Lazy, Crazy Summer
The
summer has gone by so quickly for our family. The kids have
been adjusting very well to my summer travels and we have been intentional with
our family time. From summer fun races to lazy days at the North Shore,
we have been enjoying our time together.
Maureen
has been keeping busy with her online shop on Etsy.com and enjoying life as a
stay at home mom (which has been made possible by Kevin’s job with Praying
Pelican).
Sarai
has been filling her days playing with the neighbors and running a “Couch to
5K” training program with Maureen. She’s also pretty excited about being
in 4th grade this year.
Hannah
has been keeping busy being outside as much as possible. When she’s not
riding her bike or chasing bugs her attention is usually fixed on playing with Abigail.
She’s looking forward to dance class starting up again and to being a 2nd
grader.
Naomi
keeps busy playing with her best friend and neighbor Charlotte. She is extremely
eager to go to big kid school, even if it is only pre-school 3 days a week.
We
can hardly believe Abigail is already 5 months old! She has learned to
roll from tummy to her back already and anything that isn’t anchored down ends
up in her mouth. Her big smiles and laughs brighten all of our days.
Globetrotting With Kevin
As for me, Kevin, I still can’t
believe that this amazing summer is nearly over. I have had the privilege
of organizing missions trips to Puerto Rico (PR) for 12 different groups and helped
lead 3 separate weeks worth of trips this summer. Over 500 people were serving
in PR through Praying Pelican this summer, of which I personally interacted
with over 150 of them. I was part of organizing and participating in
life-changing ministries with groups in Inner City San Juan and parts of the
city of Ponce on the south side of the Island. I got the chance to work
alongside Methodist, Wesleyan, Episcopal, Southern Baptist, and Lutheran
churches to mention a few.
It
is incredible to watch churches & participants come together for the first
time and see how fast they connect and grow. And ministry in PR was as diverse
as the groups. Through Vacation Bible School ministries we saw around one
hundred kids reached with the message and love of Jesus. Weekly nursing home
visits were made with impactful prayer times and amazing times of joy. Painting,
cleaning, and other church maintenance projects that Puerto Rican churches
could only pray about accomplishing were completed. Whole inner city
communities came alive through prayer walking and making house visits.
Stories of God’s Learning Curve
It was fantastic to see young and old alike
being stirred by answered prayers and God appointments. We took a church
from Plymouth, Michigan to Ponce where they worked alongside a local Wesleyan
church. On the first day of prayer walking the group asked a lady if they could
pray for her. She immediately led the group of 10 into her home where she
said they had been asking God to send someone to pray for them. Through this
God appointment the aunt asked Christ into her life and the local church was able to come alongside of a family struggling
to take care of their aging father.
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| Prayer walking through the streets of Ponce |
Even more amazing
was our last day of prayer walking through the streets of Ponce. We were trying
to reconnect with those who invited us to their homes, with very limited
success. Just as we were planning to return to the church, one young girl
in our group suggested we go down a particular street. Down that street
we met and had a chance to pray with a gentleman. He then asked us to
pray for his 16 year old step-daughter, Jullimar, who has advanced stomach
cancer. We were taken to a side alley where a girl with no hair, scars
all over her from treatment, and a beautiful smile was waiting for us.
Jullimar’s two-room house was shared by her family of four--beds lying
against the wall and a fold up table in the middle of one of the rooms. These
conditions made Jullimar’s smile stand out that much more. Half of our prayer
team consisted of teenage girls who instantly connected with her. There
was an amazing time of prayer and God’s presence. The associate pastor from the
Wesleyan Church was along and made sure to let the family know
that the church would help in whatever way it could (their church has been
praying for a family to “adopt” in their local community
These were just a few of the
several eye opening and God led visits from the trip!
The location of all these awesome
God moments made them even more personally challenging to me.
There are 3 different church denominations all less than two blocks from
these families’ homes. There was such a need in these
neighborhoods that,
to this point, hadn’t been reached. It inspired me to think about what
needs are in my own neighborhood and around my own church. I feel challenged
to be intentional about getting out and letting God lead the way.
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| Worshiping together at a combined church service in Ponce |
And Now…With Your Help
After
surviving the challenges of inner city intensity, tropical storms, limited sleep
for days on end, language barriers, and other trials and misunderstandings, I
prepare for next years trips. The Churches in PR made every minute worth it and
have us itching to return. Their amazing hospitality (which included having
food delivered to meetings and opening up their churches to complete strangers)
and passionate worship ensure that future groups are also touched. We are planning on close to a 1000
people taking missions trips with us to Puerto Rico next year and I excitedly
look forward to being part of that!
How will you be a part of all this? We are looking for prayer and financial
partnerships. My salary is still
partially funded by the generosity of others who have a heart for missions, and
we will always take prayer! I’d love to share even more of my heart and
ministry with you.
Blessings in
Him,
Kevin
Gamradt
Missions Coordintor
Praying Pelican Missions
(218) 231-1137
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