Monday, March 30, 2015

Our Bathroom is Trying to Leave Home!

Did you ever pay a lot of money to someone to fix  problem and they just made it worse?

This is our sad story:

We paid $250 to a plumber/contractor to fix our bathroom drainage problem. Our Puerto Rican house has a tub and shower that drained through a 2 inch pipe directly onto the ground right outside of the bathroom.

I was afraid that flowing water against the bathroom walls would erode the foundation and cause the bathroom to settle and pull away from the house.

But sadly, it was after the "fix"that the real problems began. The plumber did tie the drainage into the sewer system, but in the process of "fixing" the problem he made it worse.  He did some ditching on two sides of the bathroom and removed material but did not adequately replace it. We also think that the ground may have dried up and shrunk away from the house, lowering the foundation.

Now it appears that the entire bathroom is trying to separate itself from our bedroom.

What to do? I am not educated in this field, so I don't even know what the options are. I called the plumber and he is supposed to come back and look at the damage. I am pessimistic that he will take responsibility for the problem and fix it for free. I guess I need to know what can be done and then find someone who is both trustworthy and skillful enough to make the repairs.

Please pray for us:

For Peace of mind-our anxiety level is pretty high on this one.
For Wisdom-To find a way to truly fix the problem.
For Our Finances-We need the funds to fix the problem.
***
UPDATE. The Contractor pointed out to us that the previous owner of the home did not put in a supported foundation, so the add-on bathroom is sitting on a cement pad that was just poured onto the ground. He, not having x-ray vision, feels that it is not his fault that our bathroom is sinking, even though the work done seems to have accelerated it.

OPTIONS.  We suggested digging under the cement slab and jacking it up or creating a foundation alongside of the wall and tying the walls into it, but the contractor said this could not be done.  The bathroom was extended to an extremely close proximity to our neighbors concrete wall, leaving little or no room to make an excavation.  So, until we can think of anything better, that leaves us with these two options:

1. Do nothing. We were counseled that the expense of fixing the problem was so great that it would be better to let the bathroom settle and then fill in the cracks with hydraulic cement. If this works, we saved a lot of money.

2. Do everything. Demolish the bathroom and build it back correctly. Estimated cost $12,000.

I just got a second opinion from the father of one of our church members who does construction work. He says that the he agrees that the bathroom will have to be demolished and rebuilt correctly, but that he can make it bigger and better for $10,000. We like the second opinion more than the first, but we still don't have the funds to do this. 

I have asked the contractor and others for more options. But since we currently don't have the resources for complete demolition and rebuild or any alternative, actionable ideas, we are following a prayerful wait-and see approach.

This is tough on us emotionally, but there comes a point where you have done everything you can do and need to trust in God with the results. That is where we are now.

Please pray for our home, family and our ministry here in Puerto Rico.




Saturday, March 14, 2015

The Colmado: Convenience Store, Puerto Rican Style

Today, I went to a little convenience store across the street from our church to get some supplies for our Communion Service tomorrow. These stores are called "Colmados." They are usually small Mom and Pop stores, crammed from floor to ceiling with everything that the Mom and Pop imagine that you might need.

Today. I found this entire pig draped over the bare counter with the additional photogenic display of a trickle of blood that reached the floor in front of the counter.

I have lived here long enough that none of this surprised me. In fact, the only thing that really struck me was that the pig had blue eyes. I never knew they came in different colors.

Anyway, I thought I would share with you a slice of everyday missionary life from down here in Puerto Rico.

It really isn't so bad. In fact, the end product of it all is extremely tasty.

Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Puerto Rico's Current Economic Situation: It Ain't Pretty

Puerto Rico is on its way to following Detroit's economic path, according to Robert Finger, an
investment analyst who has analysed Puerto Rico's economic status in his role as an economic adviser to his investment community.

I have embedded the article below.

My take away is this:

1. Puerto Rico is likely to follow the Detroit model and default on its bonds and other debts.

2. Government interference and over taxation is making starting or maintaining a small business extremely difficult.

3. People and businesses are leaving the island in droves. The more they squeeze the taxpayers, the fewer taxpayers there are left to squeeze.

This is bad for Puerto Rico. But maybe some Puerto Ricans will look to God for help in this time of economic need.

Puerto Rico: Paradise Lost

Monday, February 23, 2015

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.


Sunday, February 22, 2015

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.


Sunday, February 15, 2015

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.





Saturday, February 07, 2015

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.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

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.


Saturday, January 24, 2015

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!
2015-01-20-TarantulainRoatan.jpeg
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.
2015-01-20-DelayedmailRoatan.JPG

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.
2015-01-20-CaribbeanIslandSunset.JPG
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.
  7. 2015-01-20-StreetdogadoptedinRoatan.jpg
    Every island girl loves a hammock!
  8. Tourists bring income into the local economy. And besides, they provide constant entertainment!
  9. Stormy island weather is incredible to watch, as long as you're safe.
  10. 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.

Sunday, January 18, 2015

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.


Tuesday, January 06, 2015

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.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

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.

Monday, December 08, 2014

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.



Saturday, November 22, 2014

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.


Sunday, November 02, 2014

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.


Sunday, October 19, 2014

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.



Sunday, October 05, 2014

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.


Sunday, September 28, 2014

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.


Sunday, September 07, 2014

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.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

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.

Monday, June 09, 2014

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