Holy Cross Lutheran Church

Heather and Daphne, our staff for the week, are ready to receive us in Puerto Rico! We are looking forward to serving together this week.

We have arrived in Puerto Rico and are already enjoying delicious food! We are so excited to serve with Pastor Dieppa again this year and see what God has in store for us.

This morning we are worshipping alongside Primera Iglesia Bautista de Canóvanas in Spanish! Pastor Dieppa is preaching from Matthew chapter 14, when Jesus walked on water. Even for those of us who have not been here before, it feels like one big family.

After a delicious lunch, we are joining some of the church leadership on a prayer walk in the community. We are handing out bags of bread with cards about the Gospel and asking for prayer requests. So many special interactions are happening today!

This week we will be hosting chapel for the academy next to the church. Tonight we are preparing for those activities as well as rehearsing our testimonies for the church service on Tuesday evening.

Today is day 1 of working in two homes near Pastor Dieppa’s church! We pray that the work and interactions that we have this week would be intentional and a blessing to the community.

A few of us are pressure washing the roof of Carmen and Nitza’s house. Once it is clean and dry, we will be able to apply sealer. What a difference we are seeing already!

This morning we are at Nilsa and Allen’s house. We are helping them organize some things around their house and making room for Nilsa’s dad to move in.

Nitza has not been able to take out her recycling recently due to the rain and steep driveway. We are glad we are able to help today by getting it out of the house for her!

We are taking the time to help Nilsa clean around the house this afternoon. We are also praying over her and her family.

After a day of serving we are kayaking in the bioluminescent bay. For some of us this is our first time.

We are starting out the day by leading chapel for the kids of Academia Bautista Sotera Sanchez. We are doing a fun puzzle dynamic were they get to draw or write their favorite Bible verse and then we join them all together.

Today we are pressure washing the outside of Nitza and Carmen's house, and helping her clean things out that they no longer need. They are so grateful for all of the help!

Nitza has some projects around the house that she has been unable to get around to. She asked if we could help cut some plastic containers so that she can re-use them. Everything has a purpose for her!

This afternoon are sealing Nitza and Carmen's roof so that it will not leak anymore. Even in the hot sun, we are still smiling!

Tonight we are joining the church for their weekly evening prayer service. Dave, Ella, and Nolan are all sharing testimonies on the stage. There are musical participations and testimonies shared by some of the church members as well. We feel the Holy Spirit moving tonight!

Today we are applying the final coat of sealer to the roof of Carmen and Nitza's house! We pray that there are no more leaks inside their home after this treatment.

This morning we are back at Nilsa’s house! We are installing her new fridge and a kitchen faucet. We hope that this is a great blessing to her and her family!

We are setting up a new bed frame for Nilsa’s son, Allen as his previous one was broken. We are also fixing some things in the bathroom.

This afternoon we are saying goodbye to Carmen and Nitza after finishing the work on their home for this week. It has been a blessing to get to know them and be able to help clean and improve their living space.

We have greatly enjoyed the time we have spent with Nilsa at her house. We are so blessed to have been able to serve her and her family this week. We pray over her, her son, Allen and her dad asking God to continue blessing them.

After a long few days we are taking time to explore the town of Rio Piedras. We are visiting a local market, taking photos of the street art, and eating delicious ice cream!

Last night we celebrated Milo's birthday with cake and ice cream! What a great way to close out our final day of work projects! Happy Birthday!

This morning we are back at Academia Sotera Sánchez. We are assisting the PE teacher with the class for 3rd, 4th and 7th grade.

We are ending our time with Pastor Dieppa by enjoying a delicious typical Christmas meal. We have been so blessed to work alongside pastor again.

We are enjoying some time off this afternoon! We are taking the opportunity to visit El Yunque National Rainforest! We are having so much fun taking pictures, doing some light hiking and taking a dip in the swimming hole.

To wrap up our evening, we are enjoying pizza at the beach! Our last dinner all together here in Puerto Rico, it's bittersweet but delicious.

Today we are spending a few hours in Old San Juan before saying goodbye to our PPM staff. It has been an incredible week of trusting God's plan and seeing Him continue to build bridges between Puerto Rico and South Dakota. We know we won't forget the relationships that we have made this week. Hasta luego!