PR Mission Trip Video
Day 8
We are safely home! A few random photos from our last night in Puerto Rico. We met in Old San Juan for a relaxing evening. The narrow cobblestone streets and architecture were so unique. Thank you to everyone who followed us on this journey, for your prayers, and kind words. We are blessed! God's Work, Our Hands..
Day 7
Thursday and Friday was a new house for each group. Our group repaired Nelson's roof, did some interior paint scraping and yard cleanup. Nelson is an elderly widower. He has no family nearby. His home was quite bare. He had a few kitchen chairs but no table, a small loveseat and a bed. We surprised him with an early Christmas basket which held some basic essentials. There weren't any dry eyes in the house. He told his caseworker, who translated for us, that he wished we could stay. So much devastation, loneliness and frustration with the slow recovery. An elderly neighborhood woman stopped by with a cold bottle of water and a prayer card for each of us. She thanked us for helping in their neighborhood. Home tomorrow with many memories of lives we have touched. But almost as important is how our lives were blessed in return.
Day 6
Today was hard work! Both groups powerwashed accumulated hardened dirt to prepare the roofs for the priming and sealing that will happen tomorrow! The first group’s home was for an older gentleman named “Nelson.” He had lost almost everything with Hurricane Maria. Pam “visited” with him despite not understanding each other’s language, yet they ended their conversation with a hug! He had no family and welcomed the group with passion fruit picked from a tree in his yard. He also sent out for lunch for the group. Tomorrow the group will bring a “care package” back to his home!
The second group started their day with a rather scary trip to the site. The roadway consisted of bike-trail-like roads with 45-degree turns, guard rails on both sides (sometimes) with a serious drop! Nicole was a little green by the time we arrived back at the camp! The homeowner prepared lunch for this group in dinner-size portions — rice and beans with chicken and some potato-like vegetable.
Day 5
Today both of our groups finished our homes by applying the sealer to the roofs. Our homeowner expressed her gratefulness and then her sadness that we were leaving. She spends her days alone and loved having us around. Now, she should at least be able to stay dry inside her home!
Nilda prepared a breakfast snack and lunch for the group at her home including spaghetti and fried sweet plantains, tigernut milk (some authentic Puerto Rican food!)
We couldn’t spend a week in Puerto Rico without going to the beach, so this afternoon gave us an opportunity. We found one pretty close by — finding a parking spot was difficult! Lots of parking lots, but they haven’t been reclaimed after Maria! Beautiful campground, but deserted. Tomorrow, we’ll be introduced to two new homes.
Day 4
We finished putting the primer on roofs for two houses today—tomorrow, the sealer! As the primer needs some drying time, we finished at both homes a little early. That left some time for exploring. We drove to Old San Juan, toured the Castillo de San Cristobal, walked the blue cobblestone streets and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Triana, tapas and flamenco.
Day 3
A hard day of work!
Lots of work to be done!
Prepping the roof
Prepping the roof
Ready to leave for our first day of work
Prepping the roof
Prepping the roof
Scraping, scraping, scraping
How do we get up to pick that ripe star fruit?
Enjoying some fresh papaya after a full day
Day 2
A day of contrasts. From New York to San Juan; from cold to tropical. A day full of new experiences of new friends new birds, like the bobo that sings at night. Looking forward to our first day of work.
The New York skyline from JFK
A Mini Molten
Geocaching in New York
Day 1 -- Puerto Rico Mission
Quite a start! We’ve had an adventure in patience, an adventure in camaraderie, and an opportunity to experience the kind hospitality of strangers. We started out thinking we would drive from Cavalier to Fargo, leaving at 6:30 this morn, then fly to Minneapolis, then Atlanta, and finally San Juan. Our flight out of Fargo was delayed due to a maintenance issue, sending that whole schedule into a “tailspin”! Here we are in New York City, with an estimated arrival in San Juan tomorrow afternoon at 4:30. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers from our congregation at home!
I might add, we created a bit of a spectacle in the Minneapolis airport as we listened to and cheered on our Cavalier Tornadoes! Congratulations on the WIN!
