North Cobb Christian School

After our original flight on Saturday was canceled, by the grace of God we were able to reschedule and arrive today! We are excited to see more of the island of Puerto Rico throughout this week and minister to everyone we meet. Half of our group arrived before dinner, and the rest will get here later tonight!

Today, January 6, is Three Kings Day, also known as Epiphany! On this holiday, kids in Puerto Rico pack grass into a shoe box to feed to the camels of the three wise men. The next morning, they awake to gifts in place of the grass. We were able to participate in this tradition by filling cups with grass and setting them outside of our hotel rooms. This morning, we awoke to candy!

The last of us arrived early this morning! After breakfast we are in Old San Juan enjoying the sights and buying souvenirs. We are glad to have the whole group together again as we officially start off our week.

After time at the beach and eating dinner, we are closing out our evening with a team meeting. We pray that God will use us in the coming ministry days to bless the people that we will be serving, and that He will speak to us and grow our relationship with Him as well. Now let's get a good night's sleep!

This morning we are working in Save a Sato, which is a non-profit that is home to hundreds of dogs and cats. We are helping the volunteers clean the kennels, litter boxes, water bowls, and take out the trash. They definitely need as many hands as they can get!

This afternoon we are making sandwiches to distribute to the homeless in the communities near the church of Iglesia Bautista de Metrópolis. José is guiding us with instructions on what to do and where to go.

After distributing sandwiches and water and praying over people in the community, we are making a quick stop at Georgetti’s ice cream shop for a sweet treat!

José invited us to enjoy grilled hamburgers and hot dogs at his property this evening! Having our team meeting under the stars has helped us feel closer to God as we prepare for ministry tomorrow. We are thankful for his hospitality!

This morning we are split into work groups at different sites. A few of us are painting the exterior of Iglesia Bautista de Rolling Hills. Pastor David is so grateful!

Some of us are cleaning a local children's home today. We are making sure that the windows and the outdoor facilities are spotless.

The third group is working at Maria's house today! Maria is a member of Iglesia Bautista de Metrópolis who needs help with upkeep of her yard as well as inside her home. We are glad that we get to bless her in this way and also spend time chatting with her!

We painted gray all around the outside of the church! We are thankful for the opportunity to serve Pastor David and his congregation in this way as well as pray over him and his ministry. He even gave us Puerto Rican flags as a thank you gift.

It is so important to have intentional conversations while we are serving. It's not just about the physical work, but about the relationships! We were happy to hear a piece of Maria's story today.

Tonight we are ending our week by doing a kayak tour through the bioluminescent bay! What a unique way to see more of God's creation before we leave this beautiful island tomorrow.

As we are lining up for our last breakfast of the trip, we are reflecting on this week and thinking of how we can take this experience home with us. After one last stop in Old San Juan, we are headed home! Hasta luego, Puerto Rico!