Three of our faithful church members are facing serious health concerns. Chu has been diagnosed with cancer in various parts of his body. He has begun chemo and radiation. This is his second time through this battle. He had previously faced a colon bypass but has been fine for several years.
His sister Ana has been having problems with high blood pressure. She has undergone a battery of tests and is scheduled for a catherization. Her husband Efrain is also facing problems with blood pressure. They are handling things pretty well, but it's hard for them to understand why this is happening to the three of them at the same time.
Pray also for Milagros who is in the 7th month of a high-risk pregnancy. She has followed doctor's orders as best she can with two small children to care for. Her husband Jorge has been without work for a while as well.
Our final request is for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on our outreach efforts and our church family. We yearn to see God work in hard hearts to the praise of His glory.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Steven and Diane
On Friday, October 16, our son Steven married Diane Ashcraft. We were able to make the trip and be on hand from Monday (the 12th) until Saturday. Most of the preparations were done before our arrival, but we were able to help on some of the details. The ceremony featured Elwood Sr as the officiating minister. Teresa's aunt made a beautiful wedding cake and lots of sweets. Everything went well as we welcomed a second daughter into the family.
On Saturday morning, Steven awoke to severe abdominal pain. He soon realized that the pain was increasing, so he had Diane take him to the hospital. The diagnosis was a kidney stone! He has never had kidney stones before, but thankfully it passed and they were able to resume the honeymoon later in the day.
We enjoyed being with family once again and even got to see our 4-month-old nephew for the first time. Our return to Puerto Rico was a smooth trip with no unexpected difficulties. Praise the Lord for His goodness.
On Saturday morning, Steven awoke to severe abdominal pain. He soon realized that the pain was increasing, so he had Diane take him to the hospital. The diagnosis was a kidney stone! He has never had kidney stones before, but thankfully it passed and they were able to resume the honeymoon later in the day.
We enjoyed being with family once again and even got to see our 4-month-old nephew for the first time. Our return to Puerto Rico was a smooth trip with no unexpected difficulties. Praise the Lord for His goodness.
Monday, August 17, 2009
On to the Reward
A long-time member of our congregation has graduated to Glory. Julia was 86 years old and had dealt with uncontrolled diabetes for many years. Her conversion 20+ years ago produced a profound change in her life. She was a joyful believer with a ready smile. For many years she rarely missed a service. In the last two years of her life she was rarely able to get to church due to her many ailments, including the amputation of one leg. On Friday morning she fell and broke her hip on her good leg. Over the next 48 hours or so, she suffered multiple heart attacks as well as respiratory and kidney failure. The end came mercifully at 12:15 AM today. We will have a service to celebrate her life and undying faith on Tuesday evening.
Summer has disappeared in a swirl of projects and activities. We hosted a mission team from Ohio, held VBS, installed flooring and a new stairway, painted, patched, repaired, etc. We are very grateful for the Lord’s gracious provision for these projects but especially for the 6 or so children who trusted Christ during VBS. Praise the Lord!
In July our family slipped away for a week of much-needed vacation. To help us relax we took a 5 hour hike to the top of the El Yunque Rainforest. It rained throughout the day, but we really enjoyed the wonderful sights and the chance to be together in a no-pressure situation. The balance of our week allowed us to take in a variety of other natural sights around the island.
On Tuesday, August 11 our school year began. We have 54 students at present which is a drop of nearly a dozen from last year. We are trusting the Lord for wisdom to use our resources wisely and trying to make this our best year ever. Several secret activities are being planned to add enthusiasm, and we are praying and working diligently toward a better spiritual year. We will appreciate your prayer support.
Pray also for some recent decisions made by folks in our church. It is encouraging to see people take action against spiritual lethargy and sin. The Word of God is an all-powerful antidote to the many diseases of a sin-sick soul. We long to see that Word transform lives and rejoice with every fresh evidence of its miraculous power.
Summer has disappeared in a swirl of projects and activities. We hosted a mission team from Ohio, held VBS, installed flooring and a new stairway, painted, patched, repaired, etc. We are very grateful for the Lord’s gracious provision for these projects but especially for the 6 or so children who trusted Christ during VBS. Praise the Lord!
In July our family slipped away for a week of much-needed vacation. To help us relax we took a 5 hour hike to the top of the El Yunque Rainforest. It rained throughout the day, but we really enjoyed the wonderful sights and the chance to be together in a no-pressure situation. The balance of our week allowed us to take in a variety of other natural sights around the island.
On Tuesday, August 11 our school year began. We have 54 students at present which is a drop of nearly a dozen from last year. We are trusting the Lord for wisdom to use our resources wisely and trying to make this our best year ever. Several secret activities are being planned to add enthusiasm, and we are praying and working diligently toward a better spiritual year. We will appreciate your prayer support.
Pray also for some recent decisions made by folks in our church. It is encouraging to see people take action against spiritual lethargy and sin. The Word of God is an all-powerful antidote to the many diseases of a sin-sick soul. We long to see that Word transform lives and rejoice with every fresh evidence of its miraculous power.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
An Encouraging Word
Praise the Lord for good friends! Our hearts have been encouraged by a number of thoughtful people in recent days. Most of the time this has come in the form of an assurance of prayer or the wish of the Lord’s blessing. Two people from our church here in Ponce have ministered to us in this way at very appropriate moments. We have also received some correspondence and a phone call or two which have had the same effect.
The Word and prayer have also ministered to our souls. Psalm 61:1-2 says, “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” This has been our heart’s cry on many occasions in the recent past. What a privilege to carry our burdens to the Lord in prayer!
Our close friends and missionary colleagues, the Schmidts, had to leave the island in recent days due to circumstances in the States. We shared with them the encouragement that had come to us in such timely ways and saw it minister to them as well. 2 Corinthians 1:4 declares that trials come our way to teach us about the comfort of the Lord so that we in turn may share that comfort with others who are passing through difficult times. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness.
At 2 AM on June 12 a mission team from Bethany Baptist Church in Ohio arrived. Their flight has been rescheduled and delayed by weather several times. They were in good spirits even after when we arrived in Ponce at 4 AM. Needless to say, we let them sleep in a bit. Both the team and our family fought sickness throughout their stay, but they still accomplished an amazing list of tasks and ministries. Above all their attitudes were great and their cooperation could not have been better! They were extremely thoughtful as they ministered in public and in secret to build up the church. Many thanks to all who gave, to those who planned, and to all who participated in this team.
Our VBS begins July 6. Pray for children to respond to the invitations and for the Lord’s gracious working in their hearts. Bible school is always an exciting time. We trust it will be so for our church as well as those who visit with us.
Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.
The Word and prayer have also ministered to our souls. Psalm 61:1-2 says, “Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” This has been our heart’s cry on many occasions in the recent past. What a privilege to carry our burdens to the Lord in prayer!
Our close friends and missionary colleagues, the Schmidts, had to leave the island in recent days due to circumstances in the States. We shared with them the encouragement that had come to us in such timely ways and saw it minister to them as well. 2 Corinthians 1:4 declares that trials come our way to teach us about the comfort of the Lord so that we in turn may share that comfort with others who are passing through difficult times. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness.
At 2 AM on June 12 a mission team from Bethany Baptist Church in Ohio arrived. Their flight has been rescheduled and delayed by weather several times. They were in good spirits even after when we arrived in Ponce at 4 AM. Needless to say, we let them sleep in a bit. Both the team and our family fought sickness throughout their stay, but they still accomplished an amazing list of tasks and ministries. Above all their attitudes were great and their cooperation could not have been better! They were extremely thoughtful as they ministered in public and in secret to build up the church. Many thanks to all who gave, to those who planned, and to all who participated in this team.
Our VBS begins July 6. Pray for children to respond to the invitations and for the Lord’s gracious working in their hearts. Bible school is always an exciting time. We trust it will be so for our church as well as those who visit with us.
Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
