Send Relief - Puerto Rico Mission Trip

Puerto Rico

For my project I decided to venture out and go on a mission trip with the Baptist College Ministry. We spent a week in Puerto Rico helping those who were affected by the hurricane that stuck the island in October.  I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to go on the trip and now desire to continue going on mission trips!

We left for the trip on Saturday morning, March 3rd. The group was staying for a week and then returning back to the mainland. While there we were working with an organization called, "Send Relief." The workers with the foundation were fantastic and had such great stories to share. Their drive to help others was unmatched and was inspiring to be around. While there on the island we worked with the people who had been impact by the hurricane. The home owners my group worked with specifically was an elderly couple who had had their roof blown off by the winds from the hurricane. Their roof was build in three sections, two concrete and one was a wood frame roof. We had to pressure wash and clean the concrete roofs in order to reseal them so that water would not leak into their home. Branches from the trees surrounding the house had grown into the concrete and were starting to damage the structure so we also repaired those area's. The lumber for the other roof that had to be built was in a hauler trailer right below the house so we had to carry roughly 200-250 12 foot boards up the stairs to the roof. We also cut, measured, and screwed each board into place. Once the frame was built we carried 100 pieces of 10ft tin roof up the stairs and onto the roof to be screwed into the frame to hopefully withstand the next storm. On top of the work we also cleaned up the work site and help with some yard work with the neighboring houses. 

Along with the manual labor we did we were also able to walk around and hand out food to those in need. This provided us with an opportunity to connect with those in need and to share the gospel with them if we felt led to do so. We were able to meet a man named Freddy who live on top of a hill that had a 360 degree view of the island. He was extremely welcoming and invited us into his home to share all that he had. During our free days also got to see a large part of the island and its attractions such as the Fort, the beaches, and the town of Old San Juan. 

This trip was my first time out of the country. I was hesitant at first due to the fear of the unknown because I did not know what to expect. The communication barrier was not as difficult as I anticipated because English is a very prominent language on the island but even when communicating with those who only spoke Spanish, general gestures were still understood.