Month: June 2018

There are many things underway here at Teen Challenge of Puerto Rico, and one of the most exciting has to do with our Sonner solar power initiative.  We are working with local and Stateside partners to set up solar installations in key places around the Island.  Given our experience with Hurricane María, and the fact this is a tropical island where hurricanes will always be a threat, we are helping our communities prepare for the eventuality of another extended power outage.

This growth is all a part of our celebration of 50 years!  We are excited to see how Teen Challenge of Puerto Rico is going to impact the Island. In these photos, guest speaker former Chief Deputy to the President of the United States, Henry Lazano, along with  President of Teen Challenge Puerto Rico Dr. Rodney Hart, strategize and prepare the staff for Island wide work.  All campuses will be equipped with Sonner solar panel power!

Story submitted by Brian Poirier

 

There are big plans for upcoming ministry outreach cooperation between Teen Challenge of Puerto Rico and Paula White’s ministry.  Here we see her praying over a team that is gathering to help Teen Challenge of Puerto Rico in upcoming ministry opportunities.  Stay tuned for more exciting developments!

Teen Challenge of Puerto Rico is honored to receive help from many churches and other organizations.  Thank you for your support!

Pastor Francisco Quiñones, ex-Executive Director of Teen Challenge of Puerto Rico, opened the doors to us at the church Iglesia Movimiento Cristiano Sahdai AD, which he pastors, on June 24 2018.  We came for the morning service.  Members of the chorus shared their testimonies.  Pastor Enrique Calero (dressed in blue) gave the preaching.  He is a product of the Teen Challenge of Puerto Rico program.

We give thanks for churches like this one that open their doors to our Teen Challenge Chorus.  These visits are important for our guys, as they help them with their social and spiritual development.  Plus, they are a lot of fun!

Thank you to Pastor Francisco Quiñones and the team at  Iglesia Movimiento Cristiano Sahdai AD for the warm welcome and fellowship.  We love you very much.

Story submitted by Albert Rodríguez

 

We’re pleased to unveil our new “golden logo” for our 50-year anniversary!  We have been changing lives and helping people to break free from the chains of addiction in Puerto Rico for 50 years now.  We have much planned for upcoming months to celebrate, and this new golden logo is part of that.  Celebrate with us!

50 years is a huge milestone.  Would you help us with a special one-time gift of $50?

Story submitted by Brian Poirier

If you have been following the adventures of our Teen Challenge Chorus here, and here, and here, you know we have been busy bringing  worship and song to friends all over the Island!  This summer, we will be doing even more trips from coast to coast, helping our young men continue their psychosocial  recovery as they bring joy to churches.

So that’s why it is always good to slow down, take a breather, and relax in fellowship and good company.  In these snapshots, Teen Challenge Chorus leader Alberto Rodríguez (far right) shares a clean joke with the chorus team members.  They were sitting down to share food and fellowship with the members of a church they visited on June 14th.

It may seem a small thing, but it’s not.  These young men are learning how to have healthy, normal relationships and good, honest fun.  Remember that many of these young men came from broken homes in extreme poverty, and the only love and affection they ever knew came from their fellow gang members.  So helping them transition out of that into a healthy, responsible citizen is critical to their recovery.  The churches they visit know this, and they’re extra sweet.  Thanks so much to this church for hosting us!

These trips cost a lot of gasoline.  Would you consider helping us with a $50 0ne-time gift to celebrate our 50th anniversary?

Story submitted by Alberto Rodríguez

 

A ministry team in Oregon raised $6500 of their own money to give our students a better place to hang out and find some recreation!  Not only that, but next month in July, they’ll be putting their hard work where their money is.  They will be coming down to tackle the needs of our student common room at our Bayamón 1 Campus.  In the video, you can see its current condition.  Like the rest of our facilities, it has suffered years of deferred maintenance after budget cuts and other financial struggles.  But that is ending!

The student rec room is an important part of our rehabilitation process.  Here, our students eat their daily meals.  They have Bible studies and group therapy sessions.  They can kick back and relax during their free time with television and a pool table.  So obviously, this room needs to be pleasant, clean, and updated!

If you’ve been seeing the stories about our Buena Vista campus and all the amazing work there, now we’re moving on to other centers like this one in Bayamón.  God is doing great things, and the volunteers’ hard work is paying off!  Our Greater Works Vision for the missionaries is to remodel all of our campuses Islandwide.  This will be the first of many projects on our central location campus.

These teams our directed by our Global Missions Coordinator, Karla Poirier.  Pray for her as she juggles the needs and opportunities of large visiting teams every month!  If you’re interested in bringing your missions team, contact her here.

Story submitted by Brian Poirier

This video is a message to the team that will be coming to fix the student recreation room.  Take a peek inside!

https://youtu.be/fjYkoZZ8uU4

The cruise port in Old San Juan is one of the busiest in the Caribbean, welcoming tens of thousands of visitors a month.  This traffic has resumed, and so have our visits to the port with our Prevention Team!

The Prevention Team is another social outreach that helps our students who are nearing graduation.  It allows them to experience the power of “giving back,” as they share the wonders that God is doing in their lives and represent Teen Challenge Puerto Rico to the community.  They talk with visitors, welcome them to our beautiful Island, and pray for many.  You would think that being on vacation in a tropical island, the troubles of home would seem far away for these tourists.  But many eagerly ask for prayer for themselves, loved ones, business situations, job problems, health issues, and the list goes on.  The team also offers little trinkets with our logo on them, such as bracelets and cookies.  Every penny goes straight into the needs of Teen Challenge.  They do not receive any monetary benefit.  This ministry is supervised by Brian Poirier and led directly by Luis and David, both graduates of the program.

We’re grateful to the administration of Mayor Carmen Yulín and the Municipio de San Juan for making it possible for us to continue with this important ministry.  Obviously we have a First Amendment right to do street ministry on public property, but in any case we receive nothing but cheerful cooperation from the authorities, and we are grateful.

So the next time you drop into Old San Juan for business or pleasure, look around for the Prevention Team from Teen Challenge of Puerto Rico.  And if you’re not able to pick up a bracelet, would you consider a special $50 gift to help us celebrate 50 years of ministry in Puerto Rico?

Story submitted by Brian Poirier

https://youtu.be/fjYkoZZ8uU4

Convoy of Hope has been sending us teams of eager volunteers to help with whatever need we have.  Lately, they have been participating in community outreach, hurricane relief (which is still happening), maintenance of our facilities, Gospel preaching on the street, and much more.  We are so grateful for their help.

We always take the time to share in fellowship and get to know each one personally.  In this chapel time, Dr Rodney shared his testimony with Convoy team from Chicago. This is our third team that has come from Chicago. This particular team led by Pastor Darren spent two days on our Campus painting the outside of our property.

Thanks to our partners at Convoy of Hope and all who come to make a difference in Puerto Rico.  Your efforts are really paying off.  Things are improving rapidly at our centers and the students are commenting on the pleasant facilities!

Story submitted by Brian Poirier

 

 

 

 

We’ve been ministering on the Island of Puerto Rico for 50 years now.  Any anniversary that big deserves a celebration!  Here’s a photo of our President, Dr. Rodney Hart, meeting with our directors to plan a worthy celebration.  They discussed graduation, outreaches, banquets, and fundraising events.

50 years of ministry has not been easy.  And especially the last two years have been a bumpy road, between government cuts and the hurricanes.  But God is faithful and we keep moving forward.  Still, we’re facing fiscal uncertainty and could use your help.  Would you consider joining our “$50 for 50 Years” campaign?  Click here to make your donation.

Story submitted by Brian Poirier

More friends have been coming into town to help us update our ministry campus!  Years of hot tropical sun, winds, and deferred maintenance due to budget cuts – not to mention Hurricane María – left us with a lot of updating to do.  Andy and his team from Chicago came to help!  This was no “missionary vacation.”  They got right to work on our Buena Vista campus, painting and fixing.  This campus is almost done.  After finishing here, they will be moving on to our central offices at Bayamón 1!

Thanks so much to Andy and all the faithful volunteers.  Your help is critical to continuing the work we do here.  Labor in Puerto Rico is expensive, and finding people to do maintenance work is difficult these days since there is such a demand post-hurricane.  Your love and commitment to Teen Challenge of Puerto Rico will never be forgotten!

Of course, the labor may be given, but we still have to buy the paint, buckets, brushes, gas for the vans, etc.  We’re celebrating 50 years of ministry in Puerto Rico.  Would you give a special $50 gift to help us celebrate?

Story submitted by Brian Poirier