A MICHIGAN TEAM SERVED IN PUERTO RICO

The Ann Arbor First UMC Youth Group sent 11 youth and 5 adults to Camp Corson, Jayuya, Puerto Rico from June 20-27, 2026. We went to Puerto Rico with the goal of being good neighbors. In our evening devotions we studied Bible passages about loving God, our selves, our friends, and our neighbors. We practiced this daily with the people we met, whether at camp, in Jayuya, or at the COSSAO clinic. Rosangelica Acevedo was our gracious host and friend.

To symbolize how we were “spreading the neighborhood of God” we each wore bracelets with a 3D printed representation of the rose window in our sanctuary and beads representing each day of our devotions. When we met someone who became a neighbor, we gave them a bracelet like ours. Everyone at camp, most of the folks at COSSAO, and a few random folks now have lasting symbols of our friendship.

Our task at Camp Corson was to plant up to 400 coffee trees. The previous trees had been damaged in Hurricane Maria, and the beans can be a great source of income for the camp. Our team and the camp staff planted and watered 360 trees in 3 days and were only kept from the final 40 because their locations had not yet been marked. We also did some landscaping, gardening, painting, and maintenance at the camp. At COSSAO we reorganized their food pantry and storage area and distributed food to clients who came for medical assistance.

When not working we explored Jayuya and a nearby waterfall, played games, and spent the last few hours enjoying Old San Juan before returning home.