^pr II

1983
San German Christian Mission
The York Family 375'/
March 1983
Dear Christian Friends,
Greetings once again from Puerto Rico. We hope that you all are well
and that the Lord is blessing your lives richly. Our family is fine and we
are enjoying our work with the people in San German. Our most exciting news
is that we began church services here on December 12th with 19 present. We
are excited about the prospects for growth and the interest shown by several
families. Our highest attendance has been 23 and we are expecting a good
crowd for Easter Sunday. We are hoping to see the church grow in numbers
and maturity over the years until it reaches the point of where the Puerto
Rican people can assume all of the work and we will be able to move on to
another area. That day, however, will only come after a lot of teaching and
preaching and knocking on doors.
Our co-workers, Lonny and Vanessa Smith are already busily involved
in the work. Lonny is in charge of the youth activities and has already
planned some things that the kids have really enjoyed. He and I took a group
of eight young people camping last week-end with several other churches
from around the island. There were about 55 all together and everybody had
a great time. There is very little for the kids in San German to do so
activities in the church are well received. One of our young people, Patty
Pabon, is teaching the beginner's class at church and is also in the
National Honor Society at her school so we are very proud of her.
I have mentioned the camp property that the churches on the island
purchased about four years ago for $25,000. The property has been paid of
and several month's ago we spent about seven thousand dollars for excavation
and leveling of the land. The property is now ready to be built on with water
and lights at the property. We are meeting on April 16 to begin putting
down some ideas for a multi-purpose building that will somehow contain
a kitchen, dining room-recreation room, and living quarters all in one as
cheaply as possible. We are going to need more money than we have in the
camp fund. If you or your church would like to help in this project we all
would greatly appreciate it. We have had to use, borrow, or rent other
facilities for many years and it sure will be nice to have our own. The camp
is a tax-free corporation so any gift would be tax deductable. If you can
help make your check out to Campamento Cristiano Taino and send it to us
and we will give it to the treasurer. We will keep you informed as to the
progress of the building project.
Another project that a church in the States might like to undertake to
help our church here is purchasing a van for transportation. Many of the
families that we are working with do not have cars . Lonny and I just have
small cars so getting people to church and kids to activities means packing
people in our cars and often making two trips. We are hoping to raise
between $3000 and $4000 to buy a used van here that can haul at least 12
people. We realize that the economic conditions in the U.S. are not the best
but our need is real and we would like your help, if at all possible. We have
been in Puerto Rico now for 10 years and we have not had to ask for money
for a project like this before but we need to now. Any gift sent should be
in the name of the Iglesia Cristiana de San German and marked "Van fund". V7e
appreciate your help!!
Our girls, Emily and Laurie are both as active and as healthy as can
be. Emily will be four in July and starting pre-kinder in August, which
hardly seems possible. She knows her ABC's and can count very well and is
always surprising us with the amount of Spanish she knows. There is only
one English TV program that is on regularly and that is Sesame Street, which
she loves to watch and learns a lot from. Laurie will be a year old next
week, April 4th. she started to walk when she was ten months old and there
is no stopping her now. she gets into evrything possible and some things
we thought were impossible! She has six teeth now with two coming in and is
going to blond just like Emily with brown eyes like her Dad. They are both
sweet little girls but then again I may be a little biased.
Please continue to pray for us and our work. We are so grateful to
those individuals and churches that have faithfully supported us over the
years. May the Lord bless you for that! Write us when you can and we'll
be sure to write back.
00753
Rick and Suzanne York
P.O. Box 1071
San German, P.R. 00753
Mission Services
^.U. Box 2lf27
Knoxvilie, 3
/
APR 5 ^
IS I9S3 '-0
News from
The Yorks
in Puerto Rico
Dear Christian Friends, June 1963
Greetings once agadn from Puerto Rico, V/e hope that you and
your fellies are well and that the Lord has ctmt^inuec to bles-s-
your lives, iie are so thankful for our faithful supporters that
have continued to back our efforts year after year. It hardly
seems possible but we are now in our eleventh year of service
Tn2i S? how ignorant I was when I first arrived in San
T patient and kind, however, and SvLZBnne and
X^Joyed our work here and consider this our home, at
j-eawL I or a fev/ more years.
Our. plersed v/ith the work in the church in Sen Geraen.
attendance has been 28 and one of the nost encourarinG
coMn. "o ehnr.^ro'"^ Setting in the habitif min^ oo church. One of the laoies told Lonny and I recently that
th^f perr'^of^L; SnndSsf W'e
our carnort so that wl v" finished pouring concrete to extend
c?^wth Twf + u hsve some more classroom space for future
growth. There is not much work that is harder than mixinc concrete
when^the teaperature is about 95 and the huiidit? is ebourthat
V/e shared in a great week of camp June 13-18. V/e were able to
"tto feven people from the church in San German and the total
aoout 100. V/e had a wide variety of kids that went.
One of our young ladies Bere Llantin is working on her Master's
h-d fLr^vo.mo^ir University here in San German. V/e also
next year! P* wait until
..n s'-Jj ^fsM-lSkt of camp, as in most camps, was the vesper service
Biblleo^^w^s^th"' Gonzalez, a third year student from Coleaio
one invit-tio^ speaker and did a fine job. Ke only offered
p JTiday, anc 16 young people went forward. V/e
^9 5 <^wo young people from San German go forward,
tha ^^ Several of
viLa f ' J^ere induced, were baptized on Saturday morning in a
en SLi ttoough the campground. Jerry was baptized yesterday
so that his parents could be there. Jerry is the son of Peter and
to the contacts in San German. They moved"
?p ^^ Isst week and we
broth^s'^d^sfster^in'chrlsl" '^ "^'
W are looking forward to the twelfth annual Caribbean Missions
TJew" Prndnoi-?Se^T Pl'^^^his year v/ill be Ziden Uutt frora Good
Joplin Missouri. Ziden has been here
^5 f ^ i 8^ excellent speaker.
We are plrnninc to take c short furlough in the spring of next
yeer, Lord willing. I will be writing to our supporting churches
in the near future to arrange speaking dates. We are looking forv/ard
to seeing all of you again.One of the hardest parts about being s
missionary is being separated from your families in the U.S. One of
my dearest aunts, Carmie Lawless of Lanville, has been seriously ill
and in the hospital. Please keep her in your prayers.
Our girls are both grov/ing like roses. I v/ould say they are
grov/ing like weeds but they are too pretty to be compared to a v;eedl
Laurie is 15 months old and Emily will be four next Sunday, July 3*
Emily can really hold her own jabbering v;ith the neighborhood kids
in Spanish. Laurie really keeps us hopping and the only quiet time
around our house is v;hen she is sleeping1
Thanks again for your prayerful support. Please v/ritel
P.O. Box 1071
San. Gori.aan, P.R. 00753
fOr
liip
L-:.
X-
In Christ,
News from
The Yorks
in Puerto Rico
OCT 31 1983
Deer Friends in Christ,
Greetings once again from Puerto Rico. Our family is fine and
we thank the Lord for His continual care. Our girls, Emily and Laurie
are growing so big and are getting prettier every day. Not that their
Lad is biased I We pray that the Lord has continued to bless you in
your efforts for the kingdom. We are really enjoying our work in
Esn German. The people here are getting in the habit of coming to
church, which for most of them is the first time in their lives that
they have attended a church regularly. One of the most important steps
for us is to establish real friendships with the people here so that they
can learn to trust us. We came here as strangers, foreigners really,
and it is good to see that the people are learning to confide in us.
The past three months have been filled with a variety of activities
and the months to come promise more of the same. The last of July we
were able to go to San Juan for the 12th Caribbean Missions Clinic. Bro.
Liden Nutt was our special speaker and teacher. Ziden is working with
Good News Production, Intl. in Joplin. MO and has been dedicated for
many years to producing materials that missionaries all over the world
can use. He really uplifted all of us and the time of fellowship was
a blessing, as always. We are often asked what we miss most about the
U.S. and for me it is missing the conventions and other opportunities
for learning and growth.
One of the real blessings for the church was the purchase of
a van for transportation. Lonny and I have been making trips on Sunday
because a lot of people do not have cars. We had saved enough money for
the dov/n payment on a 1977 Ford, 12 passenger Van. While we were in
San Juan for the Missions clinic, one of our old friends came to visit and
speak at the clinic and offered to help make the payments on the van.
Praise the Lord for His providing people like that. It will be payed for
within a year and already we have used it for youth events as well
as for Sunday services.'
Lonny and 1 participated, along with six of our youth, in a retreat
this past week-end up in the mountains. Even though Puerto Rico is a
tropical country, it still gets cool up in the mountains. We were
involved with the preaching and teaching and the kids had a great time.
For many it was the first time that they had ever been camping or
slept in a tent. One of our kids told me that it was the best time he
had ever had in his whole life. Some of our youth, in most of the churches
on the island, come from poor backgrounds where they have never had the
chance to get out and see Puerto .lico and do things that most Americans
take for granted. When we have an activity they really enjoy it.
One of our young men, Jerry Lugo, is thinking seriously about
going to Bible College in the States. Jerry will graduate this year
from High School and is really a fine young man. He speaks good English
so we are encouraging him as much as we can. He doesn*t have much money
but is willing to workl 1 told him that when I.went to Johnson Bible
College in 1968 all 1 had was ^75 to my name and 1 made it through so
he could too. Please be praying for him and if any of you would like
to help him, let me know .
V/e are looking forv;ar<3 to two big events in HovcrriLer. The first will
be an opportunity to have hro. Lean Gary here in c.an uerman for two
nights of special services. Dean has been involvec in riiission wcrl;
almost all of his life, most recently as President of Golegio j.dblico
in iiagle Pass, Texas .He 3s coming to Puerto .dco to hold a scries of
meetings at all the churches on the island and then to preach at our
family retreat on Mov. I8th and ISth. Ke is a fine speaker and Icnov;
our people will be blescec by his messages. Several of cur families
will be going to the family retreat, which v/ill be a first for them
and we are praying that the Lord '..ill bless that time. Suzanne and 1
will each be conducting a workshop so please pray for us as we prepare
for that.
dohn aeece, Lenny and I will be going to the Dominican -republic
the day after Christmas for 10 days of preaching and teaching with
the brethren there. V/e are looking forward to seeing the progress
of-the-work there,-which is grovz-ing-monthly. We have some-good friends
over there, both Merican and Dominican and we are eager to see them a^rin.
V/e want to thank you all again for your continued support of
our work. We simply could not co our work without you as our partners
in Faith. We ask tha=t you remember us in your prayers and write to
us. We love hearing from each of you.
In His service,
Rick and Suzanne York
P.O. box 1071
Sen German, Puerto Rico 00753
Mission Services
P.O. Box 2^27
RnoxvillO) TN 37901
I lu.
Rick, Suzanne, Lmily, and Laurie