Expanding our Territory

Hello from the Hoogeveen’s,    

     Moving here to Puerto Rico as missionaries has been tough. Maybe not in the way most people think, nonetheless it has been tough. Prior to moving here, and getting down and dirty when it comes to mission work I had a vision of a missionary; I mean how can I not. There are TV commercials with a gentle looking man with a grey beard and a soft, humble voice, holding starving children asking for our help. We see movie stars doing the same thing. There are mission organizations all over the world posting pictures of starving children, no clean water, thatch roof homes and no modern technology.  The images of dry dirty land and sewer plagued slop pits fill our minds when we hear the word missionary. The image of the mission field is practically forced upon us. Now, do not misunderstand me, all this and more is truth and needs the help from the Christian Church. We are not to neglect those in these conditions. Africa, Haiti, China and many other places need Jesus and they need missionaries. However, God has not called us to those places.  He has called us to the Caribbean. A visual paradise where just in the town we live in seeing Maserati’s, Porches and Ferraris are becoming normal to see. The land here is beautiful. 300 miles of public beach area, palm trees, sun and tropical breeze. Those starving here are starving by choice. The reality is, there is very little need in the Caribbean in comparison to most areas where missionaries go. As you can imagine, we have had people question our motive, question the reason we are here. People have even questioned if we are here because of God. This has been hard. There has been days where I feel guilty for being here. Then God tells me, “I sent you so stop feeling guilty.”  That takes the guilt away for a while but when the next comment is made it comes right back. Which got me thinking…Why is it that people don’t understand why we are here? What is the draw to those “other” mission fields? I don’t hear people telling those I know who go to Africa and Haiti the things we hear? Actually, we see so much financial support to those who go there. We are so thankful for that and for them, but we have to wonder, why is it so hard to get people to support what we do here? Then the Lord did something while we were meeting with Julian. He opened my eyes and my heart to the issue. The thing is giving material things and building physical things are relatively simple and there is a visible finished product or the feeling of doing good. But is that what missions is all about? What about the broken, the lost, the Christ-less nations of the wealthy? What about the beauty and the splendor God has created? Do these areas not need Jesus? Are these areas not spiritually bankrupt?  Does God’s Word not say that money is the root of all kinds of evil? Does God’s Word not say that it is hard for a rich man to enter heaven? Why then is it so hard to go to the places where the rich are? Why then is it so difficult to see people living where the monetarily wealthy but spiritually bankrupt live, for the sake of the gospel?

I was challenged to read Matthew 25:35-40. I was challenged to read and ask God what this says about the wealthy. Now as most of you know, this is seemingly not a verse about wealthy people who live on an island and drive Ferraris. However, The Lord gave me something I wish to share with you. As I was reading this scripture the Holy Spirit spoke to me and this is what He said.

“For when I was feasting and indulging on lobster and New York Strip, I was still hungry and your people have not come. When I was drinking the oldest wine and water so refined I was still thirsty and your people have not come. All people know me and respect me, yet I am a stranger and your people have not come. I wear Versace and Dior and yet I am naked, yet your people have not come. I drink $50 grass shakes every morning and visit the health spa daily, and yet I am sick and dying, yet your people have not come. My house is a fortress and I live my life in paradise, yet I am lonely and desire visitors and yet your people do not come.

 How then can my people answer, Lord when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and cloth you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?

Yet it is true that the Lord will reply, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

If we who have been called to the Caribbean do not answer this call who will? If because of beauty and riches we neglect this call, who will rescue the spiritually bankrupt of the Caribbean? Who will come to be persecuted, spit on, rejected, mocked, and laughed at? Who? If not us, then who? If not now, then when?

     The Lord has started to open doors we once only dreamed of. As many of you know our first year here came with a lot of ups and downs, zigs and zags. We were trying to find our place here on the island. The first 8 months was especially hard as we were all full of spit and vinegar ready to minister the entire island. We did all kinds of stuff from food handouts to the homeless, working with Hogar En Hacor (the girls home), and joining the leadership team at The Center Church Puerto Rico, among countless other things. All of which the Lord had us involved with for a short season for a specific purpose. We do however feel that we have made an impact in these areas and will continue to serve at The Center Church as our home church here and will continue to be connected with Four Hearts, which is the ministry that first came along side Hogar En- Hacor. Our role with Four Hearts however will be more defined and directed at what we have been called here to do, which is discipleship.

    Our first year here was chapter one of our story; chapter one being about relationships. The Lord knew that in order for us to be effective we needed relationships. We now know people, people know us and we have at least some sort of influence on the island now. People know we know people and know we will be here for a while. This has led us into the beginning of chapter two; Chapter two being Strategy. Ironically this has now led us to more, deeper relationships. We recently were introduced to Julian and Cindy by Julio and Stacy. Julio and Stacy are missionaries here in Cabo Rojo. Julian and Cindy are missionaries here in Mayaguez. Julian pastors Union Church which is where Julio and Stacy attend and minster at. Julian also does mission work in Haiti. Jacob and myself sat down with Julian two weeks ago and the Lord led us to partnering together to minister throughout the entire Caribbean. This has been a prayer Jennifer and I have been praying as it is something we felt the Lord telling us shortly after we arrived to Puerto Rico. Julian and Cindy have been on the island for 8 years and have seen a lot. Julian also grew up in the Virgin Islands and knows a ton about the spiritual makeup of the Caribbean. We have talked several times a week since then as we start to stratigize our next step. We knew, and shared this with several people when we moved to Puerto Rico, that PR was just a stepping stone to what God has in store for the ministry he has prepared for us. 

     Since our stepping down from leadership at CCPR, our personal discipleship ministry has hit hyper-drive. We are using the Three Thirds House Church Format from Pastor Briton at Moran Park. Checkout www.thehousechurch.org  which we will continue to implement here in Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean as the Lord leads. Our good friend Danny, who is preparing to be a missionary at Grand Valley University, has been learning from me how to use the same format also. We have regular Skype meetings as I disciple him through the process. Danny too is seeing amazing results. The house church the Lord led us to start is seeing supernatural spiritual growth. Jacob was baptized two weeks ago and since then has shared with me that he feels the Lord calling him into missions. He has already started to share the gospel with his neighbors and is getting ready to launch a house church that we will be assisting with. Maricelle is being baptized on the 26^th of this month as well. Richard has been sharing the gospel at work and is seeing amazing personal growth too. I just finished up Rooted with the leadership at CCPR, they will now be opening up Rooted to the entire church! Rooted is a discipleship program that the Lord led Jennifer and I to bring to Pastor Efren at CCPR. We had gone through and led a group through Rooted at Ridge Point Community Church in Holland, Michigan. We are excited to see how the Lord uses Rooted at Pastor Efren’s Church. As far as our personal involvement with Rooted here, we are stepping out and letting Efren lead his church in the manner God has called him to lead it.

As we move into this next phase we ask that you partner with us in prayer as we look towards God for the next steps. Thank you for all of your support.

Do life, build life

Today our family was extremely blessed to go to El Yunque Rain Forest today with a family from Church. For us doing life is more than just knowing names or grabbing a bite to eat, it's actually living life with each other. How else are relationships supposed to grow? 

We were so blessed today. Today was more of a blessing for us than for those we were with today I think. The Lord is good.

Sunday Funday

Today at CCPR we had Morning of Worship. The entire service was dedicated to worship. It was amazing and powerful. Tears flowed as we worshiped in awe of our Lord. 

After church Bridger and I attempted to go to Old San Juan, there was a Circus Festival going on this weekend. We went to get on the ferry and the line was way to long. So Bridger decided that he wanted to go walk around Walmart and Walgreens instead. Hey you can't complain when your 9 year old just wants to go look at toys. I'm proud of him, he had 9 dollars and only bought one Hotwheels car and a Cadbury Egg. 

Now we are home relaxing, sitting on the hammock on the front porch while Bridger catches lizards and the other two are watching a movie. I am trying to motivate myself to finish up some homework. Tomorrow we will be gone all day with a family from church, we are going to El Yunque Rain Forest. 

Football, Rooted, Discipling and Downtime

Today was a good day. Blake had his final football game before the playoffs begin. His team The Dorado Spartens ended the regular season with one loss and rank 2nd. Today Blake made a touchdown and an interception. So proud of him.

After the game it was off to Rooted. Today's topic was finances. We had some great conversations about what Gods word says about them. 

Sherlyn of course made tacos. She is an amazing cook! 

Then I had an amazing conversation with a pastor/missionary who lives in Cabo Rojo, PR. We are meeting this Tuesday to talk about discipleship and what God is doing. 

Side note, Jennifer and I also watched Everest tonight. It's a great movie.

Well, I'm gonna try to post posts like this more often. I just need to get in the habit of it. 

Have a blessed night.

What good is knowledge if we don't use it?

     What is knowledge if you don't know how to use it? This seems to be an epidemic in the Church today. There are a lot of wonderful pastors teaching truth that must be taught. But we have to wonder, If there are great pastors teaching such great truths and churches are filled with people learning this truth, than why is the church declining and the gospel message so rejected? 

     There was this young man who wanted to play football, specifically he wanted to be a quarterback. So he studied football. He knew every play possible. He knew what equipment was needed and he even bought all the equipment. He bought the best money could by. He went to football conferences where the techniques were taught and learned from NFL greats. If you asked this young man anything about football, he could tell you. Stats, plays, rules...you name it. He then started to teach what he had learned. One day a young man came up to this now adult man and asked him a question. The question was, "Can you show me how to do what you are teaching?" There was a stunned silence. This man had never actually gotten on a field, no one ever actually demonstrated to him how to implement the knowledge he had learned. His response was, "I can teach you what I have learned." The young man walked away with his head looking down, he said, "No thank you, I actually want to play football.

     Church we need to stop learning so much and start doing. In the past 7-9 weeks we have been, not only learning from Pastor Britton, but actually implementing what we are being taught, as is Pastor Britton. What we have seen the Holy Spirit do in the past 6 week is amazing. Through simple obedience and action the gospel has gone out. More than that, there are brothers and sisters who six weeks ago were not saved or were saved but had never shared the gospel with anyone, accepting Christ, being baptized and sharing the gospel. But not only that ,they are actually discipling others to obey Gods Word!!!! 

     Since the Lord opened the door for us to start a house church we have been blessed to baptize one brother and have had a commitment to be baptized by another sister. This past Saturday Jacob was baptized into the body of Christ and on the 26th Maricell will be baptized as well. Mind you the house church consists of 10 people, that's including five children. The Holy Spirit is moving folks. Jacob has already started to speak into the life of others and is getting ready to start discipling. Richard and Maricell have shared the gospel at work and with family. When we put into action what we are taught and teach amazing things happen.

     I am so tired of hearing people talk the talk and not walking the walk. Being a Christian is not so much about the knowledge we have as much as it is how we use that knowledge. If we have all the knowledge but do not actually implement it ourselves is that love? I heard once that you do not truly know Jesus if you are not telling others about him. That seems pretty harsh, but I believe that is true. How can you personally know the creator of the universe, savior of our souls, the one who died and suffered for us, the one who gives us our blessings and not share Him with anyone? If you are a Christian, people what who you have! They may have had the wrong impression of who Jesus is and maybe have been taught some false information, but nonetheless, they want Jesus. I mean look at the world today. Everything everyone seems to be about is what Jesus offers, they just don't know Jesus offers it. Free Healthcare? Jesus is our healer. World Peace? Jesus gives that peace. Protection? Jesus offers protection. Pleasure? Who do you think created pleasure? Need I go on?

      Its our job to share that with the world. Its our job to share Jesus. Its your job to share Jesus. 

Matthew 28:16-20 Jesus teaches the disciples to go and make disciples. This a commission given to all followers of Jesus, ALL! But if we are not discipled and discipling, how can we obey the command of Jesus in Matthew 28?

     

     

     

Jake, post baptism😊

Edwin, a new friend from the homeless food hand out.