PARA ACCEDAR A ESTE INFORMACIÓN EN ESPAÑOL HAGA CLIC AQUÍ: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JIaPreVHvHrb454XR7lJnfgShdO_gxhsJAk_h2yUrik/edit?usp=sharing
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*NOTE* We are currently full in all weeks. BUT DO NOT DESPAIR! The waiting list for several of the weeks is not very long (see below) and due to changes in circumstances we were able to work through waiting lists of around ten people for each week last year. The sooner you sign up, the higher on the waiting list you will be. If you have questions, please be in touch with Pastor Mark Parker at Lsmparker at gmail dot come or  (443) 683-2582.
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A team of experienced leaders is working to bring together a group of adult and youth volunteers to head to Puerto Rico to help in the rebuilding effort following Hurricane Maria, and possibly also from the earthquake from January 2020. We will be working with Lutheran Disaster Response, a program of Lutheran Social Services in Puerto Rico (find out more here--http://www.sslpr.org/). This is part of the Building Puentes initiative, a collaborative effort of the Metro DC, Delaware Maryland, and Caribbean synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find out more here (https://demdsynod.org/category/building-puentes/) and here (https://www.buildingpuentes.com/).

The hope is for half of the group to have solid construction experience, while half of the group should be physically capable of construction work and willing to learn from and assist others.

Volunteers in the past have ranged in age from 70 to 14 years old. We ask that our youngest volunteers be at least fourteen years old and have completed one year of high school.

Our confirmed dates are July 19th through August 15th. You may choose one week, two weeks, three weeks, or four weeks. The flights out from BWI leave early on Sunday mornings; the flights back arrive to BWI on Saturday night (8:30pm-9pm).

As of 2/8/2020, the registration totals per week are:
Week 1: 50 (full, 0 on waiting list)     Week 2: 50 (full, 8 on waiting list)    Week 3: 50 (2 on waiting list)     Week 4: 50 (3 on waiting list)

Costs, relatively speaking, should be pretty low. The cost for one week is $700, for two weeks is $1000, for three weeks is $1300, and for four weeks is $1600. That includes flights, all meals except when we're eating out, housing, construction supplies, and rental vans. Probably estimate about $150 more in spending money, though some activities are optional and you might not need that much.

The registration deadline will be April 1st, with a deposit of $150. Second payments of $250 will be due on May 1st to allow plane tickets to be purchased (bringing the total per person to $400). Final payments will be due on July 1st.

Those looking to make payments or simply to make a donation  can use this link (donations will be used for scholarships for those with the skills but not the resources to participate, for the purchase of construction materials, and given directly to LSS-PR). https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=RDHJ755Y48MSY&source=url

We will be staying in the Lutheran camp in Maguayo, near Dorado, about 45 minutes west of San Juan. The camp has room for up to sixty volunteers at a time, but we are limiting each week to fifty volunteers so that we have a little room to breathe. Volunteers sleep in air-conditioned bunkrooms with twin-sized bunkbeds and communal showers--comfortable enough, but nothing fancy. The camp also includes a nice pool, a chapel, office and storage areas, and a main hall for dining/meeting/organizing/relaxing. It's a good home for groups like ours.

This is our third effort to bring volunteers to help rebuild alongside our neighbors in Puerto Rico. We took forty volunteers over two weeks in September of 2018. We took more than one hundred volunteers over two weeks in July of 2019 (we filled the camp for those two weeks). Our goal this time is to bring fifty volunteers per week, so, with people coming multiple weeks, perhaps 180 volunteers total.

The general pattern is to fly in on Sunday morning/afternoon, fly back on Saturday evening. Monday through Friday we work construction doing rebuilding in the morning and the afternoon, with time in the late afternoon/evening for the beach, the pool, getting clean, reflecting, and devotions. We take one half day for doing some cultural and environmental exploration on the island, including a visit to El Yunque, an amazing tropical rainforest. We also spend a half day exploring in Old San Juan. One night during the week we head out for an evening of dinner and salsa dancing (including a lesson).

Flights will be direct between BWI and San Juan. People coming from other parts of the country to join us are most welcome--either by arranging transportation to fly with us from BWI, or by deducting $400 from the trip payment and arranging your own flights to and from Puerto Rico from a convenient airport (trying to time your arrival and departure as close to that of the group as possible).

After filling out this registration form, you will be directed to a PayPal page for payment of your $150 deposit.

If you have questions or would like more information, whatever is available at this point, you can contact Mark Parker at Lsmparker@gmail.com.

Thanks for your interest!