I spent a portion of my Christmas break traveling to Puerto Rico with my student Bible study group to serve the community of La Hormiga!
This past holiday season, my greatest present came from an act of giving. I participated in my first service mission trip to Dorado, Puerto Rico. I embarked on this journey with Hampton students within H.O.P.E. Ministries Bible Study group, students from Christopher Newport University, Liberty University and Coastal Community Church. Although our intention was to go and serve the people of Puerto Rico, I don’t think any of us anticipated how much we would receive.
In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico. Experts regard it as one of the worst natural disasters on record to affect the island, as over 3,000 lives were lost. Before we traveled to Puerto Rico, H.O.P.E. Ministries led meaningful discussions on what our intentions would be in serving. We were not going to “fix” problems, we were going to engage and inspire souls with the Gospel message. Achieving this open-minded heart posture allowed us to focus on forming genuine connections with every individual we crossed paths with. The community we served, La Hormiga, welcomed us with open arms.
During the first half our of week, we organized and hosted Vacation Bible School for the children of the community. Students were assigned to lead stations with activities ranging from face painting to relay races. It was a joy to watch how sports, art and music allowed us to engage with the children. As many of us were not fluent in Spanish, we quickly found that simple kind gestures such as a smile, laugh or a wave can transcend all language barriers. We ministered to the children and adults alike with Bible skits and praise and worship songs. It was wonderful to watch the children open up and share their personalities more as they got more comfortable during the week.
The rest of the week was spent in construction projects. Under the leadership of Hunger Corp., a nonprofit organization, we devoted our time and energy to rebuilding and restoring homes in the community that may have been affected by the hurricane. Some of us were tasked with removing nails from old pieces of wood, others mixed concrete and dug trenches. It was humbling to be welcomed into the personal space of individuals in the community. Everyone was so friendly--one woman even brought us volunteers some homemade coffee and frozen treats! It was very clear to us during the week that we were there not only to make an impact on infrastructures in the community, but on the hearts of the people in the community as well.
