Juan Conde Pena’s Life 6

Juan Conde Pena’s Life  6

Presentado por; Iris de La Rosa Vélez, 2014

I returned to pastoral duties

After staying for four months, I felt something important was missing in my lofe. I had not been to church since the accident, and my spirit needed the nourishment that is only received through the communion with the saints. As if inspired by God, a church member came to visit; and while we talked, he said that the church was waiting for my return. Although I was still unable to walk without the help of my crutches, one evening I ventured out to church. It was an unforgettable experience when I noticed the joy in the members’ faces. The joy they felt was so genuine that one of them took me in his arms, carried me downstairs, and set me down at the church’s front door. When I looked inside I was struck with a special feeling that permeated my whole being. Immediately, I began to praise the Lord like never before. Glory to God for His wonderful mercy, which He dispenses on us abundantly!

From then on, I continued attending church services regularly. There was always someone to lend me a hand going downstairs to the front entrance. I started preaching, standing on my right foot because the left leg was still in a cast. I also continued going to my medical appointment once a week. Due to my condition I could not drive my car there, but I had three brothers who were always available. These brothers were a tremendous blessing to my wife and me. They never refused to help us although the days at the hospital were very long. We used to get up at 4ː00 a.m. and be at the hospital at 5ː00 a.m. nevertheless, my wonderful brothers stayed with us the whole time. Sometimes they had to stay us until 4ː00 or 5ː00 p.m. I am eternally grateful to them for their patience and commitment.

After the accident, I continued pasturing the Placita Church for another three years. In the beginning, it was difficult for me to preach standing on one leg, but I always managed to give my best. The radiant looks on the worshippers’ faces produced in me an inner strength that compelled me (in spite of my disabilities) to excel in the service to the Lord and to them. It was with great joy and satisfaction that I continued serving in the Placita Church for those years.

My sister Nilda died in New York City

In the interim, my sister, Nilda, who lived in New York City, passed away. Through a great effort I joined my other sister Ana, and attended the funeral. I remember how I hobbled, holding a cane with my right hand and carrying the luggage on my shoulders on my way to the plane. It was a difficult trip indeed. When we arrived at my niece’s home in Hempstead, New York, my feet were swollen. Fortunately, my niece’s husband had a pair of new sneakers, size eleven, and he lent them to me (I wear size nine). After leaving Ana at her daughter’s home, I continued my trip to my oldest daughter’s house in the Bronx. I still remember the funny comment my granddaughter, Janeen, made when she saw wearing a suit, a white shirt, a tie, and oversize sneakersː she exclaimed, Grandpa you look cool.

The following day I went to my sister’s wake. I was very sad, not only because of my sister’s death, but because she left three orphaned children. Their father had passed away the year before. Although they were already grow up, her oldest daughter was so grief-stricken that she cried out over her dead mother’s coffinː ‘’Why did you have to go?’’ at this wake, I met with acquaintance, friends, and relatives that I hadn’t seen in many years. The unity of such a group a people served to lessen the anguish that permeated the atmosphere in the funeral parlor. After the burial, I stayed the remainder of the week with my daughter, Maggie. Later, I returned to Puerto Rico to continue pasturing the Placita Church.

The Lord moved me to higher ground

During the last year in that church, certain things began to unfold that I could not understand. Sometimes while I preached, I felt as if I was transported to higher grounds, and that I was preaching to another congregation. Furthermore, I did not feel the same dedication to the congregation as before. In a certain way, this unexpected lack of dedication robbed me of my effectiveness in serving the Placita Church during my last days there. Thus, my last year in that church was not as fruitful as the previous years. I felt that the Lord has a new assignment for me. Definitely the time for me to move higher ground came. The Council President called me to his office and offered ne a pastor the 400^th Church, located in Canovanas, Puerto Rico. The members in the Placita church reluctantly let us go; but before departing, they organized a beautiful farewell party and gave us many gifts.

 

The 400^th Church is situated on a hill in the main street of a large thriving community. Its previous pastor had passed away six months earlier. The members in this congregation unanimously accepted me; therefore I started immediately to work there. Though our departure from our former church was traumatic for us, we did not have any problem adjusting to the new church. There were members who were always willing to lend me a helping hand with the church’s work. We had a superb assistant pastor who had been leading the church sparkling clean at all time. Furthermore, we had the assistance of a dedicated, supportive group of deacons, a professional bookkeeper, and a well-trained secretary.

 

A wonderful church and a wonderful community

In addition to the wonderful help that we had in that church, the neighbors complemented our ministry. They always received us in their homes with a smile and always attended the church activities. During our first year, everything functioned smoothly. I have called the first year in a new church the honeymoon period. By the second year, my relationship with some church members began to strain. In retrospect, I’ve become aware that the main reason for their discord was my insistence to pray and visit more.

Sometimes, ministers dissociate themselves from the realities of everyday living. They should realize that the people, who make up the bulk of the church membership, work five or six days a week. Those members are very tired at the end of each day and have to make a tremendous effort to come the church’s services that are held every night. Furthermore, our denomination requires that return at 6ː00 for the evening worship service. This was very taxing on the working members.

Although I made some radical changesː I joined the biblical studies with the worship service on Sundays, and I allowed the members to be off on Saturdays. Some members, who weren’t working, threatened to leave the church if I didn’t continue with the two separate meetings on Sundays. Therefore, I continued as before except that on the first Sundays of each month, we had one four-hour meeting. We always had a good crowd that first Sunday of each month; but on the other Sundays, the attendance was low in the worship service. In the meantime, I was facing another problem. The people didn’t want to evangile the community. I now realized that the reason they didn’t want to evangelize was because most of them had lived there most of their lives, and they had to evangelize another community, instead.

The wonderful youth in my church

Fortunately, I had established a good rapport with the youth, and they were growing in number. The other groups weren’t growing as much, but they were happy with my ministry. As in the previous church, we improved the facilities. We built movable divisions in the basement that allowed us to celebrate our social activities there. We also built a kitchen and had it equipped with cabinets, tables, and chairs. Then, we completed the repairs on the rear wall to prevent a landslide during the rainy season. The rear wall also protected the church premises from thieves. Additionally, we removed a beehive that had been imbedded behind the pulpit for approximately eight years. Finally, after removing the beehive, we had a painter repaint the mural. In essence, the improvements we made to the church structure created an attractive we made to the church structure created an attractive atmosphere that resulted in membership and in the finances.

Leaving the church after serving for twenty four years

After pasturing the 400^th church three years, my wife became very ill, and she needed specialized medical treatment. Although we had good doctors in Puerto Rico, I thought that I could get better treatment for her in Virginia. While I debated whether to take an extended leave or resign my ministry, a dear sister from another church had a vision. In that vision she saw that I was renouncing my ministry. When she questioned God about this, the Lord answered that He was taking me away from the church because the people were stubborn. A day later, one of the church’s deaconesses dreamed that I was leaving the church, and my car rear seat was full with different fruits. In the meantime, I was dreaming that I was teaching a mixed group of people from different Hispanic countries. Although, I hadn’t thought of renouncing my ministry in that church, the three events mentioned above prompted me to it. After careful planning and praying, I informed the council president and the church of my decision. They tried to dissuade me, but I was convinced that the Lord was permitting me to bring my wife to Virginia for medical treatment. We felt very sorry to leave the congregation. Leaving the youth affected me the most because they were emotionally attached to me. Thus it was traumatic to say farewell to them. Nevertheless, the entire congregation became involved in a wonderful farewell party, and they gave us many gifts. Afterward, they all got together and warmly manifested their love to us with hugs, and kisses.

Our children asked us to be with them in Virginia

At the same time, our children who live in Virginia had been trying to convince us to move there because they wanted to care for us. Therefore, we came to live with our daughter and husband, Maggie and Thomas, because they had the largest house. She obtained the plane tickets for us, and we made the trip right away. Since there were a few important things that I had left undone in Puerto Rico, I returned there within a month. We came in November 1999, and I returned to Puerto Rico in December 1999. My former came to pick me up at the airport and took me to my other former assistant pastor’s home, who was very glad to put me up for the night. I’m very grateful to both of them because they were always available to lend me a helping hand.

The following day early in the morning, I went home. The successive weeks were very hectic because there were many changes that I had to perform. First I changed the address on all the correspondence; second I left the house in the care of someone whom I trusted; third I sold some of the furniture; fourth I packed the clothes that I was bringing with me in suitcase and the rest in cartons; and lastly I made some house repairs. I also tried desperately to sell the car, but I didn’t find a buyer. Therefore, I shipped the car loaded with boxes and suitcases to New Jersey.

Although I didn’t know a thing about shipping cars, God led me to ask a friend to help me. This person was a truck driver who was familiar with the shipping companies. He spent a whole day with me-he took me to the shipping company (the least expensive), he drove me to the respective government offices to get the car clearance and to pay the tariffs; and he took me to get the car inspected and washed. I’ll always be very grateful to his unconditional and unselfish help. I’m also grateful to my sister Ana, who cooked my meals and washed my clothes during my stay in Puerto Rico. She was a wonderful sister who in spite or her disabilities helped me unconditionally.

We finally settled in Virginia

A week after I shipped my car to New Jersey, I flew to Dulles Airport in Virginia. I was very happy to return to my wife and the rest of my family. The following week my son, Junior, drove me to New Jersey to pick up my 1995 Toyota Corrolla. This car has been a tremendous blessing to us because in Virginia having a car is a necessity. It’s serving us wellː I drive my wife to her doctors’ appointment we simply go to visit our family or go to church. Furthermore, with the help of my car, I was able to work on the Census 2000.

Owning a car isn’t the only blessing that the good Lord has showered on us; He has also made it possible for our family to rally behind us in every undertaking we are involved. At the present time, I’m very grateful to my three children and their spouses, especially to Maggie and her husband, because they provided us with a roof over our heads. Our other two children have also been there to help us whenever the need arises. Additionally, we are very grateful to them because they have allowed us to be a part of their lives. It’s wonderful that after being separated from them for over twenty-three years, they still show us the same love and affection. Although it hasn’t been easy to have us fit in their tightly knit routine, we know they have done the utmost to accept us. May the good Lord bless them, always!

I would also like to add that my oldest granddaughter, Janeen Jennifer, got married about three years ago, and she already has two children, two boys. Their names are Isaiah and Elijah. Isaiah is five years old, and Elijah is three years old. They are like a ray of sunshine in our lives. Every time they come to visit us, we feel a lot of happiness. Although sometimes they can be very demanding, but no matter how incorrigible they are, we always manage to keep calm and enjoy their visit.

We consider ourselves fortunate that a little over a year after coming to Virginia, we’ll soon move to our apartment. It’s a one-bedroom apartment in a newly built housing in the old section of the Town of Herndon. We are very exited about it because we’ll be more independent and will feel freer to do the things we want to do. We can sense the hand of our Savior Jesus Christ leading our path in everything we do. Glory to God!

Today is April 8, 2001, and we are still living with our daughter and our son-in-law because our apartment at the Herndon Harbor Houses is not finished yet. They notified us that it would take another two weeks for the apartment to be ready and we are waiting patiently until that day. Waiting has been a blessing from God. I have continued teaching Bible lessons at the Church we are attending. The brethren there have a genuine thirst and hunger for the Word of God. Their needs to receive the spiritual nourishment through the Word, and our pastor’s encouragement, have kept us active in this congregation. The pastor encouragement us to continue assisting church and has offered me a job in a new Bible Institute he is going to start. Maybe this is the reason I haven’t been able to get a job outside the church-the Lord has a job for me in His church, blesses be His Name.

This is December 20, 2001, and we just had the first snowstorm of the year. It has been a tremendous experience for me- scraping the ice off my car window and driving in the snow. After living in Puerto Rico for twenty-three years, I thought that I wasn’t going to see another snowfall, but I was wrong- the city of Ashburn, Virginia, is covered with a white mantle. This is one of God’s marvelous creations, Snow!

We continued attending the Fellowship Church in Ashburn. We are very happy to be part of a growing Pentecostal Spanish-speaking congregation, which is dedicated to helping the Hispanic Community. As God reveled to me in dreams while I was pastoring the 400^th Church in Puerto Rico. I’m teaching the Word of God to a Hispanic group, who come from various South and Central America Republics. I’m very enthusiastic about it because I can feel the hunger these people have for the powerful Word of God. I might add that the Lord has been using me teaching and preaching His word with the same anointing that I had before.

Today is Easter Sunday. We’ve just returned from church where we had a beautiful service. Today the Pastor preached about the resurrection. He also presented three children to the Lord. The dedication of children to the Lord is always a good sign of a growing congregation. The congregation is growing in numbers and spiritually. Although the people I teach come from different parts of Latin America, and they have different customs, the language is the same. It’s wonderful to be able to communicate freely with others. It’s also a tremendous blessing for me to be able to share my Christian testimony with them. I feel that the Lord is using us in a special way. The Lord uses my wife praying for the sick and for other needs in the congregation and I have opportunity to teach the adult on Sundays and to preach once in a while on Fridays.

We moved to the Herndon harbor apartments

Finally we moved to the Herndon Houses. It’s a very wonderful place. It has all the facilities. That includes a family room, a laundry rooms, an exercise room, etc. my wife is very happy with the apartment. We plan to stay here for a while if we get the Section 8 subsidy to pay the rent, or if get a job. I’m still looking for a job, not just any job. I want a job where I can grow and learn. For that reason, I would like to be employed in the ministry, doing the Lord’s work. Every day I pray asking the Lord for His divine guidance.

  

When the Lord calls we answer

After living in Virginia for approximately three and half years we moved to Port St. Lucie, Fl. We felt that the Lord had another ministry for us. We moved there in May 2003 and we found a church with a small mixed group from South and Central America. We felt that they needed to learn the Word of God. Also, the pastor was new, and he needs guidance. We were honored to be able to help God’s people in any way we could.

We visited our children for Thanksgiving. Maggie, our oldest daughter, bought us the plane tickets, and we spent two weeks with them. Although my stay there was very traumatic because I was hospitalized for two days, we managed to make the best of it. We enjoyed the Thanksgiving meal and also our visits to the children. To this day, I cannot understand what happened to me. The doctors and technicians conducted all kinds of tests and all of them came out negative. Of course, my wife and I prayed all the time asking the Lord to heal me.

We returned to Port Saint Lucie, Florida, on December 11 and our friends, the Oteros, went to pick us up at the airport. They graciously invited us to have dinner with them and to stay there over night. The following day we came to our church. Last Tuesday, we celebrated our 50^th anniversary. It was a beautiful ceremony and the congregation gave us a plaque and a bouquet of flowers. After the ceremony, we had a delicious supper and a cake.

 

 

My wife and I were involved in a second major automobile accident

As I was driving Tiffany Ave. towards US 1, a car coming from the Saint Lucie Medical Center and going into Village Green Ave. did not stop at the sign and hit the front end of my car. It happened to sudden that I did not have time to avoid the accident. For a moment, I was left confused. The impact caused the air bags to open and filled the car with smoke. I searched desperately for the handle to open the door, and finally I found it. I turned the door handle and with great difficulty I managed to push it out. After unbuckling the seat belt, I stepped out, and noticed that the car was going forward. I immediately got inside the car, and I applied the parking brake. In the meantime, my wife was crying because of the horrible pains she was suffering. I walked to my wife’s side; I unbuckled her seat belt, and proceeded to move her out. At this moment, I heard somebody’s voice instructing me not to move her. Therefore, I helped her return to the car seat, and I waited for the ambulance to arrive.

 

Three cheers for a wonderful group

Within minutes, two ambulances, one fire truck, and two police cars came. The paramedic worked expediently and after fitting us with neck collars, helped us to lie down on the ambulance and took us to The Saint Lucie Medical Center. We were immediately admitted to the emergency room. Once there, they conducted a series of test on each of us to determine the extend of our injuries. My wife suffered two broken ribs, a dislocated hand, and other minor lacerations. I suffered a tremendous blow on my chest, some lacerations on my face and a bump on my left knee and hurt my lower back. They discharged us from the hospital at about 2ː00 am on 1/10/2004. We were very lucky that our friend Otero went there to take us home. He has always been a tremendous help to us. We thank our Lord for friends like him. During the following weeks, my wife was in constant pain. The first month was the most horrifying because she could not lie down on the bed to sleep. Consequently, she slept on the living room recliner until she was well enough to sleep on the bed. Luckily my condition was not as bad. My face lacerations were healed, the chest pain diminished, and my lower back felt much better. My wife’s ribs were healed in three months; but she continued to feel pains. Afterwards, the insurance company rented a car for us to move around. They also paid our car because was a total loss. We used the proceeds as a down payment for our new car. We bought a 2003 Toyota Camry.

 

 

My first experience on the Florida Turnpike

It was quite an experience to drive on the Florida Turnpike. We went to see a friend whom we had not seen for many years. Our friend is married to a wonderful man who really loves her very much. After we talked for a while, they took us to various communities to see the houses that were for sale. I did not know that there are so many houses for sale! We were looking for a two-bedroom house for less than $80,000. And we were seriously considering buying a manufactured home, which seems to be ones available for that price.