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Jim & Connie Gullette
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  APRIL
1, 2008
Greetings to all our loved ones in Lubbock! Lord
willing, we will be with you to report in person
next month as we travel to Lubbock from May 1-10 to
attend our son Miles’ graduation from Lubbock
Christian University. On a personal note, Connie
continues to seek employment and I’m feeling better
after being sick with cold and cough that I just
couldn’t shake until I broke down and went to the
doctor for some medication.
NEWS FROM THE LORD’S CHURCH IN ARECIBO
Obviously, the South Plains campaign with Daniel
Clayton, Alan and Wanda Dyess and students Stefanie
Fleming, Britni Johnson, Gregg Johnson, Andrew
Johnston, Lauren Jones, Allison Layton, Kelsy Odell
and Courtney Pharis will not only be the event of
the month, but perhaps the event of the year for the
Lord’s church in Arecibo. It was a tremendous shot
in the arm for the work here! During what I called
“Operation Saturation,” some 3,000 color brochures
about the congregation were distributed with an
insert promoting the gospel meeting over Easter
weekend. We went to the downtown plaza, we went to
the public housing projects and from house to house,
knowing that he that sows sparingly will also
reap sparingly (2 Corinthians 9:6). Several
local members got right in there and helped go door
to door.
Click on the small photos above to see the larger
version
Photos from the Spring Break campaign: (1) Building
a baptistry at the camp ground, (2) Daniel Clayton
preaching the gospel in Arecibo, (3) Showing
appreciation to Alan & Wanda Dyess and the campaign
group, (4) Jim & Connie and the South Plains
campaign group, (5) Working with concrete at the
camp ground.
 The
highlight of the week was the baptism of Eddie
“Chino” Miranda on Thursday, March 20th. I have had
several studies with Eddie, and he made his decision
to obey the gospel during the time with the SP group
(he served as one of the translators). Some of the
students said that the highlight of the trip was the
day we spent up at the church camp we are building
in Caguana in the mountains. Although it sprinkled
most of the day, we were able to continue
construction on the new baptistery and do some
painting on the dormitory.
The gospel meeting started on Friday night outside
under the stars with Carlos Pantoja, a preacher from
another congregation here in Puerto Rico presenting
the message. We continued outside on Saturday night
and then on Sunday we had 78 present for the
conclusion of the campaign. Several promising
contacts have been generated and I am now following
up on each one. Thus far, I have gone through my
visualized study of the gospel with two of the
contacts. This past Sunday, March 30 a young lady
named Brendaliz Feliciano arrived saying that she
had received one of the brochures and had left her
children at home with her husband while she came to
visit to see what the church is like. Connie and I
will visit her this week.
A freak Winter storm hundreds of miles to the north
of us produced the biggest waves here in the
Caribbean since 1991. The dangerous conditions
limited activities on our free day at the beach and
we grieve with the family of Shane Ruiz, a student
from Freed-Hardeman University that drowned during a
campaign on the island next door to us in the
Dominican Republic when he was carried out to sea by
the waves.
Connie and I take this opportunity to thank you for
your faithful support of our efforts to build a
self-supporting congregation in Arecibo.
In
Christ,
Jim and Connie Gullette
jimgullette@hotmail.com
MARCH
3, 2008
FEBRUARY 2008
To
our loved ones at South Plains, greetings from
Puerto Rico! In February, we suffered a major blow
when Connie and 25 other employees were let go in
corporate downsizing. Since she was employed with
Bristol-Myers Squibb for over 8 years, they are
paying her for six months while she pursues other
employment. Please pray us as we contemplate our
future. Puerto Rico is in a recession, prospects for
employment are not promising here.
NEWS FROM
THE LORD’S CHURCH IN ARECIBO
I continue to
push on with my goal of personally visiting 2008
homes during the year of 2008. To date, I have
visited 428 homes in Arecibo and Caguana with an
invitation to study the gospel. Of the homes that I
have visited, some 36 people have gone through my
visualized study of the gospel right then and there.
Personally, it brings me great satisfaction to know
that people are hearing the true gospel for the
first time in their lives!
We are gearing up
for “Operation Saturation” during Spring Break with
Daniel Clayton and Alan Dyess and 9 university
students from South Plains from March 14 to March
21. We will be distributing a brochure about the
Arecibo congregation as well as participating in
some service projects during the week. We will also
be distributing flyers for an upcoming campaign on
Friday, March 21 to Sunday, March 23rd.
During Easter week, Puerto Ricans are more apt to
accept an invitation to a religious event.
A group of
members from Arecibo and I have spent a couple of
days recently up at the camp we are building in
Caguana working on a baptistery for the Caguana
congregation. There is not enough room at the church
building so the decision was made to construct it at
the camp nearby.
 NEWS
FROM THE LORD’S CHURCH IN CAGUANA
We were all
thrilled on Sunday, February 17th when
Haydeé Bordoy responded to the invitation and was
baptized into Christ the next day. Haydeé is related
to one of our members and began attending again
after her daughter was diagnosed with terminal
cancer. I preached her daughter’s funeral in
November. I have studied with Haydeé’s husband, but
he has yet to attend.
Since the Caguana
congregation changed its schedule to 2:00 p.m. on
Sundays, Connie and I are traveling up there every
other week after worship in Arecibo to direct the
worship service in Caguana (a drive of 40 minutes).
We usually have other members from Arecibo that
accompany us to help give the congregation a hand.
Connie is teaching a bible class for the children up
there. On the Sunday that Haydeé came forward, we
had 26 members and visitors in attendance.
Connie and I take
this opportunity to thank you for your faithful
support of our efforts to build a self-supporting
congregation in Arecibo. We are making plans to
visit you in May when our son Miles graduates from
Lubbock Christian University.
In Christ,
Jim and Connie
Gullette
jimgullette@hotmail.com
FEBRUARY
1, 2008
JANUARY 2008
To
our loved ones at South Plains, greetings from
Puerto Rico! Things have finally returned to normal
here in Puerto Rico after what I believe is the
world’s longest holiday season. Everyone is
complaining of how cold the nights are (it got down
to 60 degrees the other night). I try to tell them
about the year we left Minnesota when the
temperature got down to 40 below, but they cannot
comprehend the thought.
GIVING IT MY BEST SHOT
It the sports
world, when one speaks of “giving it your best shot”
it has to do with giving it your best effort. For
example, in the final seconds of a hotly contested
basketball game, the coach with call a time out. He
will draw up a plan and carefully explain it to the
players to work the ball to the open man to take the
best shot in order to win the game.
 During
the year of 2008, I am giving the evangelistic
efforts of the church here my best shot. I am
drawing on my years of experience, my health, my
training from Lubbock Christian University, my
graduate degree in Communication, my knowledge of
the Spanish language, the freedom that comes from
being fully supported financially and much prayer
and trust in the power of God’s Word to give the
work my best shot during the year.
If the Lord so
wills, during 2008 I will be personally visiting
2008 homes with an invitation to study the Word of
God using my visualized study of the gospel. During
the month of January, I was able to personally visit
222 homes in Arecibo and Caguana. Of those I asked
if we could study together, 21 people agreed and
heard the gospel for the first time in their lives!
There is a tremendous amount of personal
satisfaction knowing that we are fulfilling the
Great Commission and that people are hearing the
truth after being deceived for so long by religious
error.
Also as a part of
giving it my best shot during the year of 2008, we
are visiting a different community each month to
distribute gospel tracts and information about the
Lord’s church. We began the effort here locally in
Arecibo on Saturday, January 19th in the
downtown commercial area. One mother that I spoke
with brought her two daughters to worship the
following day. During the month of February we will
be distributing tracts and invitations in the
community of Barceloneta, where two of the families
of the Arecibo congregation reside.
 In
addition, as a part of giving it my best shot, I am
trying to include as many members as possible in my
efforts. During the month, four different members
walked side by side with me to sow the seed of the
gospel.
Connie and I take
this opportunity to thank you for your faithful
support of our efforts to build a self-supporting
congregation in Arecibo. We also appreciate the cost
of living increase, since the price of many basic
commodities has increased substantially. Until my
next newsletter, may God richly bless all of you!
Jim and Connie
Gullette
jimgullette@hotmail.com
JANUARY
4, 2008
2007 YEAR END REPORT
Greetings
to all of our loved ones at South Plains from the
Gullette family! For a week before the Christmas
holiday, for the first time in four years, we took a
family vacation and went on a wonderful cruise out
of San Juan. It was a nice break and a good time to
go since the price was very reasonable and it is
“down time” in the work here. Miles heads back to
Lubbock soon to begin his last semester at LCU. It
has been nice to have him home and he did an
excellent job of preaching this past Sunday to a
full house. The holidays are still going strong here
since Three Kings Day on January 6th is every bit as
big as Christmas with crowded stores and many still
out on vacation.
NEWS OF THE WORK IN ARECIBO, PUERTO RICO
A
look back to 2007: God blessed our efforts
as 7 adults from the Arecibo community were baptized
into Christ. For many members, 2007 was a year of
spiritual growth and transformation. Recently, we
have seen some new faces in worship and a full
auditorium each Sunday. We finished off the year
with 64 in worship and a good offering.
A look forward to 2008: We now begin
the New Year with a spirit of optimism, faith and
unity in the congregation. Several positive things
are on the horizon!
*Lord willing, this servant will personally visit
2008 homes in Puerto Rico during the year with an
offer to study the gospel.
*In March, we are planning what I am calling:
“Operation Saturation” with Daniel Clayton and
several college students from the university
ministry of the South Plains congregation. In a
partnership with the South Plains students and the
Arecibo members, a brochure about the Lord’s church
will be personally delivered thousands of homes in
the community.
*In June, we will host a group of “Young Friends,”
a branch of the Let’s Start Talking ministry. The
youth group from a congregation in Arkansas to teach
our youth as well as teens from the community
conversational English using the Bible.
*On the second Saturday of each month, members of
the Arecibo congregation will be distributing gospel
literature in the surrounding communities, after the
pattern seen in the church in Thessalonica (1 Thess.
1:7-8).
*Lord willing, in 2008 we contemplating a major
step of faith to begin the second stage of an
expansion effort (the first stage was the purchase
of the house and property next door in 2006). Each
month, we are putting approximately $500 into an
account for construction materials.
*After
much prayer and meditation, I am optimistic that for
me personally, 2008 will be my most productive
year ever in ministry: I will be drawing on
my experience in sharing the gospel door to door
(Acts 5:42), my education, my knowledge of the Word,
my knowledge of the Spanish language, the health and
strength that God has given me and my freedom to
move around without hindrance thanks to your
faithful support of my evangelistic efforts.
Obviously, we have set some lofty goals for the
year! We solicit your prayers for the work here that
God may be glorified and that His church here may
continue on the path towards self-sufficiency. Until
my next newsletter, may God richly bless all of you!
Jim and Connie Gullette
jimgullette@hotmail.com
DECEMBER
3, 2007
Greetings in the name of Christ to all of our loved
ones at South Plains from Puerto Rico. We were so
sorry to receive the news that our beloved sister
Kathleen Rix had passed away. For many years, their
home was the second stop on our visits to Lubbock
(after stopping for Tex-Mex of course). She will be
sorely missed. I’m pretty much back to normal now
after battling a cough that was so hard to shake.
Many are sick on the island and it has affected our
attendance. We hope you all had a wonderful
Thanksgiving Holiday. We enjoyed a family meal
together with our oldest son Mason. Hurricane season
ended on November 30th and we give praise to God
that we were largely unaffected this year.
NEWS OF THE WORK IN ARECIBO, PUERTO RICO
On Saturday, November 10th, we had nearly forty
members from the congregations in Arecibo and
Caguana attend the annual fellowship of the churches
of Christ in Puerto Rico. This year it was held in
conjunction with the annual Encuentro Iberoamericano,
a lectureship for workers in Latin America and the
United States, held this year in Puerto Rico.
Everyone who attended was greatly edified.
Someone once said that a journey of a thousand miles
begins with the first step. In November we took the
first step towards building a larger facility by
measuring our property and contacting some forty
homes around our facility. In order to approve the
project, the government requires the names and
addresses of all the surrounding homes so that if
anyone is opposed to the project, they will have a
chance to voice their concerns at a hearing. Prayers
are requested for the decision to build, since the
Puerto Rican economy is in a recession and many are
moving up to the States in search of work.
We finished off the month with a high attendance
mark of 65. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, we
enjoyed a Thanksgiving Dinner (Puerto Rican style)
after worship.
NEWS FROM CAGUANA, PUERTO
RICO
During the month of November I was called on to do
the funeral of the daughter of a contact of the
church in Caguana. Haydeé Bordoy came to the church
several weeks back, requesting prayers for her sick
daughter, Dianolis González. In the hospital,
Dianolis told her mom: as soon as I get out of the
hospital, I want to go to the church with you.
Unfortunately, she passed away leaving her husband
and two young sons. It was a difficult funeral for
me personally, since a few months back we happened
to knock on Dianolis’ door and spoke with her of the
Lord’s church and the importance of raising her two
young sons in the Christian faith but sadly she did
not respond. Haydeé is now raising the children and
we encouraged her to continue to attend services
with them.
We take this opportunity to again say a heartfelt
thank you for your consistent financial support of
our efforts here in Arecibo to bring this
congregation to self-supporting status. We wish all
of you a wonderful upcoming Holiday season!
Until my year end report next month, may God bless
all of you!
Jim
jimgullette@hotmail.com
NOVEMBER
1, 2007
To our loved ones at South Plains! Greetings from
Puerto Rico! I’m feeling better now after
struggling with a head cold this past week.
NEWS OF THE WORK IN ARECIBO, PUERTO RICO
 The
congregation rejoiced with the baptism of Norma
Bruno on October 3rd. Norma is yet another example
of the importance of patience in soul winning since
I have been studying with her on and off now for
five years. While she has known what she needed to
do for some time now, it involved the decision to
either get married with her “significant other” or
separate from him. He didn’t want to get married so
she is moving into her own place with her teenaged
son that also attends with her.
The last weekend of the month, from October 26th to
28th, we hosted a gospel meeting with Luis Lugo, the
preacher of the congregation in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Luis’ theme for the meeting was “The Benefit of the
Christian Faith.” We had excellent attendance Friday
night despite the heavy rains from Tropical Storm
Noel that forced us to meet inside instead of
outside to make the gospel meeting more visible to
the community.
On October 7th, we had a special prayer of
thanksgiving for answered prayer. The infant
daughter of Stephanie de Arce was in worship for the
first time after spending the first five months of
her life in the hospital after being born three
months premature. The proud great grandmother is our
Alicia Ruíz and the proud grandmother is our Mara de
Arce. At times the doctors said she might not
survive but as you know, prayer changes things.
Our most recent evangelistic effort is the
distribution of a CD in Spanish in the community.
The CD is produced by the ministry “The Gospel of
Christ” based in Oklahoma and contains two lessons,
one on the plan of salvation and another on the New
Testament church.
During the month of November, I will be attending
the annual Encuentro Ibanoamerico, the annual
meeting of ministers of the churches of Christ, to
be held this year in Puerto Rico. The event will
conclude with an island wide fellowship on Saturday,
November 10th.
NEWS FROM CAGUANA, PUERTO RICO
 On
Sunday, October 28th, I performed the wedding
ceremony for a couple named José and Widalis, a
young couple that we met while going door to door
several months back. After several Bible studies,
they began to attend services. From their study of
the Bible, they understood the need to repent and
get married since they have been living together for
some time. Their repentance will now open the door
for them to be baptized into Christ soon.
We take this opportunity to again say a heart felt
thank you for your consistent financial support of
our efforts here in Arecibo to bring this
congregation to self-supporting status. We wish all
of you a wonderful upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.
Until my next
report in December, may God bless all of you!
In Christ,
Jim and Connie Gullette
jimgullette@hotmail.com
OCTOBER
3, 2007
Jim
and Connie Gullette and the
South Plains Church of Christ complete
a 25-year partnership in the preaching of the
gospel!
I started as your
part-time youth minister back in 1982 as a Bible
major at Lubbock Christian University, sitting at
the feet of two of your present elders: Charles
Stephenson and Gary Evans. After a two year long
internship, the elders sent us to Mankato, Minnesota
with the goal of bringing that congregation to a
self-supporting status. After spending a year in
Venezuela to learn Spanish to preach to the masses
in Latin America, we have recently completed ten
years of evangelistic work in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
During the twenty-five years, literally thousands of
doors have been knocked, countless Bible studies
have been conducted and many souls have been brought
into the kingdom of God. During the years, Connie
and I have never once had to worry about where the
support would come from, enabling us like the
apostle Paul (Acts 18:5) to devote ourselves
exclusively to the preaching of the gospel. We thank
you for the countless prayers on our behalf and the
faithful financial support of our evangelistic
efforts. We look forward to many more years in a
partnership with you to fulfill the Great Commission
of Christ!
NEWS
OF THE WORK IN ARECIBO, PUERTO RICO
The most important news of the month is obviously
the baptism of Angela Pérez on September 26th.
Angela began attending with her friend Alicia Ruíz
several months back and after studying the Bible
with me, expressed her desire to be born again of
water and the Spirit. On Sunday, September 23, we
broke a high attendance mark for the year with 76
present! The growth can be attributed to the fact
that those who have been baptized into Christ in
recent years have become fishers of men and are now
bringing their friends and family members to the
Lord’s church. We are making strides towards
bringing the Arecibo congregation to a
self-supporting status. The challenge remains that
the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. I
anticipate three additional baptisms soon, as three
people have expressed that they are close to making
their decision for Christ.
We dedicated the month of September to the theme:
Rescue the Wayward. Every day we prayed
for those who have fallen away and we divided the
church into teams to visit each one of them,
expressing our love for them and our concern for
their souls. I am hopeful that one family will
return.
NEWS FROM CAGUANA, PUERTO RICO
Sadly, I received a call early Sunday morning saying
that our brother Raúl Guerrero had passed away. I
preached his funeral on October 1st. He dedicated
the last year and a half of his life to traveling
each Sunday morning to direct the worship of the
church. Pedro Lugo, a convert from last year is now
leading the class with the studies I provide each
week.
We take this opportunity to again say a heartfelt
thank you for your consistent financial support of
our efforts here in Latin America.
Until my next report in November, may God bless all
of you!
Jim and Connie Gullette
jimgullette@hotmail.com
SEPTEMBER 1, 2007
Greetings to all our family members at South Plains
from Puerto Rico! God continues to richly bless us
with health, material and spiritual blessings and we
give Him the praise. In August, we enjoyed a visit
from our youngest son Miles before he started his
senior year at Lubbock Christian University. Also in
August we dodged a bullet as hurricane Dean passed
just to the south of us. We had one sleepless night
with heavy wind and lots of rain. With the arrival
of September, we now begin the most active month of
the season. We wish all of you a wonderful Labor Day
weekend!
NEWS OF
THE WORK IN ARECIBO, PUERTO RICO
As
it is in the U.S., the arrival of the school year
brings an increase in attendance as members return
from summer travels. On August 19th, we reached a
high attendance mark for the year with 74 present
for worship. Since we meet in a remodeled house, you
can imagine how full we were! The congregation was
thrilled when Carlos Torres showed up unannounced
after being out of duty for years and asked to be
restored. The following Sunday he brought two of his
grandchildren with him to worship. This past
Saturday I visited the home of Norma Mora who had
also fallen away and we praise God that she came to
worship this past Sunday.
Speaking of restoring those who have fallen away, as
a congregation we decided to dedicate the entire
month of September to the effort we are calling:
Rescuing the Wayward. Along with actively praying
for those who have fallen away after their baptism
into Christ, we will be dividing the church in teams
to personally visit and encourage members who have
fallen away over the years.
NEWS
FROM CAGUANA, PUERTO RICO
As I announced in my last newsletter, brother Raúl
Guerrero is no longer able to travel to Caguana to
preach on Sundays due to his battle with prostrate
cancer. In the World Series, when the star player is
injured, someone has to step up to the plate and
lead the team to victory. We are thrilled that Pedro
Lugo has stepped up to help. Pedro is a retired
steel worker from Gary, Indiana that I met last year
while going door to door. He was baptized into
Christ in December. He recently finished building a
house and on Sunday afternoon, August 12th the
church met in his home to give thanks to God for
their new home. Now that he has more time, Pedro has
been evangelizing with sister Ofelia Quiňones and
myself for the past three Thursdays.
UPDATE
ON THE LORD’S CHURCH IN MANKATO, MINNESOTA
You may recall that the South Plains congregation
supported Connie and myself for ten years, building
up the congregation in Mankato. Although we have
been gone for years, we still keep in contact with
the brethren. We are pleased to announce that they
are completely self-supporting. They have a new
preacher and have done many improvements to their
building.
We take this opportunity to again say a heart felt
thank you for your consistent financial support of
our efforts here in Latin America. Until my next
report in October, may God bless all of you!
Jim and Connie Gullette
jimgullette@hotmail.com
AUGUST 1, 2007
To our loved ones at South Plains, greetings from
Puerto Rico! We are fine and we praise God for
continued blessings. Our son Miles is home from
Lubbock for ten days before starting his senior year
at LCU. He will preach in Arecibo Sunday and give a
report on his mission trip to Rwanda. We are proud
of the fact that he was recently elected to be the
President of the student body at LCU! Connie and our
son Mason are fine.
NEWS OF THE WORK IN ARECIBO
July was full month to say the least! We started
the month off with a youth retreat up at the camp in
Caguana. We had a total of 34 youth and sponsors
from Saturday to Sunday. On Sunday we took the
entire group to worship in the Caguana congregation.
They prepared a wonderful fellowship meal for all
after I preached. Unfortunately, the brother who has
been preaching in Caguana for the past year and a
half is in Intensive Care in a hospital here in
Arecibo. Prayers are requested for Raúl Guerrero.
Click on the small photos
below to see the larger version
The following day I left early for the capital of
San Juan to participate in the annual Caribbean
Lectureship, held this year in Puerto Rico from July
7th - 9th. I was asked to be the van driver to
shuttle visitors between hotels, the airport and the
conference site. During the three days, I met some
wonderful Christians from all over the States and
the Caribbean! I was impressed with the quality of
the messages and returned to my ministry in Arecibo
greatly edified. It was such a blessing that I am
making plans to attend if possible the next
Lectureship to be held in Guyana in South America.
From July 16th -20th we hosted our annual Vacation
Bible School which is the biggest event of the year
for us here in Arecibo. We had a high of 68 children
and teens on Thursday and nearly everyone from the
congregation got involved in one way or another with
the effort. We hosted a closing ceremony after
worship on Sunday with 64 present. Now comes the
most important part of the VBS: the follow-up on the
contacts generated by the effort!
We finished out the month of July hosting Archie
Luper of Tennessee for the tenth year for his
Leadership seminar from Friday, July 27th to Sunday,
July 29th. This year, Archie brought his son Nick,
Ben King and Sara Henson to teach classes and lead
activities for the youth. Our own Milagros Rodríguez
taught classes to the ladies, permitting Archie to
work exclusively with the men of the Arecibo
congregation as well as the leaders of six other
congregations on the island that attended the
seminar. Archie taught us how to better plan the
work of the church by identifying needs and goals.
We finished off their visit with a sailing excursion
on Monday off the east coast of Puerto Rico and a
visit to the rain forest.
Connie has some time off of her work next week so we
will probably do something as a family to rest up
from an intensive month in July. We again thank you
for your financial support and prayers for our
efforts to press on with the goal of raising up a
self supporting congregation
here in Arecibo!
Until my next report in September, may God bless all
of you!
Jim
JULY 3, 2007
To our loved ones at
South Plains, greetings from Puerto Rico! We hope
you are all having a great summer! We wish you all a
wonderful 4th of July holiday. We give thanks to God
that our son Miles had a very positive experience
during his internship with Kyle and Luz Beard in
Rwanda. He came back full of stories and soon will
begin his Senior year studying missions at LCU. We
again express our appreciation to the Beards for
hosting him and for all of those who helped with his
travel expenses.
NEWS
FROM THE ARECIBO CONGREGATION
We are in our “summer
slump” with many traveling out of town for summer
vacations. This past Sunday nearly 20 of those who
are present each Lord’s Day were out of town on
vacation! We were saddened to lose five of our
teenagers in moves to the States in June. Margarita
Felix, who was baptized in May has bring bringing
her two grandsons to church every Sunday for the
past year after first attending our Vacation Bible
School in July. She has been raising them but found
it necessary to take them to the States to live with
their father in Massachusetts. Margarita will be
returning soon after spending three weeks off the
island. Every Sunday for over a year, Elsa Cortes
has been bringing her three teenaged grandchildren
with her. Sadly, the parents have moved to Texas in
search of work. As the economy of Puerto Rico
continues to deteriorate, more and more people are
heading north in search of better living conditions.
I have been in contact with congregations in
Massachusetts and Texas to hopefully get the teens
attending up there. On a positive note, Jerry
Morales a teenager from the community has begun to
attend again after being absent for nearly a year.
This month marks a
big step of faith for us as a congregation as we are
now putting the contribution from the first Sunday
of the month into a building fund. Even though our
attendance is down for the summer months, with the
return of school we will be filled to capacity in
our present location.
July is shaping up to
be a very busy month with several important events.
On July 4th, we are taking a group up to the camp we
are building in the mountains near the Caguana
congregation. We are preparing the camp for a
retreat for all the teens in Puerto Rico from July
7-8. Then on Monday through Wednesday, July 9-11 I
have been asked to help with the annual Caribbean
Lectureship, to be held this year in San Juan. From
July 16-20 we are expecting 80-90 children and teens
from the church and the Arecibo community for our
annual VBS. I am distributing invitations from door
to door in the community as time permits. We will
finish out the month during the last weekend with
our annual Leadership conference with Archie Luper
of Jackson Ridge, Tennessee. Archie will be coming
to Puerto Rico for the 10th year and will be
bringing his son and two other young adults for
activities with the youth during the weekend. Our
Milagros Rodríguez will be presenting classes to the
ladies while Archie works with equipping the leaders
of the churches of Christ on the island. Please pray
that these events will be blessing for the Lord’s
church here and that God may be glorified through
them.
Connie and I again
thank you for your financial support and prayers for
our efforts to build up the Lord’s church in
Arecibo!
Until my next report
in August, may God bless all of you!
Jim Gullette
JUNE 1, 2007
To our loved ones at South Plains, greetings from
Puerto Rico! Summer has arrived! We are thrilled to
report that our youngest son Miles arrived safely to
Rwanda, Africa and is now in a six week internship
with South Plains missionaries Kyle and Luz Beard.
We are praying that it will be a very positive
experience for him. We are fine, abundant rains have
kept the temperature down.
NEWS FROM THE ARECIBO CONGREGATION
 May
was a super month for us with two baptisms! In
April, a young man named Carlos Viva was baptized
into Christ and he invited his close friend Luis
Rivera to worship with him. Luis expressed his
interest as well in being baptized so I began to
study the gospel with him. On Sunday, May 13th he
made the good confession and was baptized for the
forgiveness of his sins. He is a 19 year old college
student that works part time in a Pharmaceutical
plant nearby. Luis has begun to bring his younger
brother to services as well! This past Sunday, José,
Luis’ 13 year old brother attended for the first
time and responded to the invitation. I explained
that I would like to study further with him since he
is still a child in many aspects and since baptism
involves such an important commitment.
 On
Sunday, May 20th between the Bible class and
worship, Margarita Felix told me she was ready to be
baptized into Christ! Margarita began attending last
July after receiving an invitation to the Vacation
Bible School. She brought her grand children and has
been attending ever since. I have had several
studies with her, but she always said she just
wasn’t ready yet. Margarita’s baptism is yet another
reason why Vacation Bible Schools are so important.
They generate contacts! Unfortunately, Margarita
will be taking her two grandsons up to the States
this month to live with their father. After a three
week visit, she will return to Puerto Rico. We will
miss her grandsons!
We finished out the month with a high attendance
mark of 67 on the Sunday of the Memorial Day
weekend. Since we meet in a remodeled house, it was
full! One of the newer members asked me how many
were here when we started. Connie and I got to
thinking and after adding it all up, there were 20
members and children when we arrived. Of that
number, four have passed away over the years.
Obviously we give the praise to God for the growth
as we continue to push ahead with our efforts to
build a self-supporting and independent congregation
here in Arecibo. I continue to go up to the
mountains to evangelize on Thursdays with the church
in Caguana. They are up to about 23 to 25 in
attendance on the Lord’s Day.
 On
Memorial Day, May 28 the Arecibo congregation hosted
an Island wide fellowship up at the camp we are
building in the mountains. We had approximately 175
people from eight separate congregations for the day
long fellowship. It really went well and the rains
held off making the day just perfect. Brother
Abraham Carrión of the Lord’s church in Gurabo
shared a stimulating message to encourage us and our
own Omar Candelaria directed the class and activity
for the large group of young people that came. I
have included pictures of the event.
Connie and I again thank you for your financial
support and prayers for our efforts to build up the
Lord’s church in Arecibo!
Until my next report in the month of July, may God
bless all of you!
MAY 1, 2007
To our loved ones at South Plains, greetings from
Puerto Rico! We are excited that in just a few short
days on May 9th, our son Miles will be
traveling to Rwanda to work with South Plains
missionaries Kyle and Luz Beard for six weeks. We
are praying that it will be a very positive
experience for him.
NEWS FROM THE ARECIBO CONGREGATION
The highlight of the month for us in April was
without a doubt the campaign during Easter week with
Lucrecio Mercado of Puerto Plata, Dominican
Republic. Lucrecio came last year and is a very
gifted speaker and has grown to be a very close
friend of all in the Arecibo congregation. Puerto
Ricans are more prone to attend a religious event
during what they call “Semana Santa” (Holy Week). It
was a real shot in the arm for the congregation and
we hit a high attendance mark for the year with 70
present on April 8th. The weather
cooperated and we were able to meet outside under a
tent on Friday and Saturday nights (since the
campaign, we have had heavy rains and flooding in
parts of the island and now some roads are
impassable). I am now following up on the contacts
that were generated while going from house to house.
 We praise God that two precious souls were baptized
into Christ in April! As God has promised, His word
will never return to him void (Isaiah 55:9-10). Lucrecio and I studied with two previous contacts
during the campaign and after the campaign, they
made their decision to be baptized into Christ. On
April 15th, a young man named Carlos Viva
Rivera expressed his desire to be baptized into
Christ. He is 19 years old and since he attends the
youth Bible Class, I asked the teacher, Omar
Candelaria to baptize him.
 This
past Sunday, April 29th, Wilfredo
López responded to the invitation and expressed his
need to be baptized into Christ as well. “Willie” is
single and a public school teacher. Willie’s mother
was a member of the Arecibo congregation and he
started attending after her death a couple of months
ago. When his mother could no longer attend during
the final stages of her illness, the Arecibo
congregation frequently met in their home for
devotionals on Wednesday nights. Up until the end,
members took her the Lord’s Supper. It was during
that time that Willie was impacted by the desire of
the members to minister to his dying mother and also
during that time he made many friendships with
members.
On the last Friday night of the month, we meet in
the home of one of the members for a devotional
instead of at the church building. All who attended
this last Friday night were rejoicing as Randal de
Arce presented a lesson for the very first time. He
is 14 years old and was baptized this past year. For
the message, Randal brought ten members of his
family! Although it is still years away, we are
encouraging Randal to attend a school of preaching.
Connie and I again thank you for your financial
support and prayers for our effort to build a self
supporting congregation in Arecibo!
Until my next report in the month of June, may God
bless all of you!
Jim Gullette
APRIL 1, 2007
To our loved ones at South Plains, greetings from
Puerto Rico! In March, my wife Connie had to make an
emergency trip to see her mother in the hospital in
San Angelo, Texas. The doctor said to call in the
family since she had little time left in this world.
However, prayer does change things! She is home now
and feeling much better.
We are thrilled to announce that our son Miles is
finizing plans to visit South Plains missionaries
Kyle and Luz Beard in Rwanda for six weeks beginning
on May 9th. Miles is completing his third year at
Lubbock Christian University as a missions major and
we are confident that it will be a very positive
experience for him to learn from Kyle.
NEWS FROM THE WORK OF THE LORD’S CHURCH IN
ARECIBO
 The
Arecibo congregation rejoiced with the baptism of
Inri de Arce on March 2nd! Inri is 19 years old and
is the third grandchild of our Alicia Ruíz to obey
the gospel. Her boyfriend has been attending with
her and I have had some studies with him as well but
he is not yet ready for baptism. We are confident
that he will be converted into an active member
since he seems to enjoy attending our Bible classes
and worship services.
With great satisfaction, I can say: Mission
accomplished! The year long process of distributing
5,000 copies of the book, How to Become a True
Christian with a copy of the New Testament
is now completed. This past Saturday I took five
other soul winners from the congregation to
distribute the remaining 8 boxes of books in the
downtown shopping district and put them into the
hands of the lost. In recent weeks while door
knocking, I have had two different people show me
their copies of the book. We pray that the seeds
will fall on good soil.
We are now turning our evangelistic thrust up a
notch as our campaign for Christ now begins in three
days. Lucrecio Mercado of the Dominican Republic
will be returning this year to preach Friday night,
Saturday night and Sunday under a big tent in our
parking lot. Lucrecio did an admirable job last year
and we anticipate that this year’s campaign will be
another great success. Puerto Ricans are more
receptive to an invitation to attend a religious
event during what they call “Semana Santa” (Easter
week).
During the month of March, our attendance was
excellent. Our high for the month was 68 on March 4th.
There was no room to spare! The increase in
attendance can be attributed to the fact that nearly
all of the 14 people baptized into Christ in 2006
have been faithfully attending and growing in
Christ.
Connie and I again thank you for your financial
support and prayers for our effort to build a self
supporting congregation in Arecibo!
May God bless all of you,
Jim and Connie Gullette
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