No somos molinos. Somos gigantes.

#YoNoMeQuito. I won’t run away.

I’ve been blessed this past week to be part of a mission trip from Bethel Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN to Iglesia Cristo Rey in Carolina, PR. Together we’ve been working to build lasting relationships between our churches, and to do some repairs on the church building. As we’ve been driving around Puerto Rico, I’ve noticed the sign #YoNoMeQuito (I won’t run away) on billboards, posters and even graffiti on walls. The signs are beautiful and positive, and look very professional. We’ve also seen black and white signs that say “La resistencia” and “unete” (“the resistance” and “join”). It’s no secret that Puerto Rico is in a time of economic and political crisis, so I was curious if these signs had something to do with the crisis. I asked Pedro about them at church during our youth time last night. He told me that at the heart of both of the signs is the same message. Don’t give up. Don’t run away from Puerto Rico. Stand up for our nation. Puerto Rico has been suffering an economic crisis, and more than 50,000 residents a year have been fleeing the island. People are angry about the crisis that makes everyday life difficult, but the signs are uniting a movement of people choosing to stay and turn their anger and frustration into action.

The YoNoMeQuito movement stands in stark contrast to the political climate in the US. It seems as if we have two reactions to our situation right now. One looks to make a lot of noise and build a lot of walls to divide our nation, and another looks to hide within the safety of the four walls of our homes. Neither is offering hope. It’s easy to rest in the comfort of our own personal wealth. It’s easy to let others make political decisions, and say that our opinion doesn’t matter. It’s easy to complain on Facebook and sign online petitions, but to take no action. It’s easy to look to one hero to save us from whatever it is that we fear. On the other hand, it’s difficult to stand up for what we believe and risk the judgement of others. It’s difficult to protest, to fight, to organize.

Todos somos Puerto Rico. We’re all Puerto Rico.

If we really want change, we can’t wait for others to act for us. Whether that change is in our own backyard, or across the world, we need to stand up. Todos somos Puerto Rico. We are all one. Somos uno en Cristo. We are all one body in Christ.

“For in the same way that one body has so many different parts, each with different functions; we, too–the many–are different parts that form one body in the Annointed One. Each one of us is joined with one another, and we become together what we could not be alone.” Romans 12:4-5, The Voice translation

This verse has been a theme for our time in Puerto Rico, and last night we were able to celebrate this unity with the song “Somos Uno en Cristo.” We had a great time and found that our struggles and our joys are the same, whether we live in Minnesota or Puerto Rico.

In our small group time today, we were talking about how we can continue the momentum of the change we’ve experienced in our time in Puerto Rico. We’ve all had our eyes and hearts opened during our time here. Tucker had a beautiful insight when he said we can never stop growing. We work to grow ourselves, our schools, our businesses, our church, and our community. We need to work for change in the world.

No somos molinos. Somos gigantes. We’re not windmills.  We’re Giants.

On a wall we pass every day on our way to Cristo Rey, there’s a mosaic with the message “No somos molinos. Somos gigantes.” Pedro shared with me that this is a reference to Don Quijote’s battle with the windmills. We’re not windmills, we’re giants. The message is that we’re more than the city, and more than our current circumstances. In each of us are ideas that can improve the world around us, and together we are capable of magic. On a building we passed today there was a message from La Resistencia, “the change you want for Puerto Rico.” We can build the world we want, but we have to be tenacious in fighting for it.

Somos grandes Puerto Rico. We’re big Puerto Rico.

Oftentimes we feel like we’re too small to make a difference. What will the choices I make today matter in the grand scheme of things? Why would people care to hear my ideas? Enough. Stop waiting for a hero. Be the hero. Somos giantes.