Aldersgate UMC

We have arrived safe and sound in Puerto Rico!! We spent the afternoon prayer walking around the community we will be serving this week. It was great to meet some of the community members and kids that live in the neighborhood. One family even gave us genips to try! In the evening we ate dinner and planned the church service we will run tomorrow. We are all looking forward to seeing how God works in and through us this week. We are heading to bed early so we are ready for worship at Iglesia del Nazareno Rio Piedras tomorrow.

After a yummy breakfast this morning, we headed to church where we participated in a worship service mostly in Spanish. Following that, our team had the chance to lead worship. Holly led us in a couple of worship songs. Even though we sang in English, the lyrics were in Spanish on the projector so the rest of the congregation could join us. Holly and Damien shared their testimonies about how God is working in their lives. It was great to hear their stories. Jason shared a sermon about stewardship which focused on using our time, spiritual gifts and possessions to glorify God. After church, we headed to the local park that has a basketball court and soccer field. We had a great time hanging with the locals. Some of us played basketball, others dominos and cards. Oh, and we can't forget the puppy a few of the girls stumbled across. They are on a mission to find the puppy a loving home! It was a really fun way to connect with the community. After another great dinner, we spent time in small groups sharing our testimonies and getting ready for VBS tomorrow. It was an amazing day and we can't wait to see what The Lord has in store for us the rest of the week. Please keep us in your prayers that we remain open to serve Him in whatever ways he leads us.

We had an awesome first day of VBS this morning. We had about 15 kids join us. We sang songs, made a craft, learned a bible verse and played games. It was a lot of fun. We are looking forward to seeing the kids again tomorrow morning.

Eight of us headed to Old San Juan this afternoon to serve the homeless. We had the chance to organize the supply closet so Carlos and the other men who run the facility can easily find what they are looking for. We also served food to the homeless and got to hear some of their stories. It was a really rewarding experience.

The rest of our group visited a local nursing home and rehab center this afternoon. We played dominos, talked with the residents and prayed for those in the rehab center.

We had another fun day of VBS yesterday. After lunch, we packed lunches to hand out to the homeless and walked around the community picking up trash. We were amazed by how much trash there is. We could have filled a lot more than the 15 bags we took with us. After that, we headed to the park for sports ministry. We played a game of soccer with what seemed to be the Puerto Rican olympic team. It was fun but tiring so, we headed to the beach for some down time. We stopped by an awesome bakery on our way back from the beach (pretty sure Kellie wins the prize for purchasing the most baked goods). It's amazing to see how God is working in and through our team especially in the relationships we are building with the kids at VBS and each other. We are looking forward to visiting Old San Juan this afternoon to learn the history of the island and to shop.

We had a great day visiting Old San Juan yesterday. We toured El Morro fort and shopped for souvenirs.

Here's a great picture of us touring the fort, El Morro.

We spent our final day finishing up VBS. Complete with a graduation ceremony for each of the kids. We had the chance to stop by an abandon building for the second time this week where about 15-20 people are living. We handed out food, toiletries and prayed for them. It was an intense experience both times to say the least. This week has been truly amazing. God has worked in so many ways. It was hard to say goodbye but we know God will continue working in and through us as we head home.