I am heading back to Puerto Rico and appreciate your prayers for the trip. Shortly after Hurricane Maria ravaged the island my good friend Mateo Melendez and I made a visit to check on several pastors he knows there. The mission was one of encouragement and fact finding to see how we could best serve their long term needs. I know from the experience of Hurricane Katrina that recovery can be a long hard road. What I discovered was a hand full of church planters dedicated to reaching their communities for Christ even under several layers of difficult circumstances-. Its been a joy to point our Rebuild Lakeshore network to partner with NAMB Send Relief and its been such a blessing to see new church plants moving forward for the glory of God.
On this next trip, my two brothers, Keith and David will join me as I revisit several of the pastors to encourage and see how we can best continue to partner with them in the mission God has given them.
One of the particular men I have grown to love is Pastor Jose Ponce, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Resurrección in Isabela, Puerto Rico. This faithful man of God continues to overcome numerous obstacles for the glory of Christ. Please pray for him, his church, and his family. Pray for his lovely wife as she undergoes weekly cancer treatments. We plan to sit down with Jose and see how we can best leverage our network of friends and partners for the work there on the north west side of the island. We plan to do the same with a few other faithful pastors during our stay. I know what kind of encouragement it was to know that numerous believers where praying for us. Please join me in doing the same for them.
Speaking of Jose Ponce and Iglesia Bautista Resurrección, one of our long term friends, Deb Stuber, was recently in Puerto Rico. She and her family had the opportunity to worship with them on the Lord’s Day. Deb is a member of Grace Baptist Church of Carlisle Pennsylvania that made yearly trips to Lakeshore for a full decade after Hurricane Katrina. The picture above is from her visit. What a joy it is to partner with like-minded believers!
Thank you so much for your ongoing support and prayers.
