Philippians 1:3-5: I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
Ministry Highlights
Coast Guard Soccer Clinic: We have been gathering together 15 to 25 kids every Wednesday to practice soccer skills and play some games. The kids ages range from 4 to 12. Last week there was a significant downpour but we persevered. It's an unusual thing to see kids shivering in the cold in Puerto Rico, but we experienced that it's possible when you combine cool winds and cold rain. In light of the Halloween season, I talked to the kids about darkness and fear. I pointed out that the presence of light and love have power to cast out darkness and fear. Since Jesus is the light of the world and the one who in love gave his life for us, we can be rescued from the darkness and fear in our lives. It's been good to share gospel truths with the kids every week.
WordPartners Preaching Workshop: This last Saturday I had the great joy of leading a preaching workshop. Although I had a large group of interest, the schedules of men are a fickle thing. We ended up having a small group but it was totally worth it. All in all, two pastors, a military chaplain, and three Youth for Christ teachers were able to participate in the training. We journeyed through the book of Jonah together to discover what Jonah is really about (hint: it's not about the fish and it's not even primarily about Jonah, but there's something about God that Jonah doesn't like).
Preaching: I was given the opportunity to preach at two different churches in October. I first preached for Redimidos de Cristo. They are beginning a series through the book of Romans and so I got to preach Romans 1:18-32. There's nothing like a guest preacher coming in to preach on God's wrath against idolatry and unrighteousness! At the end of the month I preached for Summit Church Puerto Rico. I was tasked with preaching on the subject of Neighborliness and Hospitality. I chose to preach two of Jesus' parables: the Pharisee and the Tax Collector and a quick Good Samaritan shoutout. When a message isn't recorded I like to say that it was really powerful and probably the best sermon I've ever preached (since there's no evidence to disprove me...haha).
Education: I completed my final class to earn an M.A. in Church Planting! I had to take a flight to New Orleans one last time to participate in the class. Technically, I have a paper to turn in this week, but come December I will receive my diploma and be finished with the Master's journey. The ticket prices were unusually high when I flew to New Orleans last month. I discovered that I wasn't the only visitor to descend upon the city that weekend. Taylor Swift also saw fit to be there! She was at the Superdome and I was at the seminary so I didn't get a chance to say hi. Per my conversation with a couple on the plane though, it seems that both the Swifties and myself had a good weekend in New Orleans.
Financial Update
1 Corinthians 9:14 says "the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel." In Paul's case he didn't claim this right because he didn't want it to hinder his ministry in Corinth. Because of your generous support of my family in our endeavor to be gospel ministers here in Puerto Rico, we don't have to be a burden to those we minister to here. As the church gets planted and we start to have membership, by-laws, and gatherings, the shift from outside gifts to internal gifts will happen, but for now, we are deeply grateful to all of you who partner with us as we all seek to participate in God's expansion of his kingdom. Here's where things stand at the moment:
By God's grace and through your generosity, our family has enough to survive. The high cost of rent and food make the budget tight, but we are grateful for all that the Lord has provided. We would like to raise another $1,000 of monthly support to cover car insurance, dentist visits, hospitality costs, medical expenses and family outings.
We have experienced vehicle trouble and unfortunately it continues to exist. There's most likely an electronic signal issue from the key insert to the starter that will keep the vehicle from starting. It will work and then not work with no explanation. Good times! Because it's not an easy remedy, nor is it cheap, I had to buy a backup vehicle. A retired dealer who goes to a church we attend graciously sold us a car for much less than what is worth and is giving me a workable payment plan. This is a huge provision, but it does put a little bit of a strain on our monthly expenses.
We are almost done with the soccer clinic and the idea is to do flag football next. I'll need to purchase flags, footballs, cones, and spray paint. It will probably cost us $300. If we do volleyball next then the cost will be higher because we will need to buy a couple net systems.
For church and ministry expenses in 2025 I'm hoping to raise another $20,000 of support either in monthly donations or in one-time gifts. I've been in conversation with interested families and our aim is to start meeting as a core team in the new year. It's a little later than my initial timeline but we are moving at the pace of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for your partnership in the gospel with us! We could not be doing what we are doing without your generosity and prayer. Please join us in praying...
that God continues to provide for our needs and even goes beyond to provide us the financial means to activate more ministry opportunities here in Aguadilla.
that our vehicle challenges get worked out so that we can move about on the island with confidence.
that we meet more persons and families who are interested in being a part of Table Church Puerto Rico.
that the gospel we proclaim does its work of bringing men and women to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
A Month of Kids and Friends
