Today we finished working on the roofs at Doris’ house. This included drying the roof and adding primer. The whole group had fun talking with Alex and Manuel throughout the day as well as seeing Ryan and MJ’s reactions when one of the other hosts made coffee for them. FInally we added the actual roof sealent which in itself was pretty boring. While it rained a little, it never got hard enough to cause us any problems. After we finished all of the work, Ryan treated our groups to ice cream. These past 2 days, it was fun to interact with the family who’s house we were working on. And even though they didn’t speak much English, we could tell how grateful they were that we where working on their house and that we cared about them.

I felt a feeling like no other. Although I didn’t understand most of what was spoken, I could feel the energy in the room and it was like no other. I absolutely loved it because I felt like I was apart of it although I didn’t understand what was being said. The energy in the room made me feel closer to God, and it was a worship experience I will never forget.

I could barely understand a word they were saying, but I felt the energy from everyone in worship. I felt the energy from the people at church because they were all singing, clapping and raising their hands. I bet many of those people had long work days like we did and they were probably tired like us. They still stayed awake to go to church and stand up for two hours.

At times it was frustrating because I couldn’t understand what the people were saying and at times, what was going on. However, I did feel God’s presence and a sense of community in that room. When someone prayed, they did it with so much passion and heart that it would be hard to not feel God’s presence. At the end, some people from the congregation came up towards the front and started praying. Others from the congregation prayed with them and hugged them. They showed so much compassion for each other. It was an amazing experience I will never forget.

At church yesterday, I found that it was hard to understand what everyone was saying because of how it was all in Spanish. I felt the spirit during the service because everyone had an energy that I don’t usually experience when I go to church in Indiana. I really enjoyed the service and it was a good experience to be apart of.

Even though I didn’t understand most of the service, I could feel that what the pastor was saying was powerful and emotional and really connected with his congregation.

I felt very welcomed and a part of last night’s worship. The energy coming from the people is something I have never experienced in the church, even though I couldn’t understand the sermon, I felt as if their energy during songs and healing was enough for me to get a full experience.

I felt kinda lost not being able to understand what they were saying and I felt out of place because they do lots of different stuff compared to what we do.

At last nights worship I felt really close to home. I grew up going to a hispanic church just like that and to be able to share the experience with others was a blessing. Being the only one that could actually understand what was being said made everyone else more self aware of what it feels like to come to the U.S and having that language barrier.

Tonight the youth worshiped at ICDC Orocovis

Our day was rather fulfilling at Margarita’s house, and the things we did as a group i was very proud of. We set out to seal and paint the interior of the house. It didn’t occur to us that our expectations were a little far fetched, but I think we all learned a lesson that even connected back to yesterday. Every person worked to their absolute maximum, but we didn’t finish what we set out to do. The important lesson learned was that sometimes our expectations aren’t met even if you put your all into it. Once I put this together I looked back on the day and really felt like we made a big difference, and that is all we set out to do. – Max Hoffman

Today was our second day at this site, and probably the most fufilling day because of the outcome of our work. For the past two days we had been painting a home which was built for a family that lost everything in hurricane Maria. Although the work we did on the house was very impactful, I was personally moved by a conversation I had with one of our contractors about his experience during Maria. He told me that he was fortunate enough to have lost nothing significant during the hurricane, but he witnessed many atrocities caused by the hurricane. He mentioned that his connection with God was weak prior to the disaster, but when a giant tree landed on his home without harming it whatsoever and instead protected it, he knew its was God looking out for him and his family. Even though the physical work we do is meaningful, stories and experiences like these are what truly give these trips a purpose. – Elsi Miranda

Today was really fun. I am in Mary Jo’s group, and worked on a house that had no furniture. Throughout the day we set up and installed cabinet’s, and swept the floors. We also power washed the roof. Once our work was finished, we joined another group and helped them finish painting walls. My highlight was the bakery following dinner. We took a road trip to honor Kade and Ethan’s Birthday. It was a really fun day and I am glad to be in Puerto Rico. – Kaitlyn Russell.

Although there were some obstacles, it was an overall good day. I am in Kyle’s group and we power washed the roof of sweet Margarita’s house. In the beginning, there was not much work for us to do. Kyle, Shelby, Max and I were all frustrated because we wanted to help. I have realized that patience is key and that you have to have a positive attitude. The highlight of my day was definitely seeing Margarita’s face when we were finished. Even though she only speaks Spanish and we could not understand her, she brought joy to my day. I am excited to get back to work tomorrow! – Maddie Moore

Today was a really cool experience. My group helped at the home of a family who lost almost all of their house to hurricane Maria. I got to meet the mom of the family and it warmed my heart to see her face light up when we showed up to help. We took a picture with her, then we waited to start working. My group waited for almost two hours for the crew to figure out what we were doing, then we had to wait for the paint. It is hard when we are on a mission trip, but we have to be patient and sometimes do nothing when the crew we are working with has no work for us. I felt bad for not working and sitting there while the crew was working really hard. Then, the paint came and we were able to paint the inside of the upstairs floor completely white. The painting was challenging because we were painting a bright blue wall that was covered in dirt and paint chips white. I loved working hard on this house; and I wanted to make it as nice as possible for this family so they could enjoy a functional new home after they lost everything. ~Fiona Wray