ORPHAN’S PROMISE NEWSLETTER | JANUARY 2018
mission: Puerto Rico by Chris Free, Creative Media Manager, Orphan’s Promise
The hurricane hit. The news cycle moved on. The problem—and the people—soon became “out of sight, out of mind.” While it sounds horrible, I think those were the honest feelings for most of us. Surely I’m not the only one who felt like this after the hurricane in Puerto Rico?
Coming on the heels of huge storms and flooding in Texas and Florida, Category 5 Hurricane Maria hit and devastated the island of Puerto Rico. Most Americans were already experiencing storm fatigue when they heard about it in the news. It left most of us saying, “That’s horrible!” or “How sad for them,” and then we went on with our lives.
THEN I ARRIVED IN PUERTO RICO It was two months after the hurricane and many areas looked like the storm had made landfall only hours earlier. I didn’t know—until it was too late—that it was the rainy season. National Weather Service flash flood alarms rang often as we drove on roads covered by water or that were washed out altogether. Humidity as thick as a blanket greeted our team from Orphan’s Promise. Fallen trees rested atop power lines and communication cables that struggled under their weight. Cables covered the roads, so the only way to get where you needed to go was to drive over them. With standing water surrounding the roads, the possibility of electrocution to those passing through was very real. Roofs had been ripped from the tops of structures and families tried, unsuccessfully, to stay dry under cheap blue tarps until they could save up enough money to build a proper roof. Some roads became rivers and an outlet for the water, while other roads (as well as houses) were literally falling off the sides of mountains as rushing waters undercut the soft ground that root structures had supported. After Hurricane Maria, healthy trees were far less predominant and some areas looked post-apocalyptic or even burnt by the salt water that had been carried in from the Atlantic Ocean by the storm surge.
ROOFS HAD BEEN RIPPED FROM THE TOPS OF STRUCTURES AND FAMILIES TRIED, UNSUCCESSFULLY, TO STAY DRY UNDER CHEAP BLUE TARPS UNTIL THEY COULD SAVE UP ENOUGH MONEY TO BUILD A PROPER ROOF.
I was told prior to my arrival: “Eighty percent of the island is without power,” and that some families were forced to drink muddy storm water in order to survive. I felt like they were discussing a thirdworld country. But this was Puerto Rico. This was a United States territory! I couldn’t help my feelings turning from “Not my problem” to “Dear God, how can we help when the problem is so large?” I had no answers, but I knew there was a huge need and Orphan’s Promise had a job to do. While there, it became very clear that what we could accomplish in a week would not be enough. But thanks to our incredible donors and partners, we were able to do a tremendous amount of good. In partnership with CBN International, we were able to provide clean water
80%
of the island is without power
to over 25,000 people through mobile water purification units that can be powered off of a car battery. This clean water allows Puerto Ricans to avoid drinking muddy, untreated river or storm water. Waterborne illnesses have been devastating families, especially those with young children. Now, mothers and fathers no longer have to choose between giving their children tainted water or risking dehydration. Additionally, to combat power shortages and the darkness that comes with shorter days during the winter months, we provided over 260 solar-powered lanterns and headlamps to several areas that we visited.
THE PUERTO RICANS’ GRATITUDE WAS VERY MOVING. When these storm victims received the simple gift of light, their faces beamed with a brightness that rivaled the lanterns. Caregivers would now able to illuminate darkened rooms where the orphans and vulnerable children they care for live, learn, eat, and play. In other areas, we delivered food and rations. With it being Thanksgiving week, we were honored to be able to provide over 850 Thanksgiving meals to one of the hardest-hit areas on the island. In some instances, we provided generators to facilities that lacked power. We were able to repair eight exposed roofs, trading the cheap blue tarps for shiny new tin roofs that now ping with the sound of rain—a welcome sound that drew smiles from the children below, who were now safe and warm and dry. In some places, we did the only thing we could to help: we prayed. Walking into church and worshipping alongside the residents was powerful. They called our team forward, in front of the congregation of roughly 250 local worshippers. They prayed for us and anointed us with oil. Afterward, they hugged us—and their tears needed no translation. Later in the trip, we made our way to a school, where we distributed 25 backpacks to children who had lost the bulk of their school supplies in the storm. We were also able to replace furniture in their kindergarten classroom. Local residents told us that flood waters had reached a height of 10 feet on their 12-foot-tall concrete school building. When water levels subsided, almost everything was ruined.
matthew 25:40
In all of this, Matthew 25:40 (CSB) rang aloud in my head: “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for Me.” What Orphan’s Promise was able to do was remarkable. However, there were so many areas where we wanted to do more but couldn’t because the need was too great for our resources at the time.
One dark and rainy evening, I entered a home for children with special needs. The roof and several walls were ripped off of the large, two-story structure. I walked through a doorway onto what seemed like an open-air patio, but it was never intended to be either open-air or a patio. Just weeks before, this room had been the dining room, but the absence of walls and a roof left the area unrecognizable. WInside, water was pooling on the floor and exposed wires hung from where walls and ceilings once stood. Rain continued to fall. I prayed, “God, protect these children.”
’ The outlook in Puerto Rico is pretty bleak. There are months, if not years, of recovery still ahead for the Puerto Rican people, but I want you to know that Orphan’s Promise did an absolutely incredible work during our time on the island. That said, the job is certainly not done. I heard a news report that stated the island would not have power restored for 18 months. That’s 18 months of blistering heat, and another rainy season. They need our prayers. They need our gifts. They need our hands. If this is something that you would like to help us with, feel free to make a donation here: givingho.pe/to-puertorico Blessings, Terry Meeuwsen orphanspromise.org
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Orphan’s Promise, a children’s ministry of The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., serves orphans and other vulnerable children around the world, taking them from at-risk to thriving through the transforming power of God’s love. CBN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization and your contributions to our ministry are tax-deductible.