Karen Rocha, 27, brings home a glimpse of the work in Puerto Rico Oct. 19-26.
She is a special needs teacher in Dallas and member of Primera Iglesia Bautista Mexicana working with Texans on Mission in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The group is repairing two homes destroyed by Hurricane Maria in 2017, as well as conducting a Vacation Bible School with Coram Deo Church there. We’ve asked her to send in daily stories and videos, journaling her trip experience.
Check out her reports and videos at TexansOnMission.org/puerto-rico-experience.
Here's an excerpt:
It’s Day 3 of our Texans on Mission Rebuild trip to Puerto Rico, and our second day of rebuilding Siri’s home in Aguadilla. It was destroyed seven years ago by Hurricane Maria when her roof was torn off.
Since then, volunteers have helped replace the roof while we are attempting to level the floor of her concrete home, tile it and paint around her windows.
This morning, Hermana Roseanne Muñoz (at right) of Primera Dallas and I are putting tape and a plastic mask around the windows so we don't get paint all over the walls. When all of this is done, we can spray paint and get the windows painted.
If you’re wondering what we are here for, all of this work we are doing for Siri is work I hope is telling her there's hope after the storm. Even though she lost a lot, there’s still hope for her to have that second opportunity to enjoy her time being in the house, spending time with family, spending time with friends. That’s what we’re here for.
It’s also important to say who we are doing this for. We heard Siri’s story from Miriam Lorenzo, president and founder of Stronger than Maria, an aid organization she founded to help victims of Hurricane Maria’s destruction in 2017.
As Miriam told us, “when we found Siri after Maria, her house was destroyed. She was living here, but all her belongings and everything that was inside.
“She is a lady who has cancer but doesn't have anybody that helps her. She’s a low-income person who doesn't have Social Security or anything else. What we're doing is trying to make this house livable so she will be able to come back and have a decent life and a place that she can call home.”