Puerto Rico has been struggling heavily after the damage caused by Hurricane Irma and the direct hit from Hurricane Maria.

For those connected to local youth ministry, The Bunker, the island country is always on their mind. In recent years the ministry has partnered with a sister Bunker ministry in Puerto Rico and sent a number of delegations over the years.

With no way of communications, they had no idea how the Church, school, and community of their sister location in Fajardo, Puerto Rico was doing.

After the initial hit from Maria, the entire island was put into darkness. It took five days to restore power to select areas, with an estimated three to four months before power will be restored for the majority of the 3.4 million people living on the island.

Hector Sarza, the Bunker’s main contact in Puerto Rico, drove over an hour in order to find a cell signal and contact Winkler.

Kevin Hildebrand, Executive Director for Youth Ministries at the Bunker spoke with Sarza and learned they were safe, but everyday life is incredibly difficult for the survivors.

"The biggest issue right now is not falling into depression," Kevin explained, relating Sarza's conversation. "He says you wake up to go to the bank and they let you withdraw $50. You go to a grocery store, spend $20 buying some very few essentials. If you need fuel you stand in line at the gas station. You spend all day waiting in line, just trying to get through another day and then you go home and sit in the dark."

Hildebrand shares that Sarza says natural devastation is everywhere with trees, roads, and infrastructure totally destroyed. Sarza notes that with no way of communication very little is known how different areas on the island have faired after the storm.

Sarza asks for continued prayers for strength during these troubling times, but through everything, they continue to remain in good spirits.

After two weeks the Church was able to have their first service and they decided that they would work at helping out those in the community to clean up, rebuild, and hand out water to everyone.

Sarza has been told he and his family would have a place here in Winkler to escape for a time, Sarza turned down the offer, saying if they were to leave who would help those who need help.