Each short term trip is part of the long term goal.
building relationships
The most important part of our service in Puerto Rico is sharing the love and hope through developing relationships within our focus communities. Each person we serve becomes part of our family. We strive to grow in relationship with each person - knowing them by name, knowing their family, knowing what they need and helping meet those needs. Simply put: we LOVE them! We share meals together, laugh together and cry together. We are helping existing communities to know each other and serve each other.
building hope
The Tabernacle’s second focus is to meet tangible needs. Since 2009, we have provided thousands of meals, rebuilt 4 private homes and one church, provided disaster relief to communities that received it from nowhere else, cared for children, cared for seniors, provided clothing, baby diapers and formula, medicine, first aid and so much more.
planting roots
Following the official incorporation of The Tabernacle Puerto Rico in 2020, we have purchased a home in San Luis, one of our focus communities. The home allows us to have a permanent presence in the community, with our family working to faithfully maintain it between service trips.
Quiero darte las gracias por cada gesto de amor y misericordia que han tenido durante estos días a cada sitio que han visitado. Gracias por todo y gracias por demostrarnos que con Jesús todo se puede. Un fuerte abrazo para ti y para el resto de la familia.
charelys bonilla i social worker/activity director, el campito
Hands and Feet
La isla del encanto has faced adversity after adversity since its economic crisis was worldwide news in 2014. In 2017, a category 5 hurricane completely destroyed the island, wiping out electrical and data infrastructure, demolishing homes, farms and businesses, and limiting access to healthcare. This resulted in over 3,000 deaths. Since December 2019, the southwest shores have been battered by hundreds of earthquakes, some strong enough to level out entire cities. And now all of this on top of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Puerto Ricans are strong, they are resilient, and they will overcome. But they are also weary, worried and need to be reminded that there is hope.
Since 2009, we have been serving in the town of Aibonito, PR, and as of 2020, in the earthquake shattered city of Guánica. Our goal is to share love and hope through disaster relief to our American brothers and sisters who speak another language, live in a different culture, and who tangibly need the most. We do this by meeting people on an individual basis and learning about their emotional, spiritual and physical needs. We meet these needs over developing relationships that are invested into continually.
History
What began as an opportunity for students to serve in disaster relief while experiencing and embracing a new culture turned into an opportunity available to everyone. Co-founder Tim Raymond served on his first trip in Puerto Rico in 2013. Later he would move to Tennessee and we had the pleasure of expanding our disaster relief family as new people began serving with us. In 2018 we were connected with Dr. Michelle Raven of Columbia International University’s Disaster Relief and Emergency Management program, who is now also a co-founder of The Tabernacle. People from all across the US have come together to serve. Made official in 2020, The Tabernacle Puerto Rico was formed as a non-profit entity, operating independently of outside organizations.
Service
The devastation caused by Hurricane Maria and the 2019-2020 earthquakes will leave a lasting impact on Puerto Rico. We have been working with local organizations as well as our groups to provide relief supplies and repair/construction work in the community. Thousands of homes still have tarps for roofs. Families are living in tents as they try to repair their homes or build new ones. There is an endless need to do good works.
Ready to help?
