Unexpected Change...

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Bueno Dias from the Hoogeveen’s. We are John, Jennifer, Blake, Dallas, and Bridger. Although unexpected, we feel blessed to be back in West Michigan for however long God has us here. We thank God for the past three years of ministry we have been able to do on the island of Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, as well as the support we have received from so many. The impact we have been able to make because of God's provision has been amazing. We have seen many people come to Christ, baptized many we worked closely with, brought the gospel message into town centers via The Bible Movie, partnered with different ministries around the country, and hosted many mission teams. The people of Puerto Rico have made an impact on our live as well; we have grown to love those we work with and many have become like family to us. God has used our time in Puerto Rico not only to bring Christ to those we encountered, but also to transform our own hearts. We have grown in our faith, understanding of other cultures, our relationship with God, and have grown closer as a family. There has been many ups and downs; through it all we have always trusted God for our provision and direction. Often, God challenging our pride and humbling us to the point of tears. God has given and taken away, challenged and pushed, but he never let go, and he never left us alone. His faithfulness has never failed and his love has never changed.
Recently our family, and our island, along with the entire Caribbean experienced something none of us will ever forget; however, all of us will forever have in common. September 20 changed the course of many people’s lives, many ministries, and many families; Hurricane Maria, along with Hurricane Irma just two weeks prior, were the two most powerful hurricanes ever recorded. We thank God that the death toll was a low as it was, however the damage done cannot be compared. Many people we know lost everything they own and are leaving or have left the island. It has now been over a month since Hurricane Maria hit and much of Puerto Rico looks no different than the day after the storm. There still is no clean drinking water and no electricity. Many people struggle to find and purchase drinking water, food is scarce and limited in nutrition. Thousands of homes, churches and business are completely gone. Leaving the island we have grown to love, was more difficult than words can explain; our hearts were torn in many directions and our faith was challenged more than it ever has been before. With that being said, as we look back we see how God made the way for us to get off the islands we were stranded on (Puerto Rico and St. Thomas). We accept what God has done but it does not come without pain. We hear reports daily of our fellow brothers and sisters struggling and sending us requests for help. We are doing all we can with the limited communication and logistical issues we have encountered. God's people in the Caribbean are crying out for his help, and we have been rescued to do just that, help. After much prayer and conversations between our family, it is with heavy hearts but enduring faith in God that we have made the decision to no longer be resident missionaries on the island of Puerto Rico. Our work will continue there as we travel as often as the Lord allows to bring relief work, evangelism and training events, and mission teams. The Lord has not pulled us away from Puerto Rico, He has simply shifted the means of our work.
For now, Michigan will be our base of operation for Puerto Rico relief and missions. Our ministry, The EXCHANGE, has partnered with Barnabas Ministries to plan, organize, and execute relief efforts. Thus far we have been able to send out water filters, personal hygiene kits, flashlight, batteries, and chain saws for relief work. The chain saws will be used to help open a school that had major tree damage so local children can get to school.
Over the next year we will be raising awareness, support, helping a refugee family relocate to West Michigan from Puerto Rico, and developing more ministry opportunities.
We ask for your prayers, keeping our family, ministry, and the people of Puerto Rico in your prayers.
We would like to invite you to come along side of the work God is doing on the island of Puerto Rico through The EXCHANGE and Barnabas Ministries by partnering with us financially. You can choose to partner with us by giving a one time donation or choose to partner with The EXCHANGE on a monthly basis to help support our work. Thank you so much for your support and I look forward to sharing more with you in person about what the Lord has been doing.