What you Need to Know about Puerto Rico

I remember the summer breeze flowing in our rolled-down windows as we drove down the highway. It was a sunny summer afternoon. We had just gotten off work at the summer camp we worked at and we were carefree as we cruised down the road towards a home cooked dinner. There’s just something about summer that makes you want to turn the radio up and jam. And this fine summer day, when we heard the first seven notes of our favorite song, we turned the knob way up and danced as we sang the very few words we knew.

Despacito was a song that took our nation by storm this summer. Even people with no knowledge of the Spanish language found joy in the beat and rhythm. They couldn’t help but dance. Despacito became the first fully Spanish song to hit #1 on the charts since the Macarena in 1993. It also became the most viewed video on YouTube ever, reaching about 14.5 million people per day after it was uploaded.

While seemingly irrelevant, these statistics are actually incredibly meaningful to our world. The reason they are so meaningful is because millions of people have seen this neighborhood:

This is San Juan’s La Perla neighborhood. Just the release of this music video caused the neighborhood to be more known, famed, and traveled to. The reason why it is so important that millions of people have seen this neighborhood is that now millions of people can have a visual image of the destruction and tragedy that was caused by Hurricane Maria.

This is a picture of the La Perla neighborhood from the music video:

According to CNN, this is a picture from the same beach after the hurricane:

This is what the neighborhood looks like now:

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Alex Wroblewski / Getty Images

 

The Problem

Here’s the thing: Puerto Rico has faced a huge tragedy and it’s not getting any better. They will most likely be without power for six months. They have no clean water, and their stores are running out of food. Can you imagine if without warning, you had to live without food, water, or power and many of your belongings destroyed? Life as you know it would cease to exist. Puerto Rico needs help and resources and the government is not stepping in sufficiently.

My Story:

It’s easy for us to get desensitized to tragedy, especially when there is a new tragedy in the news every day. Especially this year, we have had to grieve the hurricane in Houston, the fires in Kansas, and the shooting in Las Vegas – and those are only a few.

I believe the cure for this desensitization is personal connection. Tragedies start to mean something when it is more than just a news story online, but actual people. And that’s why I am writing this post: to humanize the people in Puerto Rico. I desire that in some small way I can be a voice for those who don’t have one right now. I want to advocate for those among us that need help.

This news story hits very close to home for me. I already have such a heart for Latino cultures and countries, but this tragedy in particular impacts me deeply.

I go to a church in the Humboldt Park/Logan Square area of Chicago, which has a huge Puerto Rican demographic. Every week I enter my church doors and see the faces of suffering people. Worship songs take on a whole new meaning when the people worshiping are asking God to protect their family members. The sermon becomes much more profound when those called to trust in God’s faithfulness are the same people who are wrestling with His sovereignty and goodness. I see the helplessness and fear in people’s eyes as they wonder if their family is okay and anxiously wait to hear something….anything! I also see their trust in the Lord, as they join together to pray. They know that even when they can do nothing – God can.

Every Monday, I go back to this church to serve as an AWANA leader. I see beautiful little kids eager to sing Jesus songs and play fun games. My favorite moment of the night is when I get to sit down with my three little Sparks girls and work on memory verses together. These girls are adorable. They are all between the ages of 6-8, and one has adamantly told me that snack time is her favorite part of the night.

One night, I sat with my three girls and we worked on memorizing the first verse that every Sparks kid works on: John 3:16. It’s a verse that most church kids grow up knowing like the back of their hand. And so I sat with my girls and we memorized each line carefully. We started talking about what each line meant.

“For God so loved the world”

Who does God love? All of us! Me, and you, and you, and you! He loves the whole world, and He is with each one of us even when we are scared or sad.

This is when one of the girls looked up at me with her big brown eyes, and asked a question that a seven year old should never have to wrestle with:

“Is God in Puerto Rico?”

When I heard this, my heart broke. This little girl was so young, but she was already having to grapple with the reality of tragedy.

As I stood in the gym that night as all the kids were running and playing games, I looked at each one of their little brown faces and wondered what questions they were asking about God. I wondered how many of them had sat at the dinner table as their parents had had hushed conversations. I wondered what mom and dad had said to tell these kids that Grandma’s house was destroyed, or they didn’t know where Uncle was. I wondered what had run through their little minds as they grappled with the unknown realities that had struck their family.

When that little girl asked me that question, I was able to speak the truth of who God is into her life. I was able to tell her that God is able to help people even when we are helpless to do anything. I was able to tell her that God loved every person in Puerto Rico and cares about the sad things that happened to them.

But I wonder how many other people in this neighborhood or even this nation are wrestling with the same question.

The Solution

Church, we have such an immense opportunity to step up and be the hands and feet of Jesus in this tragedy. We have the opportunity to provide for those who have nothing and are wondering where their food will come from once the stores run out. We have an opportunity to speak the truth of who God is into fellow believers who are struggling.

We have something to offer that the government never can. We have the love of God. John 3:16 is such an obvious presentation of the life changing message of the gospel. It provides hope and it shows us of God’s great love for the world. We cannot let this message become cliche to us, because the reality is that people around the world right now are asking hard questions like my little Sparks girl. When the government is not providing the sufficient means to rectify tragedy – the church can. This is a call to come together and now actually do it.

We cannot just let these news stories scroll through our news feed. These are people that need our help and there are real ways that we can help them. Let’s be what the church was called to be and show the immense love of God to Puerto Rico.

How Can We Help?

Here are 5 easy ways you can do something to help those hurting in Puerto Rico.

1. Pray. Yes, it seems obvious. But how many times do we actually press the pause button on our lives and fight on our knees on behalf of those affected by tragedy? I encourage you to take a few minutes right now, before you even finish reading this post to truly intercede before God on behalf of the people of Puerto Rico. He is a strong God and he hears us when we pray. Let us come before Him boldly and ask him for provide for Puerto Rico.
2. Buy a Song. Yes, you heard that right. If you don’t have a lot of money to give, this is a great option. Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator of Hamilton, along with several other singers and stars collaborated to create a song called, “Almost like Praying”. All proceeds from this song will go to help Puerto Rico. It’s actually a really fun song, so tell all your friends. It’s only $1.29, but if we all add this song to our playlists, that money will add up! You can find the song HERE.
3. Spread the Word. Like I said, we get desensitized to natural disasters far too often. I found myself in this place until I interacted with people at my church. Chances are, many of your friends and relatives are in that place too. But don’t let them stay there! Share this post, write your own post on social media, share the song, or even videos of what Puerto Rico looks like now. Let people know how important this issue is, and how they can help! The more people know, the more they can help!
4. Give Money. This is what most organizations are asking for so that they can help meet the most pressing needs. This website has easy ways you can give, which go straight to the relief efforts. World Vision is also taking a collection for those impacted by Hurricane Maria HERE. You can also do a quick Google search and come up with several options. This website gives a good overview of several.
5. Support and encourage those around you whose relatives have been impacted by these disasters. Write encouraging notes, pray with them, and ask them what they need.

The church can greatly reduce this need if we come together with unselfish hearts and do what we can. Maybe, for you that just means spending $1.29 and posting to Facebook. Maybe it means organizing a prayer chain or giving more money. Whatever that means, I ask that you would seek the Lord to see what you can personally do to help those in Puerto Rico. These are real people in a real place asking, “Is God in Puerto Rico?” and we can help answer that question by reflecting His love to those who are suffering. Will you join me?