending our service for a good number of Sundays in a row and I also noticed something special about her. She has a very attentive expression on her face during the preaching and nods her head and smiles when I make an point or application.

After the Easter morning message, she came forward and asked me to baptise her.

I spoke to her about having a class to explain the basics of the faith and what baptism is all about. The word got around that we were planing a baptism and then I heard two others respond "Me too!"

I didn't know that baptisms were contagious! I hope it turns out that they are!

A Missing Dentist Makes a New Missionary

A missionary we know, Miguel Figueroa, did dentistry missionary work in the jungles of South America. I invited him to preach in our church here in Puerto Rico and we gave him a love offering to help with his work.

We heard some sad new regarding him. He was traveling along a river awhile ago and has gone missing. Some say that he was last seen with a lantern going toward the river at night. Others say that he fell in trying to get into a smaller boat. Whatever happened, enough time passed, that he was presumed dead.

A scholarship for the training of future missionaries was created in his honor and this young man, Gustavo from Bolivia, was selected to receive it.

Gustavo came and preached in our pulpit for our Good Friday service. This is same pulpit that the man whose death provided Gustavo the scholarship preached from just a few years ago.

Gustavo preached with passion, power and conviction. When I announced that he would return Sunday morning, our people said "Amen!"

It may have been in a lonely and a forgotten place that one missionary died, but his legacy lives on in a young man who has taken up the torch and boldly proclaiming the Gospel here in Latin America.

It is our honor and responsibility to train Gustavo and help him fulfil that legacy.

When missionaries make missionaries...

Zuley Ramos was a a member of our church who originally came from Peru. She studied as one of our students and, as part of her education, had to visit a mission field and serve for one summer.  She visited Panama. Once she came back, she felt led to return and help.

Zuley presented her desire to be a missionary in various churches here on our island. She eventually raised a small amount of support and went from our field of Puerto Rico to serve in Panama.  We and other churches helped as we could.

She has done a tremendous job. Despite minimal support, she has labored on and seen some good results.

Here is a short video she made. It is a series of pictures from the field set to some typical Christian music of the country.

You won't have to understand Spanish to get the feeling that things are happening in Panama because a young lady decided to serve there as a missionary.

One of the great satisfactions we have as missionaries is when we see people who are part of our ministry become missionaries themselves. Please pray that we would continue to see blessings such as we are seeing now. From such blessings come more blessings, as they enable the life changing work of missions to continue.

Recent Baptisms Multiply Blessing in Unexpected Ways

The great thing about our recent baptisms is that they weren't just a momentary thing. There was the decision to be baptised, a special time of teaching, the baptism itself and (in our church) the church barbecue fellowship afterwards.

This Sunday, the blessing from the baptisms were extended into our morning service.

I presented the nicest baptismal certificates I could find and made a presentation of them to those recently baptised in our church. We took pictures, said "amen" and even applauded. It was a happy day for everyone.

I found that there was a line titled "Witness"on the certificates and I asked each person that was baptised to pick which of us that they wished to sign as a witness. This added an extra nice touch, as these, our newest members, selected other members to sign as witnesses. The older members then felt honored to be chosen as the witness of record of the baptism. More smiles were seen all around after that.

The nice thing about this was how one blessing led to another, sometimes expected and sometimes not. Either way we must say "Praise the Lord!" because He blesses us more and extends His blessings more than we ever could have anticipated.

How A Little Girl Made a Big Baptism

Nine year old Karielys Fontanes asked to be baptised about two weeks ago.

I said "Fine. But we need to teach you what it's all about."
And we did.

9 yr old Karielys's example brings two more to the baptism

Her cousin, 13 year old Shakira found out and asked if she could be baptised too. I spoke to her also.

Today, the day of the baptism, the little girls aunt, Yetzenia, came ready to be baptised.

I took all three of them aside and spoke again of what it all meant. We had a rehearsal of what was going to happen. Everyone was on the same page, so we went ahead and had a bigger baptism party than expected.

All thanks to a little girl who stepped forward to follow Jesus.

[In the video, I introduce the people, ask their names, why they came today and why they wanted to be baptised. They all gave good answers and we went ahead and baptised all three. Afterwards, as is our custom, we had a BBQ and made a full day of fellowship out of it.]

A "One of these Days" Person Comes to Christ in Our Church on Sunday.

"One of these days" Manuel would always say.

"Some time soon I will get into it, but not just now" said this owner of a video rental shop in town.

But his business of many years slowly faded away. He tried again by converting his video rental store into a "Colmado," a small convenience store for his neighbourhood. But that too did not go as he had hoped.

Manuel has a brother in our church and began visiting. Then, to my surprise, he started bringing in presents. At Christmas, he brought in a large number of poinsettias to decorate the church. Every few weeks he would bring something, like a special desert to share after the service.

Then the hugs started. When he came in the door, his face would light up and a handshake would be followed by a strong hug. He would give a smile that was not simple happiness, but had the feeling of a sincere and deeply felt gratitude attached to it. He always looked attentive and content to hear our preaching.

This last Sunday, I asked one of our deacons, Wilfredo, to preach for me. At the end of his sermon, Wilfredo had the privilege of seeing Manuel respond and come forward to accept Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

A suspected cancerous tumor in Manuel's kidney area is part of this story. We are sorry to hear of Manuel's health problems, but happy that he brought them to the right place and is seeking help from the right Person: He who can heal body, soul and spirit.

Welcome Manuel. We will be praying for you and hope to serve with you in our church in the days ahead.

Boomerang Blessings. Or not. It's Up to You.

I just read a good article in CNN about a massive wave of Puerto Rican migration that is now underway.

What does this mean for missions?

My first thought was this: What goes around comes around. 

A lot of people do not like Latino immigration and resist efforts to evangelise people groups that they do not like. But, like it or not, a massive wave of Puerto Rico immigration is happening right now. The question is, what will they bring with them in their luggage? Bibles or...other things. Will they come with Christ or without?

Missionary work, like ours here on the island, makes a difference. But not just on our island.

Missionary support helps missionaries do a work that not only changes lives for eternity, but it also has an affect on the kind of people who may very well become your next door neighbour.

Being a blessing to others is like a boomerang. It can come back to bless you. The only thing is, you have to give it a throw. It's up to you.

CNN: Why more Puerto Ricans are living in mainland U.S. than in Puerto Rico

"So many residents have left the island over the years that there are a million more Puerto Ricans living in the mainland United States (4.9 million as of 2011) than in Puerto Rico (3.7 million)"

A Shoot out on Saturday Makes for an Interesting Sunday.

I think our guardian angel is doing an excellent job.

This morning,  I noticed a new beggar on the street by my church. I walked past him on my way to the corner bakery, where I bought 3 lbs of bread for our after church snack time. I passed the beggar again on my way back to church.

He called out to me, "Pastor, help me buy some bread!"

I took one of the loaves and went to hand it to him. He stopped me.

"No," He complained, "You don't understand. I don't want the bread. I need money to buy bread latter. It's for my Aunt. Could you give me money?"

"Well, then," I said, "I can't help you."

After church started, I noticed that he suddenly ran by our church steps, up a hill with another guy, and into the back yard of a neighbour. They grabbed a shirt with a number on it and started waving it around the street. Other people took notice and left.

"What is going on?" I asked a street person who attends our church.

"It s from the shoot out last night." Mike said, "One of our people was shot in the leg. The guys who did it came back. Everyone is running around trying to find them and catch them"

"Are we in danger?" I asked

Mike replied, "Well, I don't think so. They won't shoot anybody in the church on purpose. But if they find the guys who did it and start shooting, someone may get hit with a "Bala Perdida," (stray bullet)."

I announced in church for everybody to be careful on the way home, but nobody seemed alarmed. Just another day in our little town in the mountains of Puerto Rico.

We made it home alright. Praise God for His watch care over us on the mission field. If you pray for your missionaries, your prayers were just answered.

Thanks you!

Small Kids, Big Steps

Last Saturday, I could not attend AWANA (kid's club) so I asked the mother of one our most faithful families to run the program for us. She did.

This is her 9 year old daughter that helped mom lead the singing for the smaller kids. After the meeting, she asked her mom if she could be baptized!

Some might not value a 9 year old being baptized as a big deal. But it is.

At today's meeting, a little kindergarten age Sparkie said one memory verse.

That is a big deal also.

These little kids are taking steps in a direction that can change their lives and the world they live it. Praise God for small kids making big steps for God.

[Our littlest Puerto Rican Sparkie says her memory verse and is proud of herself, as well she should be!]

Tina Comes Home

My wife Tina spent 3 weeks helping my daughter Rachel and our son-in-law Max after the arrival of Josiah, our newest grandchild. Tina cared for 4 of the kids while Rachel spent time recovering and concentrating on the newborn.



Tina enjoyed spending quality time with the grandkids, and was happy to give Rachel a helping hand. But she is also glad to get back to her own house and get some rest herself!

She is pretty important around here and I am glad she returned!

Here is a little video of her time away: little Stephen, not quite 2 years old, reads Tina his alphabet book.

Church Growth Secret: Ladies with Notebooks

I notice that when ladies come to church with notebooks things start to change and the church grows.

The last few banquets we had were thought of and planned by our ladies. We had at least two visitors from that.

Last week they started a Friday Morning Women's Bible Study. Today in church they gave a testimony about speaking to an ex church member and about their plan on visiting her and helping her with some issues.

This morning, they took over a room in the church and made it into a makeshift nursery and asked me for about $50 for a table cloth and a small rug. I gave them $100 and told them to make it nice.

I have found that the best way to grow a work is to find people who are excited about serving the Lord and then giving them as much encouragement as possible.

Sometimes a pastor needs to know when to say "No," this is true. But it is also true that saying "Yes" to the right people at the right time can be the beginning of a great time of advancement.

I am glad that we have the kind of people that I can say "yes" to and that our church can enjoy the fruit that results from their good work.

I am thinking that next year we might just buy all of the ladies notebooks for Christmas!

Black Hearted Mariners, and Little Girls too, Have Something to Sing About.

We learned a new song (lyrics below) today together with our Sunday school kids. It is about how Jesus is a great Captain and how he can salvage the blackest hearted mariner who surrenders to Him.
Catchy tune too.

Here are the Lyrics to "YO TENGO UN BARCO" (I have a boat)

  Am                                   E
// YO TENGO UN BARCO QUE NAVEGA POR LA MAR,
                       Am
Y JESUCRISTO ES EL CAPITÁN //

           Dm                    Am
// LOS MARINEROS QUE BOGAN A SU LADO
                    E                  Am   -A
SON ALMAS QUE HAN LAVADO SU NEGRO CORAZÓN //

                 Am             E
/ SI NO HUBIERA SIDO POR EL SEÑOR,
               E7           Am   -A
SI NO HUBIERA SIDO POR EL SEÑOR /

       Dm                Am
// MI ALMA SE HUBIERA PERDIDO,
               E            Am
SI NO HUBIERA SIDO POR EL SEÑOR //

We Need Help with a Short Summer Furlough. Can You Help?

Can you help this Summer for a visit to Washington State, Idaho or Montana?

We are planning a visit to Eastern Washington the early part of this coming July for a missionary meeting. We need help with airfare, hospitality and also help in filling out our schedule with more missionary meetings. We have June open and mid-to the end of July available.

Tina and I hope to visit old friends, make some new ones and also share our ministry in reaching US Latinos through the back door of Puerto Rico. Our ministry may dove tail well with churches wishing help in a similar outreach.

Please let us know if we can spend the night, borrow a car, preach in your church or help you with your personal ministry in any way.

May God Bless You and Yours,

Steve and Tina Prelgovisk

Prelgovisk@yahoo.com

3315 Calle 31

Sierra Bayamon

Bayamon, PR 00961 USA

Prayer Letter: Click, Download, Print, Share & Pray.

Scroll down to the bottom of the post and you will see a download button.
Or you may read it online here: Prelgovisk Prayer letter Jan-Feb 2014

How We Saved the Chocolate Exchange

My wife Tina is in Pensacola, Florida helping our daughter Rachel with her recovery, following the birth of her 5th child. This is great for them, but it made for a lonely Valentine's day here in Puerto Rico.

It was anything but lonely today.

I drove 3 college kids up to the church and we got an early start, setting things up. But the electricity was out! Not an auspicious beginning.

I called up the Sunday school classes that were in the church basement and we had them work quietly in the foyer area so they could use the light. We missed the coffee, but survived this depravation and soldiered on.

We made plans earlier for a chocolate exchange, but postponed it and took our chocolates with us to a family style restaurant, where we ate a great meal together.

The food was definitely all Puerto Rican. I had Mofongo and Shrimp. Mofongo is a dish made of mashed, plantain bananas and is baked with chunks of deep fried pork skin inside it. Our deacon Luis across from me was eating a soup that was a bit strange looking. I found out why. It was pigs feet stewed in a brown gravy. Despite how it sounds, it was great. Definitely Puerto Rican comfort food.

We brought all of the chocolate from the church to the restaurant with us. Everyone got out the chocolate they brought. Some had just one candy bar, others a whole box of Valentine candy, while others came with bags of "Fun Size" variety pack candy bars.

The ladies made slips of paper and wrote all the names of the people with chocolates. We each drew names and waited till every person had a slip. Then the first person who drew the name stood up and said something nice about the person they had drawn, without revealing the name. Then they would walk around the table, and we would have to wait to see who got the present.

We had a lot of laughter and attracted a bit of positive attention in the restaurant, which was unplanned, but a great testimony for our church.

We had about 27 in church Sunday morning, but more than 30 came to the restaurant with us. It was nice to have a chance to have a good time of fun, food and fellowship with our church family and maybe some of the latecomers will be joining us in the future as full fledged members.

Who is happy now?

Some friends of mine confessed to not becoming missionaries because they would miss their "comforts." 

I thought of that this February, while checking out our banana tree in the back yard.  

I thought of it again when I saw all the posts about blizzards. 

And then I smiled.

From Goats to Sheep

I read a passage where those who neglect acts of kindness toward others are called "Goats" while those who do them are called "Sheep."

We had an unexpected "sheep" kind of week.

A poor man that attends our church told me how he was cold at night and was shivering during a bout of illness. He mentioned that he only had one bed sheet and had difficulty staying warm at night. Tina overheard our conversation.

When we were alone, She said, "We have a blanket in storage that isn't being used. I would like to give that to Mike."

The next Saturday when I was giving devotions to our small AWANA club, I saw him out front of the church and invited him in. I gave him the blanket and a small amount of money for some medicine, we shared some food and he went on his way.

Sunday morning he was at church bright and early and eager to share something. Before we started Sunday school, he came forward and asked to say something.

Mike's hands trembled as he spoke, "I want to thank Tina for her gift of a blanket."

He turned towards my wife and said, "Tina, I was cold and sick and you gave me a blanket. Thank you."

I had goosebumps when I heard those words, because they brought to mind these words:

"Matt 2533 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me....40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’"

I am grateful to my sympathetic wife, an unexpected opportunity, and a thankful, needy individual that we were able to hear words like this, expressed in a public way, in our church on a Sunday morning. 

I am also glad that we have a God who is the kind of God who cares about things like this. What a privilege to belong to His flock!

High Tech is Fun, But It's the People That Make the Difference.

"Missions is about People: Here are mine" Steve Prelgovisk, Puerto Rico

I was a guest speaker at a large church a while ago and got to see a few other missionary presentations.
I was surprised at what the people around me said about two of them. They lauded the high tech presentation and spoke well about the "sharp" missionary who made it. Later they spoke poorly of the other missionary because of lack of "professionalism" in his video.

I saw something entirely different.

The "slick" video had only the missionary, his family and a few props. The "poor presentation" was full of people and showed the missionary interacting with hundreds of people during the week.

My take-a-way was this: One missionary was good at reaching people for Christ and the other was good at learning film making. I would rather support a missionary that has people skills than tech skills because missions is about people.

Technology is great, but it can never take the place of a missionary with an open Bible in a persons house, presenting the gospel. If that isn't happening, missions isn't happening.

Teaching the Bible Somewhere Every Single Day

Some of our bests results in teaching the Bible come from other days in the week, not just on Sundays.

Saturdays: The Little girls in the 2 min video below are in one of our AWANA classes (A Kid's Bible Club) that we are giving Saturdays between 10 an 11:30 AM. You don't have to speak Spanish to see they are learning and enjoying it.

Monday through Friday Mornings: At a Christian school near where I live, I give devotions to 7th graders 3 morning a week and I also teach a Bible class to 9th graders twice a week. We also have a chapel on Thursdays. I took a "selfie" with some of the kids behind me.

Tuesday Night: I am a Civil Air Patrol Chaplain.

Wednesday Night: Prayer Meeting

Sundays: We teach and preach the Word on Sundays in a church we are planting in Puerto Rico, but it doesn't have to stop on Sundays! I love the fact that we have the privilege to share the Word of God that can change lives here in Puerto Rico every day of the week.

The little girls learned these verses: John 3:16,  1 John 4:14, Romans 1:16, and 1 Cor 15:3