We wish to share another request, but it will take more than a line or two. This past Summer we were blessed to host two missions teams. Their work and ministry were sources of great encouragement to us and the people here. On the Pennsylvania team was a young man who was preparing to attend a Christian college in the Fall to prepare for the Gospel ministry.
When he returned home, he submitted to the required blood work for college admission. At that time the doctor informed him and his family of an abnormality indicating progressive kidney failure. In spite of the threat, the young man went off to college, but his health has continued to diminish. At present, many are praying that he will be able to finish this semester before dialysis is necessary.
As soon as he returns home, he and his parents will visit a transplant surgeon to consult regarding the options that remain. The family feels keenly their need of Divine direction. Unless the Great Physician intervenes, the teen will need dialysis shortly; transplant surgery will likely be required as well.
While it would be easy to ask, "Why?", the family is leaning heavily on the Lord's arm and praying for a miracle. I would like to request that each person who reads this blog will join in praying for this urgent prayer request. Certainly there is no limit to what our Savior can do, and Scripture admonishes us that many times we "have not, because [we] ask not."
Pray also that the Lord may be glorified through this young man's testimony and that of his parents.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Prayer Requests
I hope to create a weekly prayer request entry at the beginning of each week. This will help you know exactly how to pray. I will also try to remember to inform you as to how the Lord works in each case.
1. The filling of the Spirit to make our remaining weeks full of the Lord's blessing.
2. Wisdom to train each member of our furlough replacement team for their new tasks.
3. The preparation of about 6 people for baptism before we leave.
4. Provision of more students to make our budget work at Ponce Christian Academy
5. Spiritual growth for Victor, Maritza, Chu, Nelson, Gilson, Jomar, Jeremy, et al.
6. The faithfulness of the Lord's people to His work here in Ponce.
1. The filling of the Spirit to make our remaining weeks full of the Lord's blessing.
2. Wisdom to train each member of our furlough replacement team for their new tasks.
3. The preparation of about 6 people for baptism before we leave.
4. Provision of more students to make our budget work at Ponce Christian Academy
5. Spiritual growth for Victor, Maritza, Chu, Nelson, Gilson, Jomar, Jeremy, et al.
6. The faithfulness of the Lord's people to His work here in Ponce.
Pre-Furlough Blessings
The Lord has certainly been good to us! Since beginning to call pastors from SC/NC to PA, we have seen our schedule develop nicely. In fact, from May 27 until December 16, only one Sunday has no meeting at all (Anyone interested in July 1?). Several Sundays need a morning service to be complete, and a number of Wednesdays still remain. If you know of a church in the above mentioned States that needs to hear from us, drop us a line.
In addition, the Lord has provided a display board free of charge! That is at least a $200 gift! Our hearts rejoiced when we received this news. We still have the work of preparing the display, but that will come together in its own time.
A particular concern is the organizing of a good presentation with voice and music accompaniment. Many hours will be invested in this endeavor. These are hours that are hard to come by, but they will have to be found.
In addition, the Lord has provided a display board free of charge! That is at least a $200 gift! Our hearts rejoiced when we received this news. We still have the work of preparing the display, but that will come together in its own time.
A particular concern is the organizing of a good presentation with voice and music accompaniment. Many hours will be invested in this endeavor. These are hours that are hard to come by, but they will have to be found.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Spiritual Progress
Praise the Lord for the growth of those involved in our discipleship program. Maritza has been coming with her mentor, but this week she showed up on her own! It's a small thing perhaps, but she does not drive. That means she had to find someone to bring her instead of making excuses for not being able to come.
Victor is my (Bill's) pupil. He eagerly awaits our time together every Monday morning. He would gladly meet a second day, but my schedule is a bit tight right now. His comments during our studies are as refreshing as a young child's short sentences. There is obvious growth, and his wife reports that they study the Word together at home, and she has found him studying on his own. He even goes to the trouble of looking up every verse in the upcoming lesson and writing down the page number where the verse is found in his Bible! Such extra effort is not often found in long-time believers.
We also have a group of people who wish to be baptized. We are trying to wait a bit so that some in discipleship students will be able to be baptized as well. Our baptismal services are held in the surf of the ocean, usually on a Sunday afternoon. We look forward to these special times of praise and worship surrounded by our Lord's marvelous handiwork. Pray with us for the continued progress of all the new converts (Maritza, Victor, Mandy, and Nelson).
Victor is my (Bill's) pupil. He eagerly awaits our time together every Monday morning. He would gladly meet a second day, but my schedule is a bit tight right now. His comments during our studies are as refreshing as a young child's short sentences. There is obvious growth, and his wife reports that they study the Word together at home, and she has found him studying on his own. He even goes to the trouble of looking up every verse in the upcoming lesson and writing down the page number where the verse is found in his Bible! Such extra effort is not often found in long-time believers.
We also have a group of people who wish to be baptized. We are trying to wait a bit so that some in discipleship students will be able to be baptized as well. Our baptismal services are held in the surf of the ocean, usually on a Sunday afternoon. We look forward to these special times of praise and worship surrounded by our Lord's marvelous handiwork. Pray with us for the continued progress of all the new converts (Maritza, Victor, Mandy, and Nelson).
Eleven Weeks & Counting
On Sunday afternoon, we got to thinking about all the preparations for furlough. That spawned the thought of counting how many more Sundays we have left to enjoy the fellowship of our church. We started counting and found that just 11 Sundays remain. The following Sunday will be our first meeting of furlough, over 1,400 miles from here!
Already the Lord has begun to answer our prayers concerning support. One of our dear friends and long-time supporters had to discontinue support due to unemployment. Yet just prior to this we learned that another close friend has committed to almost the identical amount which would have been lost. Earlier this week GFA informed us that a family in North Carolina wants to begin supporting us for $500 per month!
Yet another church had asked about any special needs. We gave a list of concerns for the work here as we approach furlough. The pastor said, "We will surely pray for these needs, but I was actually asking if you have any special financial needs." After picking myself up off the floor, I mentioned that our van's air conditioner has been dead for about one year. We plan to ship our van and use it on furlough, but the air must be fixed before then. The pastor then shocked me once again by saying that they will take on this project even though the estimates are at $1,800! Needless to say the price tag has made us wait this long for the repairs, but the Lord is so kind to reward our patience and faith in His loving provision.
Yesterday (March 7) we had a church meeting to vote on who would help to fill in for our absence. The vote was unanimous to accept the help of Marcos a local man to fill most of the pastoral tasks. Since he cannot help in the mid-week service, the church approved Alexis a
pastor in another town and former member of our church to come every Thursday. This takes care of most of my concerns.
We also instituted some policies to help in the handling and disbursement of funds and some related matters to keep everything above board before all. I was especially blessed to see some people volunteer for new tasks without having to be cajoled. Again, God is good. Now comes the task of training people for some of the record keeping tasks. It is fun to teach new tasks to those who have nearly no computer experience. Training will commence immediately, and the tasks will be handed over with adequate supervision so that in three months there should be few problems. Pray with us that no essential details will be omitted.
Already the Lord has begun to answer our prayers concerning support. One of our dear friends and long-time supporters had to discontinue support due to unemployment. Yet just prior to this we learned that another close friend has committed to almost the identical amount which would have been lost. Earlier this week GFA informed us that a family in North Carolina wants to begin supporting us for $500 per month!
Yet another church had asked about any special needs. We gave a list of concerns for the work here as we approach furlough. The pastor said, "We will surely pray for these needs, but I was actually asking if you have any special financial needs." After picking myself up off the floor, I mentioned that our van's air conditioner has been dead for about one year. We plan to ship our van and use it on furlough, but the air must be fixed before then. The pastor then shocked me once again by saying that they will take on this project even though the estimates are at $1,800! Needless to say the price tag has made us wait this long for the repairs, but the Lord is so kind to reward our patience and faith in His loving provision.
Yesterday (March 7) we had a church meeting to vote on who would help to fill in for our absence. The vote was unanimous to accept the help of Marcos a local man to fill most of the pastoral tasks. Since he cannot help in the mid-week service, the church approved Alexis a
pastor in another town and former member of our church to come every Thursday. This takes care of most of my concerns.
We also instituted some policies to help in the handling and disbursement of funds and some related matters to keep everything above board before all. I was especially blessed to see some people volunteer for new tasks without having to be cajoled. Again, God is good. Now comes the task of training people for some of the record keeping tasks. It is fun to teach new tasks to those who have nearly no computer experience. Training will commence immediately, and the tasks will be handed over with adequate supervision so that in three months there should be few problems. Pray with us that no essential details will be omitted.
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