To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE
Spirit-Filled Puerto Rican Pastor: "I'm Not the Same Man I was Two Weeks Ago""I have seen the Lord's hand in every move. The Church is different, but the Church is alive." – Pastor Marvin Suarez (Puerto Rico)— [CharismaNews.com] Pastor Marvin Suarez and his wife Cuchy saw the creature comforts of life as they knew it wiped away when Hurricane Maria ravaged their island home. (Photo: Local residents wait in line during a water distribution in Bayamon following damages caused by Hurricane Maria/REUTERS /Carlos Barria/via CharismaNews.com) "We are not the same people we were two weeks ago," the couple say when reached by phone. "Everything is lower. There's no contact with people, we go to their houses because sometimes phones don't work. Everything is completely different." The two pastor Iglesia La Viña de Mayagüez church along the western coast of Puerto Rico. They're desperate to serve their community but have limited resources due to the storm. Their biggest need? Cash—cold, hard cash. "This is an experience we've never had before because we are so used to plastic—debit cards, credit cards," Cuchy says. "[It's been] tough for a lot of people because they didn't have enough cash. The banks were closed, and they just opened. This is a different environment. But some aspects [are a] blessing, too. We are more aware of our fragility and our dependency on the internet, the technical stuff and the technology. We have been able to get to know our neighbors, work together at church. We spent a whole day at church just cleaning and fixing things there. It has been not all bad." As the island attempts to move back into routine—which is extremely limited, due to continued power outages and lack of basic resources—the Suarezes say their community members are tired and grumpy, stuck in lines for hours on end just to attend to basic needs. So today, the couple will hand out juice and cookies at banks, gas stations—basically wherever they see a line. The church campus also has a well on site, which has the couple scrambling to find a water pump so they can distribute the necessity to those around them. They will also soon offer at least one hot meal a day and prayer to anyone who stops by. "What we've learned from this experience that the church was not hurricane ready. That is something we are going to work on," Marvin says. "For these kind of tropical incidents, we need to have a good generator, install water pumps at the well and be a safe place for people to come right after the hurricane blows over us. Then, even though I have been working with constructors to get the electrical poles put in place, it's impossible, because these guys are subcontracted by the government to deal with bigger stuff. They put all their energy and resources into that. Without internet and with only spartan phone service, the church is dependent on signs to tell its neighbors about the outreaches. They may have next to nothing, but they know God is still good. "I have seen the Lord's hand in every move," Marvin says. "The Church is different, but the Church is alive."
To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News Israelis Remember Hostages, Fallen Soldiers, Terror Victims as Passover Begins She Survived a Death Camp. Facing Biden DOJ Charges, She Is Prepared to Die in Prison Planned Parenthood Committed 392,712 Abortions, Received $699.3 Million in Taxpayer Funding in 2023 Student Loan Forgiveness: Morally Reprehensible and Legally Invalid Columbia Classes Go Virtual Before Passover Amid Protests Hundreds Accept Jesus Christ in Poland at Franklin Graham Rally Grammy-Winning Christian Artist Mandisa Has Died: Report How You Can Send Letters of Encouragement to Jailed Pro-Life Heroes Illegal Immigrants Being Moved into Soldiers' Home Where Veterans Must Pay to Stay House Democrats Vow to Codify 'Rights' to Trans Surgeries, Hormones, Puberty Blockers Israel Strikes Deep Inside Iran, Nuclear Facilities NOT Hit An Important Message from Japan to the world about the WHO, Japan and the Next So-called 'Vaccine' Farmers, Truckers Warn California Emissions Mandates Will Cause 'Catastrophic' Supply Chain Crisis Fed Court Overturns State Law Protecting Women's Sports from 'Transgender' Athletes Biden's Education Secretary Vows to Shut Down the Largest Christian University in the US Search the Articles Archives |
All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.
Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.
Home | Store | Subscribe | Facebook | Article Archive |