Day 5
Good evening Hope Church Family! Jakob here. I have the privilege, along with Liz, to share a bit about our work today and our experience so far in Puerto Rico. Below are both our entries.
Jakob –
Today (Wednesday) was day three of working on the house project. We were blessed with beautiful sunshine (the past two days have been rainy) that allowed us to work through the entire morning and afternoon. This was our last day working on Lucy’s home. The goal of our day was to power wash the outside and paint both the inside and the outside of the home. It was incredible to see how well our team has come together to work. Although it has been only three days you would think that we have been working together for three years. There is a special kind of unity when believers come together to serve Christ. It was evident that through us God is working to bless Lucy and her family. We accomplished all the painting and power washing that we were tasked with completing. The difference between what the house looked like when we arrived versus now is night and day. The new paint, especially on the outside, helped to bring the house back to life. One of the most touching moments of the day for me was at the end of the work day getting the opportunity to pray over Lucy and her family along with her local pastor. They were extremely grateful for the work we have accomplished and praying over her left me and some other team members with tears in our eyes. May we all continue to pray for her family and her home as ongoing construction gets done on it. As I finish out my entry I just wanted to add one final thought. This is my first time being a leader (and Youth Pastor) on a mission trip like this. I was not exactly sure what to expect going into this experience. But I have been filled with an incredible sense of gratitude to be a part of this team, especially towards my students. They have stepped up and served even when it rains. Even when it is extremely hot inside the house and outside of it. Even when we are covered in dust and paint. Their attitude and outlook has remained positive and up lifting. I could not be more proud to be called their Youth Pastor. Thank you for reading!
Liz –
Today was our final day doing construction work at Lucy’s and we were tasked with painting and pressure washing. Upon arrival we all jumped to paint inside while Kyle and Damien (two HS students) pressure washed the outside to prepare for the exterior after lunch. Jakob described the day in its entirety so I will be more so speaking on behalf of the dynamic outside of the work. It has been an absolute joy to see our students fully lean into this week and step up in ways that they have never before. Days like this would be considered intimidating because most have not done something like this. Yet despite the rain, humidity, and heat they continued to work and saw the house being brought back to life piece by piece. The team itself has also been just amazing as the mix of families, students, adults, and young adults has been so exciting to watch as friendships are being made. This is on full display as we work because the team so cohesively takes on tasks and jumps to fill in the gaps when needed. This reminds me of the 1 Corinthians 12 passage in which we all are different parts of the body of Christ, yet we work in tandem together. We all bring our past experiences, talents, and abilities and we are leaning on each other to complete the project the best we can. I am very thankful to get to be a part of something like this and ready to see what the rest of our time brings.