Read: Nehemiah 1:1-4 | 1 Corinthians 12:26
On the weekend of September 17th, 2017, the national weather center rang the alarm about the danger that Hurricane Maria presented for the Caribbean, especially for the island of Puerto Rico.
The forecasts were scary. Some of the adjectives used to describe what was coming were: catastrophic, apocalyptic, unprecedented.
The people on the island made every possible preparation to face Hurricane Maria, but they were never ready, because they did not have a clear point of reference to help them prepare. This would be the first time in more than 5 generations that Puerto Ricans would face a storm of this magnitude.
The people on the island made every possible preparation to face Hurricane Maria, but they were never ready, because they did not have a clear point of reference to help them prepare. This would be the first time in more than 5 generations that Puerto Ricans would face a storm of this magnitude.
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On the morning of September 20th, it was clear
that Maria would have a direct impact on the island. The skies turned gray.
Nature turned silence. And as my mom told me that night the last time I spoke
with her before the hurricane, "it smelled like a storm was coming." (And
if you have ever experienced this smell, you know how horrible it feels).
When the sun came down, the winds began to blow, and
Hurricane Maria made its entrance to Puerto Rico in darkest hours of the night,
engulfing the whole island with winds of more than 175 miles per hour and more
than 40 inches of rain.
An 18-hour Calvary that changed the life of the Puerto Rican
people forever.
To date, more than 75 direct deaths related to Mary have been
reported, but it is believed that we will never really know how many were lost
because of the government's lack of responsible accounting. More than 500 are
feared dead.
The infrastructure of the island collapsed. Every single household
lost electricity, drinking water, communications and more than 250.000 families
were directly impacted. Approximately 100.00 homes are destroyed. And, 100% of
the crops were lost and the economy is paralyzed.
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After Maria, Puerto Ricans on the island did not have a clear
idea of the magnitude of the damage, as there were no communications. But the
diaspora and the rest of the world, like the experience of the prophet
Nehemiah, received news and witnessed the destruction as it occurred.
That night, and for many nights – like many of you, I did not
sleep, stuck on television watching the news of the devastation – images that
stole our breath and caused moments of much sadness and intense groans of grief
for our people.
To the misery, it was added the despair of not knowing about our
families on the island. The famous saying "No news is good news", did
not console us because we knew that even if they wanted, people on the island
could not communicate. Some of us had to wait up to 30 days to hear news of our
loved ones.
And as if all this were not enough, also it was added the
lack of humanity, solidarity and empathy of some U.S. government officials
including the President, who with their comments, decisions and reprehensible
acts, violated the dignity of the Puerto Rican people.
--As with the Prophet Nehemiah in light of the devastation of Jerusalem, there has been many of us who have wept and mourned the suffering of Puerto Rico, and the other places impacted by natural disasters.
There have been many who have gone on our knees before God,
and shed tears for our beloved island.
There have been many who have fasted and had vigils in favor
of Puerto Rico, whether we planned it, or because we simply lost our appetite
or the anguish stole our sleep.
There have been many, like the prophet Nehemiah, who have
cried out to the Lord: "I pray you, Lord, to hear the prayer of the Puerto
Rican people and help me mobilize others to make a positive difference at this challenging
time."
---Well, today, I bring good news from God, for the Puerto Rican people on the island, and for diaspora: God has heard our cry, and for that reason, even in the midst of destruction and devastation, we can boldly proclaim: PUERTO RICO has hope, tiene ESPERANZA.
PUERTO RICO HAS HOPE, first and foremost because GOD IS WITH
THEN PUERTO RICAN PEOPLE.
PUERTOR RICO HAS HOPE, because its people have resilient
spirits, and with courage are already rebuilding their homeland.
PUERTO RICO has hope, because as it happened with the prophet
Nehemiah, in the face of this difficult situation, God is sensitizing men and
women, institutions and entire communities to be part of God’s movement for the
restoration and renovation of PR into the future.
Similar to the story of the Prophet Nehemiah, many are being
filled with courage and confidence in God's faithfulness and provision, that are
providing leadership and organizing initiatives in favor of the people of
Puerto Rico. Some big…some small..yet all great.
PUERTO RICO has hope, because many, like the United Methodist
people of Greater New Jersey, have declared that "when a part of the body
hurts, the whole body is hurt", and beginning with our Bishop, John Schol,
and the leadership of our conference, we have proclaimed that PUERTO RICO will
rise again, and that we are committed to being an active part of what God will
do in the years ahead.
Puerto RICO has hope, because the beautiful people of GNJ are
overflowing in generosity for the Puerto Rican people. Our congregations today
have already raised more than a quarter of a million dollars in favor of
hurricane victims in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean – half of
everything collected will go to help the renovation of Puerto Rico.
PUERTO RICO has hope because in the months and years to come,
hundreds of disciples of GNJ will join others and mobilize to PR to help with
the work of reconstruction.
PUERTO RICO has ESEPRANZA because in the face of the pain of
our people, the barriers that divide us are coming down, and together with
people of other nationalities, Christian and religious traditions, and community
groups we are joining in purpose in favor of the welfare of those who are suffering.
PUERTO RICO has hope, because there are people like Pastor
Sammy Arroyo and his congregation, who are opening their doors for events like ESPERANZA
FOR PUERTO RICO Food and Supplies Drive, this weekend.
PUERTO RICO has hope, because there are people like Pastor
Rolando Santiago, who has been planning the logistics of the event.
PUERTO RICO has hope, because there are people like the Rev.
Eunice Vega Perez, and pastor Jazelis Adorno, who with much love organized the
ESPERANZA FOR PR Day of Prayer.
PUERTO RICO has hope, because of congregations like Oasis UMC
in Pleasantville who are welcoming and supporting those relocating to their community
from PR.
PUERTO RICO has hope, because there are people like brother
Luis De Jesus, who organized leaders in his community for a time of prayer to
raise awareness about the needs of the Puerto Rican people.
PUERTO RICO has hope, because organizations like MARCHA, are
advocating, in and out of the church, for fair and equitable processes and laws
for PR in this time of great need.
PUERTO RICO has hope, because there are people like Maria
Novoa, from El Mesías UMC in Long Branch, who when out into the streets in her
neighborhood to collect donations and has been working all weekend, presenting
her sleeplessness to God as a sacrifice of praise, since she arrived at 9 am
every day after working all night at her job.
PUERTO RICO has hope, because there are children, in schools
in the community of Hightstown, who offered their lunch money, a few coins and
dollars, so that children in PR have something to eat.
PUERTO RICO has hope because of a little girl that inspired
by the call to generosity made by her pastor open a lemonade stand that raised
$250 for hurricane victims, which inspired her congregation to extravagant
generosity that translated into $25,000.
Puerto Rico has hope, because there are girls like Valeria,
who voluntarily and without anyone asking her, donated part of the toys she
received on her birthday last week, so that children in Puerto Rico have a toy
to play this Christmas.
PUERTO RICO has hope because there are young people like
Anthony and Chester, who showed up every day this weekend, the first to arrive,
the last to leave-simply because they wanted to help
PUERTO RICO has hope, because of people like you, that offer
your time on a cold autumn night, to proclaim in community God's hope for those
who suffer and have needs in the world. ----
The walls of Jerusalem came down. But thank God for the Prophet Nehemiah, who moved by the Holy Spirit, mobilized the people into action, and helped repair the city and restore the community.
Puerto Rico is devastated, but the spirit of Puerto Ricans is
not. And thanks to the solidarity of the Nehemiah’s of today and the active
faith of United Methodist of Greater New Jersey and beyond and our community
partners – that will conspire with God in the renovation of the island.
PUERTO RICO HAS ESPERAZNA, for as the Lord declared to the
Israelite people in their time of despair, the Spirit declares today: "I
know the plans I have for you…Puerto Rico." "They are plans for your
good, so that you have a future full of hope."
To learn ways you can help ESPERANZA FOR PUERTO RICO, visit: https://www.gnjumc.org/disasterresponse/esperanzaforpr/
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