Day 1 and 2: Saturday and Sunday
We arrived safely in Puerto Rico late Saturday morning after a fairly smooth flight, with the exception of the bumpiest landing that I’ve ever experienced. I love these trips! We begin as a group of relative strangers and I know that the experiences of the next week will culminate in this group becoming a tight knit family. It is always fun to watch that happen!
This is a little bit of a different trip for me. For the first time in my 25 years of ministry, I am leading a church to country other than Haiti. I have had to fight the urge to compare everything to those trips. If one of the purposes of a short-term trip is to pull us out of our comfort zones, then this trip is going to be good for me! The familiarity of Haiti makes it a comfortable place for me, this is something new and I can’t wait to see what God will do. We’ve got a healthy mix of ages, backgrounds, and spiritual maturity on this trip. It is an incredible blessing for Erin and I to have three out of four of our own kids with us. Will and Liv have never done something like this and it is such a privilege to watch them be stretched, learn, grow and serve.
My first impression of Puerto Rico was to be blown away by the natural beauty of the country. The airport was incredible and San Juan is very modern and built up, there is no difference between it and a typical small American city. (we passed TJ Maxx, Best Buy, Costco, and even a Sizzler!) We stopped for lunch by the ocean and the view was breathtaking! The water is a color of blue that I am not sure I have ever seen before. We had bar-b-que chicken skewers, a popular street food here and ate overlooking the ocean. After lunch, we got to our dorms to settle in. We are staying in a church that used to be and Elementary school. We’ve got bunk beds and are divided between 4 rooms. There are 4 total showers for all 23 of us, plus our two guides! Thankfully, each room does have an AC unit. The nights don’t cool off much so this is a very nice bonus!
Our first taste of what the city is like was to make a Wal-Mart run. Think the Norwalk Costco parking lot on a Saturday, it was nuts!! I am not sure I have ever seen so many cars in one parking lot, they’ve got me driving a 15 passenger van and it was a miracle that I didn’t hit a car or a person, no one looks where they’re going and, if there are rules, I haven’t figured out them out yet! We loaded up on some supplies and headed “home.” We got a few peeks at the amazing mountains off in the distance, again, this is a beautiful country!
Sunday morning, after a quick breakfast, we headed off to a local Baptist church. Our group more than doubled the attendance that morning! They were so friendly and welcoming! The service was very different than what we’re all used to. They passed out some tambourines and maracas, to some of our team to liven up worship a bit! I’m thinking about suggesting this to Kari for Hope’s worship! Dave Santisi and Ana Buchesky each gave their testimony and both were heartfelt and powerful. I learned new things about both of them, but more than that, was blown away by the goodness and grace of God in their lives. During the greeting time, some of the teens got their first experience of a culture with hugs and cheek kisses as a normal greeting. Talk about pulling them out of their comfort zone! After church, we ate with the members of the church and then got ready to walk to a couple of homes in the neighborhood to visit with some members who could no longer make it physically to church. As we began to walk, the skies opened up and it absolutely poured! We arrived at the first house soaked. It didn’t matter, we were enthusiastically welcomed and had the chance to visit with Carmen, a woman in her late 80s. We had the privilege of praying with her and for her and each got a huge hug on the way out.
The rain subsided while we were visiting, only to pick back up as we walked to the next home. In the second home we met Magdalia and her family. We gathered around, laid hands on, and prayed for her grandson, Danny, who has some big decisions coming up in his life. Magdalia also asked for us to sing for her, we went with the old favorite, “Amazing Grace.” House number three was a quick drive away for us. We met Jose and his family, they are caring for his wife’s mother who is suffering from dementia. We got a chance to sing again and to pray with the family. It was a special visit. Each home we entered was so welcoming, each was so grateful for a visit, each left us feeling loved and encouraged, each shared a bond with us in Christ that made for an immediate connection. It was a great afternoon and a powerful reminder of the vastness of God’s Kingdom and the reality that, in Christ, we find common ground and we are family.
After a quick stop at a specialty popsicle place, (yes it exists, yes it was the best thing ever) we headed back to the dorms. Dinner was followed by devotions and an opportunity to de-brief a bit. Now, as I sit by myself and write, there are screams, squeals, groaning, and a ton of laughter coming from the table next to me as the team plays a game that I can’t quite figure out the point of!!
Tomorrow the physical work begins. Please pray that God will use us. Pray for protection and endurance. Pray for opportunities for relationship to happen both within the team, and with those we are serving. This will be my last post, I’ll open it up each evening for our team to write a bit so that you can hear from different perspectives, see a different picture, and get to know some different Hope members. Thank you for prayers, your support, and your love, we will see you soon!
Pastor Dan
Attached below is a link that will take you to the Praying Pelicans Missions page with more updates on things we are experiencing.
https://www.ppm.org/mission-trip-journals/20847