Greetings from the Church in Park Gardens, Puerto Rico!
We have begun the year with many challenges, achievements and desires for renewal!
Unfortunately, not everyone who professes Christ desires the mental renewal that is necessary to approve God’s will for us, as Paul says in Roman 12:1, 2:
(Rom
12:1-2 NIV) Therefore, I urge you,
brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. {2} Do
not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's
will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
These prefer human tradition that is characterized by the crystallization and stagnation many congregations exhibit who do not continuously seek the renewal God’s Word brings. They are lead astray by their darkened understanding and the pleasures of the flesh.
But the majority here anxiously desires to preach the gospel and preoccupy themselves with befriending souls that don’t know Jesus. We’ve been blessed by new visitors, contacts and renewed evangelism efforts among the brethren. We initiated the year with a prayer watch on January 14, where we gather from 6:30pm until midnight. We exposed our desires, worries and anxieties before the Master with openness of heart, mind and spirit. Our desire is to make a difference in the lives of those that surround us through the gospel that saves. We were joyous during this prayer vigil because almost all the members of the Park Gardens church attended and they stayed all night! Members of the church from Gurabo, Caguas and Cubuy also joined us. We prayed, sang, and brother Abraham from Gurabo shared a discipleship lesson. We also ate “gandures” soup and the youth group encouraged us with a biblical game.
Before the prayer vigil we held a meeting concerning the interest in spreading the gospel throughout Puerto Rico. We gathered in Gurabo, some 15 leaders of congregations throughout the island and the greater metropolitan area. I believe the meeting was successful, where we all agreed that it is extremely important to preserve the sound doctrine according to the gospel of Jesus in the New Testament, and that we must rid ourselves of the human traditions they divide us. We agreed that we should not judge each other according to human traditions but by the gospel and the sound doctrine of Christ. In order to make an impact for Jesus we must stand united in the Gospel.
We request your prayers to maintain this effort and commitment without distraction or divisions. I believe Satan has seen the renewed desires of many here and is trying to distract some to hinder the work before us.
We request prayers for my wife’s co-workers, who have come to our home for bible studies, for our neighbors and the neighbors of various brothers that have come to visit the congregation, for family and friends of brothers that have also visited the congregation, and for the brothers that are following-up all these contacts. We ask you to pray for many young people I’ve had the pleasure to meet, among them Efraín and Jaime, who are users of the Internet here in Puerto Rico, that they be willing to accept the gospel that saves.
Friday, January 12, we had some of my neighbors over for dinner and fellowship. Please pray that we see the doors that the Lord opens for the Gospel. Also my wife and I visited a deaf family who has three children. They are very needy of clothes and food, and the church here has helped them out. They are not willing to study the word now, but they say they are open to do so at a later time. Pray that my wife and I always are in the best disposition to help those in need and to present the Gospel.
We approached again a deaf friend of my wife, with whom we studied the Word last year, and she expressed interest in continuing to study the Bible. Pray that we present the Gospel with a great deal of patience and understanding.
Thanks for supporting us with your prayers and words of encouragement.
May God bless you greatly!
Pedro Gelabert