"It's hard to put into words the devastation that we saw. Families with minimal possessions, all crammed into small camping tents. They have no home to go back to. It's gone. A lot of the homes that we saw completely destroyed still had FEMA tarps on them from when hurricanes Irma and Maria struck the island 2.5 years ago. They couldn't even replace their roof, and now, two-and-a-half years later, they have to somehow replace a house," says Alycia Hildebrand who works with the Bunker Youth Ministry in Winkler.

Hildebrand, along with Anita Rudi, Kayleigh Peters, and Harold Espinosa, recently returned from a missions trip to Puerto Rico.

Hildebrand says the return to Canada seemed easy, but her heartfelt heavy as she continues to process the experiences of people she met.

"One of the elderly gentlemen we talked to said that he had lived in his house for 58 years. It's now gone. The entire back half of the house fell down. But every night, he sleeps there, just so that looters won't go through and steal what is there. His daughter from Florida had come to visit him and try to convince him to come live with her. But his answer was an astounding 'No!' He's a proud Puerto Rican, he will not leave."

Unfortunately, the low magnitude earthquakes continue at a high rate throughout the day (about 30 every 24 hours), and the families and children Hildebrand had the chance to visit with cannot return home while this happens.

To help make life a little better, they focused on supplying families with important items they couldn't bring from their homes like bars of soap, baby wipes, tents, folding tables, school supplies, jerry cans with gas, and toys (to help entertain the children when parents couldn't).

She adds, "the look of joy on their faces when they saw us open up the van with all of our supplies is a look that will stay with me forever. These people were just so thankful for just a simple bar of soap. The kids were in complete awe of the toys that we were handing out. Boys tearing into their packages of hot wheels cars and driving them through the dusty ground, girls running across the lot skipping, a friendly game of soccer with an actual ball. It all warmed my heart to no end."

Although she left with a question of whether their work was enough, she did find an answer.

"What I quickly came to realize is that this trip wasn't about bringing supplies. It was about showing these amazing people the Love of Christ. We didn't have to beat them over the head with a bible for them to know who God is. We just had to show them a little love and kindness for them to see that we were doing what Christ called us to do."

Hildebrand and the rest of the team are thankful for the love, prayers, and financial support from the Pembina Valley that allowed them to visit Puerto Rico and show them how friendly a Manitoban can be.