PRAISE

“And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Colossians 1:18) Our Lord has truly blessed my family and me as we serve Him. Last night I had the privilege to preach the Word of God concerning the subject, “The Preeminence of Christ.” I believe that the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of the people present.

On a recent Saturday morning, we went out soul winning with the Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida of Mayaguez. Praise the Lord, my family and I led two adult ladies to Jesus! Another group of soul winners also led two souls to the Lord. Amen! What a privilege it is to serve the preeminent Christ! Elisabeth was baptized on March 7 after getting the assurance of her salvation.

PRAYER

As I mentioned above, we have seen God’s hand work in our lives and through us, all while I have been going through some serious health issues. Since January 23, I have had a nuclear stress test, an echocardiogram, and, most recently, a heart catherization performed on me through the VA hospital. This past Friday, I had an appointment with a heart surgeon, and he recommended and scheduled a triple bypass surgery to be performed on April 29, 2021. We believe this to be the best course of action for me, since I have significant blockage in my arteries. Please do pray for all the preparations for my surgery, for a successful surgery, and for my recuperation. I have already had the first shot of the Moderna COVID vaccine, and I am scheduled for my second shot on April 16. As of today, Angela will only be allowed to be present in the hospital lobby on the day of my surgery but will not be allowed to visit me during my anticipated 10- day hospitalization due to COVID restrictions. We are renting an Airbnb near the hospital in Santurce (San Juan area) for 11 days until I am released. We live about a six-hour round trip from the hospital.

GRATITUDE & FUTURE PLANS

Thank you for your faithful prayer and financial support. You have always been more than gracious to us. After my recovery, we plan to move to the northwest coast of Puerto Rico, where we believe the Lord would have us start a church. Once we have made our move, we would like to order 1960 RVR Romanos Bible portions as a soul-winning tool. A pallet of the Romanos Bible portion contains 75 boxes and weighs 2,000 pounds. I have been quoted $800.00 to ship them to San Juan, and I am waiting for the quote for the delivery from San Juan to the northwest coast. If the Lord leads you to give towards the shipping costs, please designate your contribution through FBMI (Missionary #23) as “Bible Portion Shipping Costs.”

Faithfully continuing in the service of Jesus,

Roberto Tirado