“Our Time to Serve”

On September 20, 2017, just two weeks after Hurricane Irma passed by the northern coast of Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria tore across the island. At the time it hit, Maria was a high-end category 4 storm with sustained wind speeds over 155 mph (249 km/h). The damage to buildings and infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands totaled more than $90 billion, making Maria the third costliest hurricane in United States history.

Members of the Church, having followed the counsel of the prophets to store food and water, were prepared. When Miguel A. Rivera went with his bishop and other priesthood leaders to visit the members of his ward in Ponce and help them prepare, he found there was little for them to do, because the families had been obedient and were prepared for the hurricane. Max Pérez and Evelyn Ortiz of the Toa Baja Stake teach self-sufficiency and sustainability in their community. They start their classes by sharing principles taught by the Church. Because Max and Evelyn were well prepared with water, food, and a generator, they were able to live comfortably after the hurricane and were ready to help others around them.

Through their preparation, prayers, and faith, many Saints felt peace and witnessed miracles during the storm. “I felt completely calm,” said Ismael Montalvo from Mayagüez. “We prayed and read certain scriptures, we did … all of the beautiful things that we do as members of the Church every day.” Staying with his parents in Humacao, Miguel Rodríguez felt the Spirit comforting him. He knew that “if we are just calm and pray and ask the Lord for protection, we will be all right.”

After the hurricane ended, Saints in Puerto Rico recognized the great opportunity they now had to serve those around them and leaped into action. In a sacrament meeting, Edgardo Cartagena, a counselor in the presidency of the Aibonito Branch, told branch members, “This is our time to serve others, to show how we are, who we are, and why we’re here.” Puerto Rican Saints worked together as families, branches, and wards to share water and food, clear roads of debris, distribute supplies and survival kits, and offer medical and other aid to those who were suffering from the effects of the storm. In Mayagüez, Nara Morales and her family joined with a group called “Wings of Hope” to visit other cities and provide them with medical aid and other supplies. “We have to help one another,” she said. “We cannot stay home and say, ‘All is well with us!’ We have to help one another.”

group of people in yellow vests

Members help to distribute supplies in Comerío, Puerto Rico.

Despite all they had lost in the devastation, the members in Puerto Rico felt great joy as they reached out to their neighbors in love. “The greatest six months of my life, after my mission,” Miguel Rodríguez said, “was giving this service after Hurricane Maria.”