After Hurricane Maria, together with my congregation, we embarked to embrace a commitment of humanitarian relief, recovery, sustainability, extending as being able to form partnership on behalf of Puerto Rico. We have visited Puerto Rico five times since the hurricane, doing recovery work. The United States have not responded justly to a crisis that has taken the lives of thousands of its own citizens.

Through this study, I seek to learn about the personal faith journey of women in the island of Puerto Rico, and, those who migrated to the mainland. I have had many conversations with women whom did not qualify for FEMA assistance. Most of them, single women and widows, who's families had moved on to the United States. Through the worst day on the island, words began to sound familiar to me. When asked how were they holding up after the storm? Even those women whom had lost it all, would say, "estamos vivas, gracias a Dios" "We are alive, thanks be to God." It was remarkable, how after months without water, light and basic necessities, the narrative did not change. I noticed that those who had lost their husbands before or after the storm became more religious. Hence, confirming that "La Lucha es Rezar." "to struggle is to pray." (Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz).

This researcher seeks to tell the stories of these surviving lioneses. There is an African Proverb that says, "if the surviving lions do not tell their story, the hunter takes all the credit." Furthermore, I seek to make a call to the church in the mainland and call in the words of Ada Maria-Isazi Dias "our goal has to be liberation and not participation in oppressive situations and societies." Our call as the church of Jesus Christ in the world today, is to examine our complacency and recognize our complicit postures. Similarly, I would like to address the the internalized oppression and colonized mentality that continues to hold us captive.