Lutheran Church of the Redeemer

We are so excited to be here in Puerto Rico! We arrived late last night, but after a full night's rest we are ready to enjoy church service this morning at Iglesia Bautista de Jerusalén. We believe that God will do great things this week!

Today is Missions Sunday at Pastor Samuel's church. We are enjoying a translated message given by guest Pastor David about how we can be a missionary wherever we are. It is so wonderful to gather and worship together in English and Spanish!

After church we are having a sweet treat at Cremaldi in Fajardo. One of the best places to get fried ice cream!

Gia is leading our first devotional tonight all about love. This perfectly follows in line with the theme of church this morning. We are learning what love is and what it looks like to effectively love others. The Holy Spirit is working!

"In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us."

1 John 4:10‭-‬12

This morning we divided into groups to assist the Art, PE, and English teachers at a middle school not far from the church. One group observed an English teacher teaching a poem to the kids by Emily Dickinson while the other group started interacting with the students in English. 

Tonight we joined forces with another team here on the island serving this week, as well as the youth of the church to have a competition over the book of Genesis. We had so much fun playing jeopardy and learning about the Bible in the process. 

Afterwards, we spent some time hanging out with each other and getting to know the youth of the church. 

We are here at the school watching a basketball tournament this morning! Students and teachers from the home school are playing against students from other schools in Puerto Rico.

This is what true service looks like: picking up trash in the stands without being asked by the school. We are so thankful to be here and have the opportunity to show love just as God has loved us.

The church and the school have been so hospitable to us as they provide good food for our meals every day. Each lunch at the school is made with so much love and joy. Because of this we say buen provecho, enjoy your meal!

Today we are continuing to paint the railings and courtyard. All of the students and faculty we speak with are so excited that their school is beginning to look brand new!

Georgia and Cece are teaching some of the 7th and 8th graders how to make friendship bracelets. This time in community is so special to have with other students of a similar but different culture to ours.

Today we are celebrating Courtney! We are so happy that she gets to experience her birthday in Puerto Rico this year. Cake and ice cream is a must! May God bless her for many more years to come.

Tonight before bed we are playing volleyball and spending time with youth from the church. What a great time of fellowship with other believers our age!

This morning some of us are assisting with the eighth grade art class. Each student is assigned an artist to write about and then can choose a painting to copy onto paper and cardboard. We are practicing our Spanish and they are practicing their English!

We are working together to finish painting the benches and railings at the front of the school. Many hands make light work!

This morning we ate our last breakfast prepared by Nancy and her team at the church. We are so blessed to have been served by them this week. She wanted a photo to remember us by!

After Old San Juan we are relaxing at the nearby beach Playa Escambrón. The water feels great, and the fresh coconuts taste amazing!

For our last dinner in Puerto Rico we are enjoying traditional food from a restaurant called El Platanal. A fitting way to end our trip!

We are sad to leave Puerto Rico today but content with the work God has done in and through us this week. This morning rather than saying goodbye, we say see you later. Dios te bendiga!