Gospel meeting in St. Croix

As you see from the map St. Croix is set off by itself from the rest of the Virgin Islands. The church there stands out in many ways from the churches in the other Virgin Islands. It is the only one that has already taken a stand against liberalism and institutionalism--the one in St. Thomas and Tortola are on the road, but they're not there yet. The church building in St. Croix was built with their money, not money from the States.

The meeting this week went well. We had right around 20 every night, with 3-4 non-Christians every night. 2 non-Christians brought other non-Christians, which is unusual. I know the brethren were encouraged and we pray that God will give the increase of the seed that was planted.

One particular visitor was very welcome to me. Of course every soul is precious in the sight of the Lord and should therefore be to us also, but Gordon Gurley's presence meant a great deal to me. Gordon's wife Agatha was a Christian who passed away about 15 years ago. They were also our landlords for some months--living upstairs while we lived downstairs. He is a good man who made 80 years, as they would say, this year. I don't think Gordon came twice in all the 8 years we lived in St. Croix but he came twice this week. Please pray that he will obey God before it's too late.

Tol

Rainy season

There are basically two seasons in the Eastern Caribbean--rainy and dry. This photo was taken last Nov. after a particularly rainy season. I have seen this same hill brown--it burned one April and the ash drifted up for close to a month.

The rainy season can begin in July or August and runs until Oct. or Nov. By the middle of Nov. the "Christmas" winds begin, which dries things out some and blows away the mosquitoes. It is hot and humid right now, so people are wishing for the winds to start.

During the dry season the grass gets brown and it doesn't take much to start a fire. Since there are water lines only on a couple of the main roads they are forced to let fires burn until it threatens a house. They don't lose many houses, although I wasn't so sure ours wouldn't be the first one time.

Rain affects people here more than it does in the States--most of them grew up when most work was outside, so when it rained they slept in. That's not the case anymore, but old habits die hard. Rain just before time to leave for a Gospel meeting can drastically reduce the number of visitors and even weaker members. So far it has rained during the day, off and on, so attendance continues good--29 & 19 on Sunday, then around 20 every night since then, with 2 denominational preachers in attendance so far. The women preacher wants to come back another night--well that's what she said last night, but I don't know whether she'll want to when she hears from one of her members about tonight's lesson--1 Cor. 14:34 was expounded upon.

Tol

The church building

This is one of the many places the church in St. Croix met before they got their own building--the Estate Diamond school. The US Virgin Islands were originally divided into sugar cane (and out west sea island cotton) estates and property still retains the name of the old estate. This school building is Estate Diamond and is now kind of a community center, although it "belongs" to the Boy Scouts.

Before this the church met in a private school building and when it lost its roof in Hurricane Hugo they met in the afternoon at a Methodist church building. A year after the hurricane we moved to St. Croix and the Methodist were asking us to leave--they thought it was only temporary. We moved to the Boy scout building which we shared with the Masons, the Metaphysical Society, and who knows who else. Sunday was usually okay, except every other Sunday morning, when the Metaphysical society met at 11. We weren't good about starting on time, so we weren't that good at quitting on time either. They would stand on the porch, laugh and joke, jingle keys, etc. to let us know we were keeping them back.

After about a year we bought a 20' X 40' tent and a friend allowed us to pitch it on his chicken farm. We were so happy to have our own place, as temporary as it was. We made sides to put down when it rained or was cold (it gets down into the upper 60's sometime in Jan. and with a 10 MPH breeze it can get cold), a small platform that the rolling pulpit fit into, and had 2 classes behind the partition. At first the kids met under a shade tree, but when the rainy season came it was quite muddy there.

The road to the tent was a dirt/mud road, depending on the weather. We had to take literally the injunction to "tarry for one another"--not before starting but when leaving. We would all leave together, so that if anyone got stuck in the mud on the way out they would not be stranded. Do you know how much mud tires can spin back on you????

The foundation for the new concrete building is almost ready to pour, but with the rains it will have to wait a little before it can be treated for termites, then poured. Please pray that it may be finished in good time.

Tol

Off to St. Croix

If the Lord wills, I will leave for St. Croix, in the US Virgin Islands, tomorrow morning. I am to start a Gospel meeting with the church there Sunday and go through Friday. This will be like going home for me, as we worked with this church for 8 years.

The attendance in St. Croix is still around 30, where it has hovered for some years. People are converted and baptized, but some go back to the world, some go back home to the Down Islands, and some go on to the States. This is an old picture (1995) but most of those pictured are still there. The church building is not much by stateside standards, 24 feet by 48 feet--a little more than half is auditorium and there are 2 classrooms and a bathroom. But the first time we met in it (1994) we couldn't have been prouder--it was ours free and clear and we were paying on the land. Besides it was much more comfortable and easier to set up each service than the tent we had been meeting under for over a year.

The land has been paid off now and the foundation should have been cast for a concrete block building by now--progress has been made in physical things. But even more important is the progress made in spiritual growth. The growth in the children is striking--one boy was less than a year old when we moved there--now he is 16. The spiritual growth may not be so obvious but it is there too.

Tol

"God Wins"

The book of Revelation is probably the most misunderstood book of the Bible. We are again in a period where speculation about the "end times" is rampant--any time there is trouble in the Mid East such speculation seems to multiply. But what is the message of this book?

If we understand the theme of Rev. it will help us unravel the book. As I understand it, the whole point of the book can be summed up in our title--"God wins" We have a series of visions showing God's judgment on the oppressors--repeated, not because they are successive (one after another historically) but rather to emphasis the certainty of God's judgment. The book ends with the ultimate defeat of God's enemies and where both sides will spend eternity.

As we are faced with seemingly overwhelming odds we need to remember that our God still wins.

Tol

"One Night with the King"

Dana and I went to see a movie titled "One night with the King" Friday night. I recognized Esther's famous line, "If I perish, I perish" from the TV commercial so thought it might be the story of Esther and after further investigation found it was. It was almost 2 hours long and almost as exciting as the truth. It is rated PG and I was impressed--the most sexual scene is a kiss and there is no violence or suggestive langauge.

For a Hollywood movie it was pretty good. Of course there had to be some political intrigue involved (which the Bible left out) but what was striking was how obvious they made it that God was behind all this. You may already know that the book of Esther never mentions God, but in the movie He is mentioned more than once. In fact Mordecai's message to Esther, "if you don't act, a deliverer will rise from somewhere else" is quoted, "if you don't act, God will raise up a deliverer . . ." They "fleshed out" the story, making it more of a historical romance, but all in all it was good.

I would urge you to go see it for a couple of reasons. The main one is to encourage movie producers to produce more movies like it--nothing convinces them to make a movie like $$$. The more people who buy tickets to it, the more likely it is to be repeated. The second reason is that I can see that it would make a good conversation starter with non-Christians. If you have to study the book of Esther with them, to then study the church and salvation, why not? It's a fascinating history and will hold an audience today as well as it always has.

Tol

Moving to Puerto Rico

An Untapped Field


In September 1990 we moved our family to St. Croix, in the US Virgin Islands to work with the church and stayed 8 years. The Lord blessed our efforts there—more than 80 were baptized during that time, most of whom remain faithful. The majority of them have left St. Croix and have gone back home or moved on to the States. Throughout those years I also preached on other islands in both English and Spanish.

More than 25 million people live in the Eastern Caribbean and presently there are only 4 full time preachers. The number of sound churches is also small—20 or so on less than 10 islands. This means that there are more than 30 islands where there is not a sound church at all and since each island is its own little world, these people have little access to the pure Gospel. My wife Dana and I have again felt the need for more full time workers in the Eastern Caribbean for over a year now and after much prayer, thought, and preparation have decided to move to Puerto Rico in the spring of 2007—sooner if the support can be raised. Puerto Rico itself has 4,000,000 people. Because I am fluent in Spanish and we have lived in the Caribbean before we have many contacts there already, as I have continued to visit and follow up on them.

There is one solid church and 2 others we have been working with; a total of less than 50 Christians in all. Our plan is to work with the churches in the Caparra Terrace neighborhood in San Juan, a metro area of 2 million. The Spanish speaking church is down to 4 members and the English speaking church that shares their building has only about 10. A family of 3 Christians will be moving from NJ to the west end of the island where there is no sound church so we are hoping this can be a beginning to work in this area. People in Puerto Rico have been leaving the Catholic Church for at least a generation and as the economic situation becomes more precarious many are realizing that God is the answer to their problems, not man. Joe Carrasquillo has been preaching full-time for the church in Dorado for a couple of years and they have baptized 5-6 each year. Edward Rangel, who presently preaches in Trafalgar, IN is also planning to move and work with us—with Edward there the work should not be affected when I travel to the other islands. This will also allow us to preach in other churches on Puerto Rico as we have opportunity.

Our goal in moving is not only to work in Puerto Rico, but in the other islands as well. The Dominican Republic is a country of 9 million people less than an hour away--the opportunities are almost limitless. As the liberals get farther and farther from the Bible some liberal brethren are now open to us. In the Dominican Republic there are NO full-time preachers, so it is imperative that Ed and I spend as much time with them as possible. We were there in May and had some openings among the liberals that are promising. And while the numbers on the other islands are not as large as they are in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, there is still much to be done among them as well. I first went to Dominica in 1992, to the only sound church; now there are 3. In St. Vincent the people are not only are receptive to the Gospel, but they also will make time to study--you can walk down the street setting up Bible studies. The churches in Georgetown and Owia accept me readily and although they have not cut their ties with the liberals they are making progress. We need to follow up on contacts in St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and Aruba. The church in Tortola and 1 in St. Thomas need more teaching concerning liberalism—they’re both making good progress, but need encouragement as well as further teaching. I recently came into e-mail contact with a couple who are Christians in Guadeloupe, a French speaking island. Brethren, there is so much work to do among the English speaking islands--we need workers who can come to help us follow up.

I have been to Venezuela 5 times and the work there is going very well. The first time I was there I visited 8 of the 12 churches in the country in 2 weeks. It would take a month now as there are at least 25 churches. Most of the islands can be easily reached from Puerto Rico in a few hours—even Caracas, Venezuela is only 3 hours away. My plans are to spend 7-10 days a month (8 months out of the year) working in the other islands. With Edward Rangel working there with us the work in Puerto Rico should not suffer during my absences.

The cost of living is high in Puerto Rico. We are expecting to pay about $1800 a month for rent and $600 for utilities. Food is also much higher. I will be providing all my own office supplies, long distance, computer supplies, etc. that are frequently provided by the churches here in the States. Social security & taxes will be over $1000 a month. Overall, we expect our expenses to be about 35 % higher than here in the States. We would appreciate any support you can give and your help in getting the word out to others.

Tol

"All the answers"

No doubt you have been in Job's situation--a calamity has befallen you, whether illness, natural disaster, death in the family, etc. and friends come to comfort you. But instead of just being there with you, they have to talk and not only talk but explain why it happened, or how you could have prevented it, or their Grandmother's cure for your illness, etc. Job's response is recorded in chapter 12, verse 2: "No doubt you are the people, And wisdom will die with you!"

Job's friends had all the answers. Job asked "why has this happened to me?" and they answered, "Obviously you're a sinner!" Never mind that they didn't know of any sin he had committed and didn't even have a reason to suspect him, but when people have all the answers they don't let little things like facts stand in their way. Job goes on to say that he has as much wisdom as they do--God later on reprimands them saying, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has."(Job 42:7-8) My wife Dana suffers with severe asthma and usually her attacks send her to the hospital for at least 5 days. We have heard so many remedies for asthma, none of which has worked yet. At first it can be very aggravating but you finally get tired of it and eventually it just gets funny.

So the next time you are tempted to share your "wisdom" with someone stop and think before you speak. Are they looking for an answer or just venting? If they are looking for an answer, what do you have to back up your answer? Remember Prov. 10:19, "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking,But he who restrains his lips is wise."

Tol

Making merchandise of the Gospel

Several months ago I visited with a church for the first time and the preacher gave a lengthy speech on all the monetary needs of that congregation. I was to speak next so I told them I certainly couldn't promise any money but that we would be glad to continue to teach and encourage them as time and opportunity permitted. I am very careful about money, as many brethren have been corrupted by it through the years. It also seems to draw people to "church" for all the wrong reasons and as soon as it's gone, so are they.

I tried to put a good face on this event, but one of those with me thought it was a problem. A couple of months later some other brethren visited this same church and not only did the preacher repeat all their "needs" but told them I had promised to send money but had sent nothing--boy was I wrong about that one.

American brethren, in an attempt to "help" brethren in other countries often do more harm than good with their money. Our goal cannot be to bring brethren in other places to a financial equality with Americans--there's not enough money in all the churches to do that, but even if there were the Gospel, not money, is God's power to save.

One brother requested (and received) a small fryer so he sell fried plaintains to support his family. Of course Sunday was about the best day to sell so he "had" to miss services to sell. How did this gift help him spiritually? And there is so often jealousy when one brother or family receives help from the States and another does not, or receives less.

Another brother, a preacher, has two houses--the nicer one he and his family normally live in and the small, sparsely furnished one they live in when the American preachers come. Or the preacher who had a Jaguar that he garaged several blocks from his house and that he never used when the American brethren were there.

There is a place for benevolence but we need to be careful to help, not hurt. If someone approaches you with a need, first make sure it is a need, not a want. Then confirm with someone knowledgable, preferably local, that the need is indeed legitimate. Let us in this area be as wise as serpents also.

Tol

Just do your part

I got an e-mail from a younger sister today telling us of a friend who should be at services with her Sunday morning and of another person she thinks may come soon. In closing she said, "I don't have any trouble inviting, but I'm not good at setting up studies".

Of course I was happy to share her news but it also got me thinking about how important each member of the church is. Her husband does not attend and her baby is still quite a handful so she usually doesn't get to sit through the whole service. She's young and while she knows the Bible somewhat is not comfortable to study with a non-Christian. But in the beauty of God's plan she doesn't have to be able to do it all--that's what others are here for.

Our philosophy is that someone who visits "church" is indicated that there is some interest in spiritual things, so we will visit them in their home very shortly. We go and won't even come in unless they insist, but this shows them we're interested in them. While she may not be confident enough to try to set up a study, we are. But without her efforts in inviting them, we have no point of contact.

Each member has a vital part to play in the growth of the body of Christ. Are you doing your part? Never mind whether others are or not--just do your part and leave the rest to God.

Tol