TV episode of Puerto Rican food.

"Bizarre Foods" Puerto Rico

A lot of people ask about the food here. About a year ago, the food channel did a "Bizarre Foods Puerto Rico" episode.

These foods are common here, so they don't seem bizarre to me any more.

I never did try the salt-cod ice cream. I think I will let that one pass.

Anyway, below is show if you want to see it.

Strange Product Advertising in Puerto Rico

Some product sell well here in Puerto Rico, but it is hard for me to imagine my friends in the States getting too excited about them.

This is a product called 

"SNAIL SLIME FACIAL CREAM"

Yep. Snail slime.

I hope I have an enlightened mind and am not too much a victim of culture shock, but some products down here just lack a certain appeal to me.

Another product that makes me wonder is a famous cookie brand here on the island...

The negative associations that some words have in English does not carry over into Spanish, so it makes for some interesting shopping experiences.

The Day When We Didn't Just Watch the News, We WERE the News....

Monday, we marched on the capitol. Here are some pictures and videos (below) of the event.

Why did we do it?

The Government of Puerto Rico recently, and quietly, eliminated a law that protects Christian schools from government control over their curricula. This was done just in time to push a pro-homosexual curriculum into all the public and private schools.

Not only were they going to require us to use a specific book, but the control was to be "trans-curriculum."

The idea behind this is to integrate homosexuality into ALL the subjects, in ALL the grades, even down to Kindergarten. This would mean that even the word problems in a math book would become "integrated." Expect to see math questions like this "Suzy's father has a new boyfriend. They are planning their wedding. If they saved 15% ...etc."

Well, we decided we didn't want to be forced to teach this agenda or use these books. Even if they were good books teaching good things, we don't approve of the Government's attempt to control our Christian schools.

So we made plans to go to the capitol and make our voices heard.

Fortunately, we weren't alone. We marched on the capitol and had over 100 thousand concerned citizens march with us. Most were Christians. But even the non-Christian groups didn't appreciate the Government forcing them to teach someone else's agenda.

After the protest the governor backed down on the church control issue, but actually increased his rhetoric on the materials they will be acquiring for the public schools.

Even though the protest was a greater success than we expected, we will have to keep an eye on the government. They made a law before to protect our Church schools and then decided to not keep it. It appears that that saying "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." is a true one.


1. A lot more people came than we expected. Here is a short video clip I took of our efforts to get there.



2. I ask people why they are going.



3. The Protest was loud and very Puerto Rican. This is just a raw, unedited clip I took, but it will give you an idea of the crowd size and energy of the protest.



4. We were in good company. In this picture, Tina and I were among the 100 thousand that gathered in front of our capitol building and stood against the governments incursion on our religious liberty.

Where we heard? Yes. The governor is trying to spin the event by saying that church people were told by their pastors to come to a rally and that the church members really didn't know why they were there. All I can say is, I know why I was there. Everyone I talked to knew why they were there. I walked with those who stood against the government forcing church schools to carry out its political and social agenda.

Why I am Marching in a Protest Tomorrow

The government of Puerto Rico has decided it is no longer bound by a law that has protected Christian schools from government intrusion for many years. They also have decided to push a curriculum that is pro homosexual, under the guise of "anti-bullying,"into every school on the island.

What else can we do but protest against this? If the government is successful in its agenda, the Christian schools will be required to present a specific curriculum and a particular book. 

WARNING: offensive picture below, included only as an example of what we are up against. 

If you are offended by the pictures below, remember, they are being distributed to schools to be taught in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL and will be required to be taught in ALL schools here, even CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS.

Making it Work

Hustling to get ready for a Pastor's Fellowship at our home today, we had the challenge of moving 12

chairs and 2 six foot tables from the Bible College to our home.

We had available our 4'10" intern Cynthia and our 2010 Honda Fit to make it happen.

I had my doubts.

I said, "I don't think we can do it. But if we can do it all in one trip, I am so going to take a picture of this and post it on Facebook."

Being a man of my word, here it is.

We appreciate Cynthia and the rest of you that help us in our missionary work down here in Puerto Rico.

Saying "NO" to something good, so "YES" can be said to something better.

This last year I was involved in the Civil Air Patrol. I enjoyed the experience of rubbing shoulders with the 14 or so pilots in our Senior Squadron. However, the leadership was only allowing me 15 minutes of devotional time once every two months.

I appreciate the opportunity to minister to that group, but attending 8 weeks of meetings and keeping all my qualifications current was a pretty hefty price for those few promised minutes of ministry.

I have learned from Michael Hyatt (former president of Nelson Publishing) and others that I need to say "No" to the good, to be able to say "Yes" to what is better.

Why You Should Flush 90% of Your To-Do List Down the Toilet

There is nothing better than serving the Lord through the local church. Next comes our Bible College and Christian school that provide training for our church members and leaders for the churches we start. And then there is camp...

It is easy to spread one's self too thin, especially when there are so few others doing the work of missions.

I still have my CAP uniform hanging in the closet, but I think that I will leave it there until I can be convinced that a ministry there would yield more opportunities for growing our church that it appears to yield now.

A Blessing We Can Drive

We have been a one car family for a while now. We also had no plans to get a second car until we had enough in our saving account to acquire one. Sadly, that appeared to be sometime in the far off future.

But a crisis arose. The carpool that I was using to get around became unavailable and we were left in a difficult position.

But because of financial gifts from some churches, family and friends, we got within reach of getting a car for Tina. And we did just that. She went out and found a bargain on a 2008 Yaris.

She is a happy camper now and so am I. 

We are now able to do our multiple ministries with much more freedom. 

Although we did not have to go into debt to get the car, we did drain our savings down just about nothing. While we live by faith, we also try and follow the good council we have received, which was that we should have at least one month of missionary and personal expenses in savings as a buffer. 

That isn't there anymore.

We praise the Lord and thank you all for making this blessing possible. Please remember that we need your ongoing support and prayers to keep the work going down here in Puerto Rico, USA.

Why I Am a Multi-Blogger

I originally began this blog because a church that supports our missionary work was not receiving the prayer letters and missionary updates that we sent out.

I began posting our prayer letter here, then I would send out the paper prayer letter and also send them the prayer letter as an email attachment.

It worked.

Since then, I have discovered other uses for blogs and have become a "Multi-blogger."

Why am I multi-blogging?

I used to just send out emails and Facebook posts of things I wanted to share, but it was always hard to regather all of those sent out pictures and thoughts that were intermixed into past email lists and Facebook posts. So, I decided to just start a blog for each category of things that I share and to send out those links in emails and to Facebook.

In this way, I could always go right to my specific blog on a topic and see all the information in one spot. Also, it allows me to share the lighter material I come across on my blogs that deal with less serious topics, than say this blog, which is dedicated to sharing our missionary work with churches that are serious about missions.

But if you would like to see what else I am doing, here is the list of my other blogs:

1. "Mini Meditations" This is usually a very short comment on a thought provoking photo or topic.
2. "Animal Relationships" I post here when I see animals in situations that bring to mind lessons that may benefit others.
3. "Health Humor Central" I have been to the doctor and in hospital enough to enjoy humor at their expense.
4. "Kennedy Adoption Journal" My daughter and her husband are trying to adopt a child and they post to this blog that I set up for them.
5. "Ideas 4 Camp" Ideas for camps, but also for special schools projects, church activities and VBS programs.
6. "Extra Credit Science" I teach in a Bible College and students often ask for ideas for extra credit. I post the one's that I think of here. The camp ideas that are also good for teaching science I put here.
7. "Feeding Your Blog" I just started this one. I plan to write about the problems I solve when blogging and put them here so that they will be in in a place that I can remember to look at when I forget how I solved that problem the last time.

"9 reasons NOT to move to the Caribbean."

I just read this article by Amanda Walkins, a freelance writer currently based in Roatan, Honduras. Although she lives in Honduras, what she says about her part of the Caribbean is pretty much true where we live in Puerto Rico.

Although she gives the negatives, if you scan to the end of the article, she gives the same 9 items a positive twist. That's what we do in our own minds to adjust to living down here.

"9 Definitive Reasons Why You Should NOT Move to the Caribbean"

Living on an island in the Caribbean, surrounded by jungle-covered hills and picture-perfect beaches sounds like a dream. Wake up, enjoy a cup of coffee and fresh fruit picked from the trees around your house, walk along the beach and maybe go for a swim to cool off from the sun's warmth. This is paradise. This is a dream come true.

But this might not really be the dream life for everyone. Here are 9 reasons why you shouldn't pick up and move to a Caribbean island.

1. The heat can be unbearable.
Of course, you realize that the temperatures in the Caribbean stay high year-round. But have you accounted for the humidity? The mold never ends. Your hair will be a constant disaster. Your sweat will sweat. There truly is no way to adequately prepare your body for the onslaught of late summer heat in the Caribbean.

2. The bugs. Oh, the bugs!
The bugs in the Caribbean are literally everywhere. You can kill millions of mosquitos, and you know what? There are still millions more. There are sand fleas and cockroaches, spiders and ants. Mind your step outside so you don't end up crossing paths with leaf-cutter ants. They'll cover your foot so quickly you won't even notice. And .... do those bites hurt!

Tarantulas. They are everywhere!

3. The infrastructure may be lacking.
Potholes as big as canyons, constant power outages, slow internet when the power is actually on...the list goes on. Let's not even discuss the red tape you'll encounter for legal, judicial and financial matters! There's a reason everything runs on "island time" in the Caribbean: You need an excuse for what seems like purely insane waiting and running around for such simple tasks as cashing a check.

4. Island life is like small-town living. Everyone knows everyone and everything.
If you haven't lived in a small town before, beware. Islands are small communities and in small communities there are no secrets. The only reliably efficient system on an island is the rumor mill, constantly feeding through fabricated lies and gossip.

5. Acquiring things can be difficult on an island.
Sometimes boats get delayed so the grocery store looks post-apocalyptic. Sometimes you pay an exorbitant fee to ship large items from the States, yet they still don't arrive for months on end.

This letter was sent in February 2013, arrived at my local post office on the island on March 6, 2013, and was "lost" until October 22...of the next YEAR.

6. There are stray dogs and cats everywhere.
The islands have a serious problem with stray animals -- there is no denying that. They will be in the road, they will beg for food at the restaurants and they will relieve themselves wherever the mood strikes. Sometimes they're aggressive, other times they're skittish, but you can't really tell until you're up close and personal.

7. Tourists. Tourists everywhere!
They come in droves, they take over your beautiful beaches and your favorite bars. They ask inane questions and you will become convinced that they actually check their intelligence at the door when they leave home. You cannot escape them.

8. Storms happen, and they can be gravely serious.
Hurricane season is no joke in the Caribbean, with many home-owners and business-owners holding their breath for months each summer. If you move to an island prone to being hit by hurricanes and tropical storms, don't try to pretend you're smarter than the local construction workers who are building your home to withstand those storms.

9. Island life can be isolating.
You Americans and Canadians are used to space. Sprawling space. You can drive for hours and days and still never run out of road. Islands are small and your options become much more limited. You might feel trapped and separated from the rest of the world. You certainly won't know what's happening in the news because nobody watches it. You won't have the latest gadgets everyone back home is talking about. You won't see the newest films in theaters, nor catch the new TV series as it actually airs. You will be behind in everything. And you will look out into the never-ending sea and realize how small you truly are.

If you've read all these reasons and think that island life sounds horrible, you most certainly should not move to the Caribbean. Take a vacation and then go back.

Come for a week, take your sunset photos, and head on home.

If, however, you've read these reasons and found a positive aspect to each and every one of them, then you do truly belong here. After all...

1. Humidity is great for your skin and it sure beats sweating while shoveling snow!
2. Geckos eat bugs, and they also make for adorable little companions running around your front porch and windows.
3. "Island time" forces you to reflect and relax, an idea that could benefit many North Americans these days.
4. Small town life means you stop and chat with everyone on the street, everyone is looking out for each other, and sometimes, you do just want to go where everybody knows your name.
5. Making things difficult to acquire means you question how much you really need them. And usually the answer is that you simply don't.
6. You can take in a stray animal and honor Bob Barker's request to spay and neuter your pets. This helps to end the cycle of more strays on the streets while also making your life richer. I can attest to that with my own former street dog, Lina.

Every island girl loves a hammock!
7. Tourists bring income into the local economy. And besides, they provide constant entertainment!
8. Stormy island weather is incredible to watch, as long as you're safe.
9. Isolation can be liberating. You have time and space to reconnect with yourself and loved ones.

If you -- like me -- can see the positives hidden in challenges and difficulties, then you will absolutely love life in the Caribbean. If you can laugh at yourself and embrace change, you will find paradise. Just be honest with yourself before taking the leap!

Amanda Walkins is a freelance writer currently based in Roatan, Honduras. She blogs about her accidental expat life at www.awalkontherun.com.

Puerto Rico may not be the colony some expect, but that's OK.

When visiting pastors and missionary teams come and visit us, they are often surprised at the modern urbanization that they see.

On the drive from the airport to our house, we pass numerous fast food restaurants such as Burger Kings, McDonalds, and Wendys. Our visitors smile and remark about how ubiquitous these places have become.

But when we pass a Sams club, the Costco, Walmart or Bed Bath and Beyond, then they look confused.

"I thought that they grew bananas and pineapples and stuff down here."

That they do.

But when you have 3.5 million people that are US citizens crammed into an island that measures 35 x 113 miles, agriculture gets crowded out and the typical US urban landscape takes its place.

When we came here 22 years ago, things were more like what people expect to find on a Caribbean island. But we have seen people who were raised in homes without refrigerators now carry around huge cell phones and share their favorite Youtube videos with each other after church.

As missionaries, we certainly have the opportunity to contact a lot of people easily. And we do.

We do miss some of the old ways, but since the local Costco started carrying Dark Chocolate Almond Bark with Sea Salt, we, and especially my wife Tina, don't miss those old days quite so
much.

Driving Needs

A car for my wife Tina and some repair work on our college van are on our list of requests this month.

We do have a 2010 Honda Fit, which is great little car, but being a one car family with five or so ministries going on between the two of us makes for some pretty complicated and stressful scheduling. We were able to raise some money toward a new car but are a couple thousand dollars short of what we need for that second vehicle.

One of the key resources of our Puerto Rico Baptist college is the college van. During the week it transports students here, there, and everywhere. Weekends it takes students to extension on Saturdays and to church on Sundays. It delivers groceries, takes kids to soccer and even visiting missionary teams to and from the airport. 

Last week it broke down. 

Several items have been fixed, but there are still some major repairs to be done. 

Please pray for God's provision so that we can use it again soon.

Little Girl Evangelist

The big sister in the blue shirt in this picture comes to our church and is active in our new AWANA program, a Bible club for kids.

Her mother gave a testimony recently that her daughter took 25 gospel tracts from the tract rack in our church and passed them out to all her fellow third-graders in school.

One of the girls that received a tract came back the next day and said that she read the tract. She said that she was sorry about how she was behaving and prayed the prayer at the end of the tract and now wanted to ask forgiveness for her past attitudes.

Our AWANA program is very small and reaches little kids. But apparently even the smallest kids in a the smallest missionary church program can produce great results.

I'm thinking it's because that the God they serve in complete faith honors that faith and it is He that give them great power to accomplish great things for Him.

Missionaries Having Fun

One of the fun things about being a missionary is that the people you reach become friends and some of those friends become fellow pastors and missionaries. The first Saturday of each month we have a Pastors and Missionary fellowship.

You can tell by the faces in the video that we all enjoy each others company. We have a great group of pastors and missionaries. Not everything about being a missionary is fun, but we do have our fun moments, and this is of of them.


The song is "Alegria, Alegria, Alegria" and here is the translation:

Mary and her loving husband,
Are going to Bethlehem,
They have in their company
An almighty God.

(Chorus)
Joy, joy, joy,
Joy, joy and pleasure
The Virgin is on her way
With her husband to Bethlehem.

The little birds in the woods,
As they saw the couple pass by,
Sang them melodies
With their harmonious tweets.

(Chorus)

Upon reaching Bethlehem,
They asked for lodging,
Nobody wanted to oblige
Because they saw they were so poor.

Baptism Practice for Our Students!

Teaching young men how to baptise is one of the most fun classes we offer.

Our students gathered together in our back yard and had a regular service, complete with songs. Then the practice baptisms began.

There was an attempt at formality, but there was a lot more laughing involved than might be expected in a regular baptism.

Thanks to some generous helpers, we were able to replace a needed pump and now are using the pool for baptisms again.

Fanning the Spark

Javier quit his job with Homeland Security and has been seeking to serve the Lord. We gave him an opportunity to preach in our church about a year ago. He was in tears when we gave him a love offering.

He said, "I was hoping to serve the Lord full time, but didn't see how I could do it. This opportunity to preach and this love offering is like God telling me that I can serve Him and He will meet my needs."

Javier preached again today, after having spent a month in the Dominican Republic doing evangelism. He has reached over 100 people for Christ in that short time and plans to go back and continue his work there.

The Lord gave him a gift, but it seemed small in his sight. We are happy to be the ones who fanned that spark and see it grow into a bright light that has already led many to Christ.

A Broken Pump and a Baptism

The house we bought came with an above ground pool, which comes in real handy for baptisms, serves as a reserve water tank during hurricane season and also a place for the little kids to swim when we have a church fellowship at our home. 

But the pump for the filter rusted out on it and it will cost us $200 to replace it. 

We do have a baptism coming up and I hope that we can get a new pump and have some clean water in there for our next baptism.

Please help us get a new pump. 

If you wish to help, you can click the golden "Donate" button above our picture in the right hand column or contact Continental Baptist Missions and send in a designated amount through them.

First Fruits From Our AWANA...

AWANA, a Bible club for kids, has a Spanish name: Oansa.

It is new here in Puerto Rico and we thought to give it a try in our small mission church.

For the first few months only a few of the kids from our church would go. But this weekend we saw our "first fruits" from it.

A woman walked by our church last Saturday and peeked in and we spoke to her about our church and the Oansa program. She brought her son yesterday and stayed herself and listened to my devotional. She also talked to one of our lady teachers and prayed with her.

Today she came to church with her son. Her name is Elizabeth. She said that she was studying with the Jehovah Witnesses but was concerned because her Bible seemed to teach something different than what she was hearing at the Kingdom Hall.

Our church was greatly encouraged. We have had people respond to our visits before, but this it the first time in a long while someone just walked in.

It may seem like a small thing to some, but it was a big enough of an event to encourage our church today.

We praise God for the first fruits of this outreach. We pray that we might see more in the future.

Chikungunya and I

I caught something. A lot of  people around me say they were infected with the Chikungunya Virus and they told me that I had it too. Whatever it was, it was no fun. 

My temperature got up 103.3 and I was so sick that I didn't even feel like reading in bed, which is a pretty serious symptom where I am concerned.

After about 4 days, I dragged myself back to work, but it has been a long week. 

We face many challenges in our missionary work here in the Caribbean, and diseases like the Dengue and Chikungunya are no joke.  Please remember us in your prayers.

Baptismal Challenge Accepted!

After our morning church service, this man, Jose Cruz, came forward to speak to me. He recently made a profession of faith and has been coming to church for about a month now. Today he came forward and asked to be baptised.

His decision put a smile on my face. I think we will put smiles on a lot of faces when they see us standing next to each other in the baptistry! If there are people who find humour in contrasts, this upcoming baptismal may provide some moments of amusement for them.

Although there may be some lighter moments in a baptismal service, being baptised is an important and serious first step of obedience in the life of a new Christian. What a blessing it is to us to have a part in it.

Q: What is the drug problem like in Latin America? A: Read this!

I get asked this question a lot. Unfortunately, any discussion of the problem of drugs in Latin America is usually too long and complex of an issue for the time and situations I tend to be in when the question arises.

Rather than listen to a lecture on the topic, I suggest a more interesting way to find out what it is like. Read: "Crossfire" by Author Jeannette Windle. She is the award winning author of the popular "Veiled Freedom" (a book on Afghanistan), but she wrote an earlier book touching this very theme.

The book is a fictional Christian adventure/romance. But since Jeannette was raised on the mission field and latter returned as a wife of a missionary and raised her family in the area where the drama of her book unfolds, the book is extremely realistic.

If you want to know the issues we missionaries deal with regarding drug trafficking and corruption, this book will give you a very good idea of the realities we face down here.

Live in the Pacific Northwest? Come see us, or invite us over.

Tina and I will be traveling in the Pacific Northwest this June and July.

In June we are in western Washington state, and then we are on our way through eastern Washington and onto western Montana in July for church meetings and two weeks of camp. We plan on returning to Puerto Rico, hopefully with some new support, the first week of August.

Scan our itinerary below and find out when we are in your area and come see us. Better yet, invite us over so we can enjoy your fine hospitality and great fellowship.

Please pray for our safety on the road, and that we might raise the new monthly support that we need to do the work of missions in Puerto Rico.

June, Sunday 1
Faith Baptist Fellowship
Pastor Tim Kluver
Port Angeles

June, Sunday 8
Southside Baptist Church
Pastor Jim Saxman
Tacoma, WA

June, Sunday 15
Father's Day
OPEN (Invite Us!)

June, Sunday 22
Morning
Puyallup Community Baptist Church
Pastor Loren Tucker
Puyallup, WA

Evening
Orting Community Baptist Church
Pastor: Dale Gore
Orting, WA

July, Sunday 29
Christ Fellowship
Pastor Dr. David S. Steele
Everson, WA

July, Sunday 6
First Baptist Church
Jim Mailloux,
Richland, WA

July, Sunday 13
Valley Baptist Church
Pastor Matt Schrepfer
Eureka, Montana

July, Sunday 20
Afternoon
Cardwell Community Church
William Grinder
Cardwell, MT

July, Sunday 27
Morning
First Baptist Church
Pastor Scott Craven
Polson, MT

Evening
Bethel Baptist Church
Kalispell, MT

August, Sunday 3
1st Baptist
Joseph A. Kuefler
Marion, MT

August, Monday 4
Return to our missionfield: Puerto Rico

Home Church Homage: What Southside Baptist and Pastor Ron Hill have Done for Us.

About 10 years ago, I wrote a letter to celebrate the ministry Pastor Ron Hill had through Southside Baptist Church of Tacoma, Washington and the part he and the church had in our ministry.

This week we are revisiting our home church, so I thought I would post that letter again in honor of their faithful support over the last 25 years.

========================

Dear Soutside Baptist Church:

I am Steve Prelgovisk, your missionary to Puerto Rico. But before I was a missionary, I served as a deacon, youth pastor and as an assistant pastor under Ken Jobson at Fern Hill Baptist Church. I met Pastor Hill through a number of what I consider to be God ordained circumstances. I am happy to say that the vision and faith that Pastor Hill showed under these circumstances has born fruit. His vision and faith were not alone, but accompanied by great passion and hard work. These are not words meant to flatter, but are an honest rendering of an eye-witness account from a fellow servant and long time member of Southside Baptist Church. From what I have seen, Pastor Ron Hills’ character, vision, philosophy of ministry and hard work have led to greater blessings for both Churches.

How It Began.
I came to Fern Hill as a Seminary student and served as the assistant Pastor to Pastor Ken Jobson. I have the deepest respect for him and was pleased to serve under such a godly man. A few years later, I was elected to serve as a deacon and was confronted with a difficult dilemma. The other two deacons were frustrated that our church growth was problematic and voiced the possibility of looking for a new pastor. I had worked with Pastor Jobson closely and felt that if there was an obstacle to church growth, it did come from him. I said that we should look for another way to grow that did not penalize one of our church’s greatest assets.

Before I came to Fern Hill, I had served in a church in Riverside, California, where I had helped two Baptist Churches merge. I suggested that we might investigate this option for a number of reasons: it would enable us to grow, we could help another church that was looking for a building and we could also make sure Pastor Jobson was cared for. I thought it might be a win-win sort of approach and we should pursue it.

The others liked the suggestion as an idea, but held little hope that it was likely to happen. Questions arose. If it was possible, which church should we merge with? Who would respond in a positive manner to such an idea? Pastor Jobson and the other deacons felt that we might approach Dr William and offer to merge with his church. This was great, except they wanted to present the idea to the congregation at our next business meeting. I felt we were rushing the announcement before we were sure of the desire of the second church. What if we began courting another church and they turned out to be cool to the idea? If we pinned all our hopes on one church and nothing came of it? We might not ever get a chance to do it again. I felt that we needed at least one other live option before we promoted the idea from the pulpit.

The initial response of Dr Williams’ church was a polite “That is an interesting idea.” There was kindness in their response, but I sensed a lack of enthusiasm from them for the merger proposal. This confirmed in my mind the need for another option. I became more convinced that I needed to find someone as excited as we were about it, if we were to ever make a merger work.

As the day of the business meeting grew closer, I grew more concerned about this and decided to ask people I respected for advice. I worked at Northwest Baptist Seminary under Jeff Barbierre (SP?), who was then assistant pastor and Youth Director at Southside Baptist Church. I asked, “Jeff, Do you know of any churches that might be looking for a merger situation? We have a nice building, we would like to find a way to fill it up and at the same time, keep Pastor Jobson on as an associate pastor in the new work, if at all possible.” I added, “Keep this a secret. I just want to know of any possibilities out there before I give my deacons’ recommendation to a merger plan we have on the table. I just don’t think we should do it, if all we have is just one less-than-enthusiastic partner.”

Jeff was stunned. He said, “Our pastor, Ron Hill, just said this last week; “We need to find a new location. If any of you know of a church we can merge with, let me know!” We talked some more and went about our work. About a half hour later, Jeff came to me a bit embarrassed, “Umm…I know you asked me to keep it a secret. But I called pastor Hill and told him about the merger idea. He shouted “Hallelujah,” and… well, you better talk to him right away about it, or he is going to call your pastor right now.

So I ran upstairs with Jeff and he handed me the phone. That is where I had my first conversation with Pastor Hill, on the phone on the second floor of the Education building at Northwest Baptist Seminary. I noted immediately that I was speaking to a man of passion and vision.

My first impressions were confirmed when we had a face-to-face meeting between our deacon board, pastors Jobson and Hill and all of the Southside Baptists deacons. I shared a few concerns.  I told Pastor Hill, “Well, if we merge, I will go from being a missionary candidate, an assistant pastor and the youth director of one church, and become “the assistant, to the assistant, to the assistant pastor” in the merged one.”

I was also concerned that in the merger, my missionary aspirations would be overlooked in favor of the many fine students then preparing for the mission field, who where members of Southside. Pastor Hill smiled, but then said to me in a serious tone, “In the merger, Southside will be your church. And your church will always stand behind you and support you.” And he proved true to his word.

What Came of It all.
In the years following, I learned much from Pastor Hill. He has given us many a kind word, good council and material support when needed. His example has been a great value to me as a missionary. I have seen Pastor Hill work hard to evangelize the lost, disciple believers, grieve over sin in the church, work tirelessly to reconcile those in conflict, promote fellowship among church members and, in a multitude of ways, seek to encourage the saints.

Congratulations for a fruitful ministry at Southside Baptist Church. I am so glad that our “Plan B,” turned out to be God’s “Plan A.”  I am glad to have had such great role models in the ministry. Some of our better moments on the mission field have come from emulating a ministry practice that I learned from Pastor Ron Hill.

There are very few men worthy of emulation in our world today. I am so happy that at Southside Baptist Church we have had such a man.

May God Bless You and Keep You and Yours,

Steve and Tina Prelgovisk,
Missionaries From Southside Baptist to Puerto Rico, USA

A Student Takes Time to Say "Thank You!"

A former student of mine, Dave J Shapiama from Peru, sent us a video thanking us for our efforts in training him for the ministry.

Dave, it was our pleasure. Thank you for using your training by serving the Lord as a pastor to your people in Peru.

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.