Puerto Rico Mission Trip
by Mario Mendez, Class of 2022 - Home School
Dearest esteemed donor.
First off I just wanted to say thank you for your incredibly generous contribution to help me get to Puerto Rico to do something I love and have an incredible experience with the people I am so incredibly close to now. The experience I had in Puerto Rico was a once in a lifetime experience that I could not be more grateful to have. And would like to tell you a little bit about it. Traveling there on the first day was a really long day especially since it started at 3 AM with me only knowing a few people on the trip. I was excited but a little nervous at the same time. To go on a trip like this with some people I have never talked to. Little did I know I would become incredibly close with each and every person throughout this next week. Once we got there it was almost like I imagined a tropical island which was pouring rain while we waited for our bags. But by the time we got outside it stopped raining and the sun came out and you can really see the true beauty of the island as we drove to the school that we stayed at. It was definitely a little different than what we normally stay in not much air conditioning. But at the same time I was excited for what was ahead.
Day two and three were just as action packed. On day two we got up and went to church. And got to experience something pretty special at the church. They were all just so welcoming and the service was great. They provided a translator for us so we could understand everything and they even performed a song in English for us. After church we got to meet the pastor and his family and all the employees from church over lunch. After lunch we got to talk in depth with the pastor about his story, the church's story and how Covid and hurricanes have affected the church in the past few years and how the community is so strong that it is able to overcome it. They were all so grateful that we were there it was just truly amazing to see.
Day three was our first full day of work in the morning. It was our normal routine. I love how we start it off every day by doing a devotional. It was really a good chance to sit and think where we were while also getting closer to God. It was the perfect way to start your day. When we go to the church we split into groups. We were also getting prepared for the VBS the next day. So half of us started painting the church and the other half started getting ready. I was in a painting group. Which I really did enjoy painting I’ve done construction and landscaping before so I kinda knew what I was getting myself into. Once we walked into the church they all welcomed us with open arms just like they did the day before. The painting group got straight to work the people I worked with I really got to know better which was really nice because we were starting to able to work together as a team. While also listening to music made the experience very enjoyable. After lunch we all started to work on the VBS because we’re performing a play for the kids the next day that was not in English it was pretty fun to see everyone working hard even though the language barrier was hard but everyone was helping each other so it was really nice.
Day three and four were probably my favorite days there. We first started off with the VBS with the kids which was amazing to see that everything we did made them so happy even if it was the smallest thing. Even though there was a language barrier which could have been frustrating at times I got to see all of us or through that and find other ways to communicate with these kids and make their days. We worked with the VBS in the morning. And after lunch we went back to the church to finish painting . The best part of D3 for me was we had some people from the choir come and sing worship music with us for the last hour of the day. That was probably one of my favorite memories of this trip. During the evening we were also working to strengthen our connection with God and with each other what it that’s through devotionals hearing people‘s testimonies , Or playing board games with each other we were always doing something.
During day five it was definitely really easy to get up because as close to the ground with all these people every chance that I get to talk to them or hang out with them whether that’s during breakfast or after we finish our day I took the opportunity to because I knew every hour that went bye was one hour less that we had to spend with each other so I wanted to make the most of it. When we got to the VBS we performed our last play for the kids and we finished off the VBS by writing them letters and making them an arts and crafts and in return they actually gave us bracelets that they made for us with their names on them. Saying goodbye to them was really hard because even though we were only with them for three days I got to learn about them and see God and all of them and felt such great joy that I got to meet this amazing group of kids. After we got back to the church we had one last lunch with the people from the church and the pastor. It was very sad to see that we made such great bonds with these people and our fun time with this church has come to an end after a few hugs and some tears. We went back and got changed to the beach. Which I was super excited for because I had never been to the beach before. The beach in Puerto Rico was absolutely gorgeous and it was even more fun because I got to share it with this group of friends that I became so close with. That night after the beach was probably my favorite night. I got to connect with a few of the younger kids there and we got to tell our testimonies and how we became close to God. We ended up talking for three or four hours. Those are some of my favorite conversations I get to have with people when you forget time and you just talk about the things that make you happy even one of the leaders from the mission joined in with us.
On the last day of the trip really couldn’t believe that we were leaving this Beautiful island. But I also knew I had a great day ahead with these amazing people so I try not to think about the sad stuff too much yet. The day started off bright and early at about 4:45 AM so I select few who were brave enough to get up at that time and could go watch the sunrise for the start of our last day on this beautiful island. The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous and they gave us another chance to grow even closer. After having breakfast and getting back to the school and packing up and saying goodbye to the school that we stayed at for the last six days I couldn’t believe that we were leaving already. It felt like such a short trip but so long because of all the memories we made. After we packed up we went into the city for one last day in Puerto Rico. We got to see some breathtaking views and take some fun pictures and we ended up splitting up the groups. I went off with a few people and we all had lunch at this Italian place in Puerto Rico. After visiting countless shops and walking probably 4 or 5 miles the time I came that we would all be dreading we had to find our leaders and meet back up. And head to the airport. Saying goodbye to the leaders from Puerto Rico who led our mission was hard because I felt like we grew so close to these people over the weeklong trip that we were there. After a long travel day back and getting back to Austin very late I felt very sad but so much joy out of what we just did with this group of people who are now the closest friends I’ve ever made and I know will stay in touch for life.
In conclusion I cannot thank you enough for your generosity. And the ability to send me on this life-changing incredible experience I am so beyond grateful and feel so blessed that someone out there who doesn’t even know me would do something that’s nice. I hope you got to see a little glimpse into what was such a life-changing trip. God bless you and thank you for everything
