which struck during a full moon at high tide, damaging or destroying nearly half of the homes in the town. Since then, Crisfield has been bearing the brunt of repeat flooding, and people are always waiting for the next storm. Colon knows all too well how that feels. “I told MDS I wanted to go work in Maryland to build houses,” he said. “It was like a dream come true.” For Colon, the dream is not only raising the walls of a new home—it’s expressing that feeling of being one human family. “I’ve made real friendships and connections,” he said. One of those new friends is local volunteer John Henderson, an 85-year-old member of Holly Grove Mennonite Church in Westover, Maryland—a 20-minute drive from Crisfield. After the Puerto Rican volunteers attended services at Holly Grove one Sunday, Henderson decided to join them for a few days. “I volunteered for MDS in Crisfield after Hurricane Sandy as well,” recalled Henderson. “We built a new home back then for a man who was able to live there for 90 days before he had to go to a nursing home. It was sad but also wonderful that he could live there as long as he did.” Intergenerational volunteers Two of the youngest volunteers, 18-year-old Emary Colon, who is Pastor Juan’s daughter, and 14-year-old Ricardo
The dream is not only raising the walls of a new home – it’s expressing the feeling of being one human family.
– PASTOR JUAN CARLOS COLON, MDS VOLUNTEER
Ramos, are both first-time MDS volunteers. Emary Colon, who is studying to be a nurse, urged others to serve with MDS. “Give yourself the opportunity to come volunteer,” she said. “It’s a great experience, and it’s great to meet people.” Ramos chimed in: “I’ve never done anything like this before—and I’ll definitely be back!” Another young volunteer, Demeric Flores, 26, from Ponce, said he agrees there are parallels between Crisfield and the areas of Puerto Rico damaged by Hurricane Maria. He remembered seeing MDS volunteers rebuilding homes and repairing hundreds of roofs, in addition to training local residents to build their own wind-resistant roofs. “Now, here in Crisfield, we are building a new home that’s
Pay the kindness forward
Pastor Juan Carlos Colon’s dream is coming true. As he raised the wall on a home in Crisfield, Maryland. on a hot summer day, he was remembering the day in 2017 when Hurricane Maria all but destroyed everything he had on his land outside Arecibo, Puerto Rico—and how volunteers from MDS helped him repair and rebuild. After his long road to disaster recovery, the pastor of Iglesia Menonita de Palo Hincado decided to express his thanks by volunteering for MDS himself. In mid-June he brought seven other volunteers from Puerto Rico with him to the small town, home to about 2,500 people and located on the Tangier Sound, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. “Here in Crisfield, I want to make people’s lives more peaceful,” said Colon, who said he felt a growing connection with Crisfield’s residents. Six years ago, Hurricane Maria—regarded as Puerto Rico’s worst natural disaster in recorded history—caused $90 billion US/$117 billion Cdn in damages. Nine years ago, Crisfield also experienced the worst: Superstorm Sandy,
A multigenerational crew from across Puerto Rico team up for a memorable week of service with MDS Project Director David Hoover. Pictured left to right: Modesto Mercado and his grandson Ricardo Ramos; cooks Norma Stoltzfus & Eileen Rolon; David Hoover; Emary Colon; Demeric Flores; Emary’s dad Pastor Juan Carlos Colon; Marcelino Ortiz.
Puerto Rican volunteers who experienced Hurricane Maria have a heart and a helping hammer for flooded Maryland town
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behind the hammer
behind the hammer
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