Blessing from Around the Caribbean

By Gary Sprunger

In January, Joy and I were able to attend the West Indies Baptist Fellowship conference in Trinidad. It was a joy to be with the Gossetts and the Guths during this stay. Dr. & Mrs. Ray Thompson also attended this year’s conference. With over 350 delegates from around the Caribbean attending, we were able to see many old friends and acquaintances in the ministry. As always, the preaching of the Word of God was tremendous. Our hearts were touched, and we left thanking God for what He has done over the years in the Caribbean. We thrilled to see many young people in attendance. The folks of Trinidad did a wonderful job hosting this large reunion of Baptist brethren.

After the WIBF conference, Joy and I headed to Puerto Rico for about three weeks. Several work teams came to help complete the project in Mayaguez. We praise the Lord that as of the writing of this new letter, the church facility is now dried-in and the local folks are laboring to finish the necessary plastering and installation of the window. During our stay in Puerto Rico we were able to visit with Steve and Ann Buchanan. They have been able to buy a joining property for the church. Now Iglesia Bautista Berea his sufficient room to expand and grow. The Lord has been blessing their ministry. We also visited Jim and Kelly Shelton who have started a new work in Aguada. There new work is growing, and Jim is doing a great job in Spanish. We also had the opportunity to visit Mark and Marilee Stephen before they went on furlough. This is their first furlough in about 7 years. I also had the joy of being with Jerry and Liz Harmon. They are seeing some wonderful results. God is raising up some good leadership in their work. Jerry is doing much better since he received the internal heart infibulator. Although he is limited in his physical strength, he has some wonderful goals and aspirations for the ministry that God has given them. In Mayaguez, Joan Whiteheart has returned from her short furlough in the States. She is very active visiting the families who have children in the youth program at Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida. Each time we visit the church we are seeing many signs of grow. There are now more young people attending. God has given the work wonderful leadership. The church not only is growing numerically, but you can also sense substantial spiritual growth also.

Recently I had the opportunity of visiting the BIMI missionaries on the island of Antigua. Although Jerry and Scharmel Johnson are beyond retirement age, they have begun assisting a well trained young man in starting a new work. Already a number of faithful folks are coming. God has supplied a little wood framed building for the church to meet, and the folks are excited about soul-winning and supporting missions. While in Antigua, I was able to hear about the future development for the Caribbean Radio Lighthouse. God is using the staff there to reach both English speaking and Spanish speaking islanders. It is the prayer of the staff that soon they might be “streaming” their broadcasts via the internet. We are living in such awesome days. Although it would be difficult to broadcast via the radio wave around the world, yet via the internet we can utilize our studios to reach all four corners of the globe. Curt and Barbara Waite were not on the island at the time of my visit, but Jerry and Linda Baker were most gracious. It was a blessing to meet the staff at CRL and to hear their testimonies and heart beat.

Throughout the Caribbean, God has raised up some wonderful ministries. We praise Him that souls are being saved, Christians are being discipled, and God is getting the glory.