PPM365 Puerto Rico

We love our partners here in Puerto Rico. As we have this week a group of missionaries serving in six different locations, we took our group leader around the different sites and praying for our pastors. On the left is Pastor Diego, who is currently administering a program for a college to prepare chaplains and he also has a food distribution Ministry. Love supporting our pastors and praying over them.

We love the time our Group Leaders can spend along with the local pastors! The way we can see us become one church and plan events together! Here we are working alongside pastora Rosa in Iglesia Bautista de Jaguas, planning a women's ministry for the next day. Help us take care of our pastors even when we are not currently serving with them!

I had to travel 4 hours to meet with pastor Carlos, but the trip was worth it! We will have a team serve alongside his church this summer, so I went to Guayanilla to coordinate the trip's logistics. First, the church greeted me with a plate of Rice and Beans with Chicken Casserole, which was delicious! After the church members left to do the homeless ministry, we visited the people in the community we will be helping. Then, we sat and built each other up, sharing anecdotes from our ministries. 

As part of PPM Long-Term Relationships, we go through pastoral changes.  Due to the pandemic, we had not partnered with our friends at La Sagrada Familia (Sacred Family), and the Padre that was there had to go and now this church had a new  Padre.  One of the church members Yadira (she has catered for our teams before) called me and gave with Padre Angel's contact info. Today I got to meet Padre Angel and his assistant Reverend Ivette and got to hear a powerful testimony about Padre Angel and how God saved him and put him back in ministry.  It was great to hear from them and it felt like a new chapter in our relationship with this church as we look forward to partnering with our friends of Sacred Family.  Thank you Yadira for serving our teams and helping us keep this partnership going through the years.

Pastor Julian asked us for a ride to the airport. It was a sudden trip, and he needed to take care of some personal things. We talked a bit on the ride to the airport and prayed over him before he headed to the gate. We want to do more in this situation. Help us help pastors lead successful ministries, sponsoring their churches in Puerto Rico through the PPM 365 program.  

I spoke with pastora Carmen Waleska on recommendation from other Baptist pastors we have served with. She sat on her office with one of the leaders of the church as I explained what is PPM and our hearts for the local church. She was ecstatic about the idea of receiving us! They proceed to show me the church, talk about their congregation, and the community they served at. They were full of love as they spoke about how we can come alongside them and assist their local church. Welcome to the flock, Pastora Carmen! We are looking forward to serving alongside you all!

Closings up the Spring Season on Puerto Rico, we got the opportunity to partner with pastor Elvis, from Iglesia Cristiana Cristo Redentor. We spent the whole week doing construction work on Villa Esperanza, a community of squatters that pastor has been working on since 2017. We were also able to help in the construction of their church, feed the homeless of the area and even minister to the kids in Villa Esperanza. All the while, pastor has been going through the loss of his father just days ago. Pastor, we love you and we keep you and your family in our prayers!

We have the blessing to partner with pastora Nilka once again this week with a returning team. For years, we have been able to see how the pastor pours herself to the community of Barrio Obrero. After the Hurricane and the Pandemic, she has been able to continue offering hot meals to the community in part thanks to mission teams that come in partnership alongside pastor and the church of Iglesia Metodista San Pablo. Because of her commitment to her community and to spread the Gospel, we are proud of calling her one of our PPM 365 partners in Puerto Rico! Please keep her and the team serving with her in your prayers!

We are celebrating with the Primera Iglesia Bautista de Rio Piedras and pastora Laura, she has accepted to lead the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship department of Missions! As she moves to this new position the church is celebrating a Commission Service for her! Is a testimony of your impact in a community when their leaders testify of what a good servant of the Lord you have been!

We love when we can have mission teams come alongside our local pastors! In Puerto Rico, our pastors end up using some many hats, that is very special when a team can lift up and renew our pastors strengths. But when a team can return and can establish a deeper bond with them, you can get a glimpse of heaven in their faces. Here Hannah from Our Savior Lutheran Church is having a casual friendly conversation with pastor Lou from Vina de Agua Viva about the Bible.

Today we are celebrating with one of our partners on the island, the Iglesia Evangelica Emanuel Mi Amada. Pastor Rodolfo Caraballo has been given the commission of Apostleship, which he accepted, and will now take on more significant responsibilities in spreading the Gospel. At the same time, pastor Alexander Caraballo was selected as the new pastor of the church.  We rejoice with both of our brothers in Christ, as well as with Emanuel Mi Amada, and remind our pastors that we will be here to support the local church and the ministry however we can. Congratulations!

I sat with one of our local partners, pastor Aniceto Sustache from Primera Iglesia Bautista de Mediania Alta. More than a partner, he's family, a mentor. We talked about PPM 365 and our desire and heart to take care of our pastors. He is very excited about what this could mean for not only him but the other pastors on the island. Then, he proceeded to teach me a lot about what it means to care for our pastors.  It was very humbling and eye-opening. Our pastors need us. 

I invite everyone to take time and maybe have a cup of coffee with your pastor. Help us care for them. Our pastors are awesome.

Today I got to sit down and have a long conversation with pastora Nilka about ministry and the challenges of being a pastor in a community of locals, immigrants, and the poor.  Often invisible to society, but not to God.  I got to hear from her vision and the needs of her church as it is like a safe haven for people from all walks of life. This church serves a hot meal every day for the community in a ministry called "Mesa extendida de Jesús" the extended table of Jesus.  Seeing her and her team of women all working to serve the community fills my heart with Joy and I'm glad we can partner with Nilka in PPM 365. You can just feel the love of Pastora and her team!  

Today we celebrate alongside one of our oldest partners on the island: Iglesia Bautista de Metropolis. The reason? They are celebrating the installation of their new pastors, pastor Ricartel Rivara and pastor Omayra Gutierrez! These two pastors grew within the congregation, and we have had the blessing to have worked in the past with them! They have been pastoring the church since July, but today was the official ceremony. We love you pastors, and we rejoice alongside Iglesia Bautista de Metropolis!

Looking forward to continuing to work alongside you, we are lifting you in prayers so that God will overflow blessings and His guidance over you! 

Today I got to sit down and talk with my friend pastor Lou. We talked about his vision for his church and the community, set ups for teams coming to serve, hobbies, ministries and so much more. We are so excited to have pastor Lou be part of PPM 365 in Puerto Rico and can't wait to keep you updated on his ministry.

We love hearing from our pastors and partnering with them in Puerto Rico. The pastors in Puerto Rico often have a tough job, and they wear so many hats. As we continue to partner with smaller churches in Puerto Rico, we often see pastors take on so many responsibilities, and they can experience burnout. 

You can encourage and build up our Puerto Rican churches and pastors in two ways. You can either go on a mission trip or sponsor a church in Puerto Rico through PPM 365!