Azusa Pacific University Center for Student Action

Welcome to Puerto Rico!

After a long night and day of travel from California, we landed in Puerto Rico at 1:30pm. We were greeted by our PPM staff at the airport, where we loaded the van with our luggage and headed to lunch. We stopped at an area known as Piñones for some pinchos (basically barbeque chicken shishkabobs)! After soaking in the beautiful view for a few moments, we prayed and started our 1.5 hour journey to Arecibo. 

Upon arriving at Iglesia Metodista So Calvario, our partner church for the week, we were greeted by two church members: Raphael and Nicole. They had a delicious meal for us prepare with love by Raphael's mother, Lissette. Our dinner was a traditional Puerto Rican meal: white rice, gandules (stewed brown beans) and stew chicken with carrots, potatoes, and squash. Delicioso! 

Raphael and Nicole introduced themselves and their church after the meal. We are so excited to be here in Puerto Rico serving alongside these wonderful people! Please pray for our week - that we would put God's will ahead of our own and trust in His perfect plan for our week. 

Nicole and Raphael coordinated an icebreaker game for us before we headed off to camp to settle in for the night. 

Once we were at Campamento del Cumbres and unloaded our things, we had a quick team meeting to share our expectations for the week. How amazing to finally be here in Puerto Rico! We can hardly wait to participate in a Puerto Rican church service tomorrow morning!

What a beautiful morning of worship with our brothers and sisters at Iglesia Metodista El Calvario! We worshipped through songs, reading the Word, and praying. The church was so welcoming! Pastor Sergio's message was very applicable for the work we will be doing this week. Here's a quote to share with you: "God does not love us because we do good things for Him through service or giving, but He loves us simply because He is good."

We were introduced to the church, and then they prayed for us. 

This is the beautiful camp that we are staying at this week in Arecibo. It withstood Hurricane Maria, but not without a lot of damage. The buildings flooded, there were trees and debris everywhere, and the camp was inaccessible for 2 months after the storm. After a lot of work that has been done around the camp, we get the honor of putting a fresh coat of paint on two of the buildings to make the place look fresh and ready for visitors this spring and summer. 

Here is a before shot of the cafeteria building that we will be painting this week. 

Our first day of painting was long, but we sure worked hard! And we made a lot of progress! How fun to get to know each other more while we painted. Speaking of getting to know each other, we have a variety of music tastes! Depending on which wall of the building you were on, you could be listening to classic rock, Latino hits, or 2000s jams. 

And to celebrate our day of hard work, a trip to the ice cream shop! 

Painting this week was more than just an act of service. As we painted over old layers of paint that have covered these walls for 30 years, we realized we play just a small part in what this community has done before us and will continue to do after us. We also are grateful for a fresh coat of paint that represents a new beginning for this camp after the devastation it experienced after Hurricane Maria. 

A local Christian school was using the camp's facilities for their chapel. We took a break from our painting project to play with the kids during their recess. 

On our drive up into the mountains for our waterfall excursion, we HAD to stop and admire the beautiful view and thank God for creating it and allowing us to come and see it.

We spent our morning swimming at the base of a waterfall! What a way to relax after a long week of painting!

"Oh the overwhelming, never ending, reckless love of God..."

Getting to sing praise to the Lord, visit with the elderly, and pray for the sick was an excellent way to.finish our week of ministry.

Iglesias Metodista El Calvario blessed us with a traditional Puerto Rican meal usually only served on special occasions such as Christmas. Then, the pastors and leaders we have met throughout the week blessed us with gifts - Puerto Rican sweets and a necklace!

We are so thankful to have met these brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Iglesias Metodista El Calvario blessed us with a traditional Puerto Rican meal usually only served on special occasions such as Christmas. Then, the pastors and leaders we have met throughout the week blessed us with gifts - Puerto Rican sweets and a necklace!

We are so thankful to have met these brothers and sisters in Christ.