NORTH AMERICA: CARRIBEAN
Puerto Rico January 17 Praise the Lord for the churches in Puerto Rico! We arrived to San Juan and spent our first afternoon blending with the saints and resting. On Saturday we left to the West part of the island to Mayagüez, and we participated on a Junior High and High school outing in which young people from the whole island came together for a time of fellowship and recreation. Brother Dennis Cooley gave a message about Joseph’s life, emphasizing how he could overcome all the difficulties and sufferings in his life because he had a vision and he saw that in everything God was sovereign. Brother Dennis encouraged all the young people that they should take this opportunity to see that God is sovereign and that even in the midst of this situation they can enjoy a special kind of grace and be those who are light to others. In the afternoon we had a time of recreation and blending with the local saints and with two trainees from Caacupe which joined us from then on.
On Lord’s day we attended the table meeting in Mayagüez and there we took the Lord’s table with saints from Mayagüez, San Germán, and San Sebastián. There we had the opportunity of sharing with all the saints some crystals of this past winter training. After this we spent a sweet time of fellowship with our respective hospitalities and in the evening we came together to have a time of dessert and singing with the saints in Mayagüez and San Germán.
On Monday we joined the coordination with the campus team in Mayagüez. After this we split into two teams and visited some local saints to just spend time with them in a very normal way. Our time in the homes have been very sweet and we have been very encouraged by the saints and their enjoyment of the Lord and their simplicity even during these difficult times. In the evening we had the college students meeting in the meeting hall in Mayagüez. When we got there we discovered that there was no power in the meeting hall. Many of us thought that the dinner would be cancelled but for our surprise the saints just started lighting candles and turning on cellphone flashlights and continue with the dinner and meeting. We were very encouraged to see that the saints are very simple, they don’t complain about the situation, and they just keep pressing on in the midst of the difficulties.
On Tuesday we joined the coordination once more and afterwards we went to the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez campus. There we did a little bit of public signing with the full timers and with some of the students on the club.
After this we went in pairs to distribute tracts for an hour. During this time 6 persons pray to receive the Lord and 881 tracts were distributed. We saw that college students here are very nice, and are open to the gospel. After this we went to the house of one of the young couples that live near the campus. There we had lunch and a sweet time with them and other local saints. We shared with them our impression about our time in the island so far and saying goodbye and leaving them was really hard. There is no doubt that the saints in the West part of the island have been inscribed in our hearts. After this we departed to the northern part of the island. Half of the team departed to San Sebastián and the other half departed to Arecibo. The saints in both localities received us with dinner and we had a really good time of blending and shared our experiences so far in Puerto Rico and our experience in the training.
Our experience so far is that we thought we were coming to take care of the saints but the saints have shepherd us much more. In the midst of the situation here, the saints have not lose heart and the Christ they have is so rich.
1-Please pray that the situation here will continue to improve, that the power and water will be restored soon. 2-Due to the situation on the island a lot of young adults have left the island, please pray that they will continue to go on wherever they are and that the saints here will continue to be encouraged in the midst of this situation.
