"Your generous support is needed in Caguas!" Caguas by joiwatani

After we landed at the airport of San Juan, Puerto Rico, our group of Rotarians and Interact high school students of Washington, headed to Caguas. This is the place where we will be meeting the Dominican Sisters of Fatima in their their beautiful sanctuary.

Caguas is about 32 kilometers from San Juan. We drove through the fertile Turabo Valley where I saw mountains and valleys so green and happy with life -bamboos, flowering trees, shrubs and grasses. The landscape is so beautiful and I feel refreshed just breathing the fresh air of Puerto Rico.

Although tired of our flight Seattle-Philadelphia-San Juan (I woke up early at 4 am to be at the Seatac airport at 8 am!), I felt invigorated just looking at the scenic view as our van driver took us to the convent, a place where we will be given an orientation of the convent and what we can do to help the nuns in their projects in the convent and in the community of Caguas.

My daughter Rainier with the Fatima sisters

The convent used to be own by a rich haciendero (landowner) in Puerto Rico and for some miracle, this whole place was only sold to the Fatima sisters for only a few thousands of dollars. This a huge property of about 1,000 acres that probably cost in millions of dollars at the time the sisters purchased it, however, it only cost them a few thousands because according to the nuns, there was a divine intervention.

This property used to be the largest sugar cane plantation in Puerto Rico. According to history, in 1898, the plantation housed the first Spanish forces that confronted American forces during the Spanish American War. According to the sisters, it was in this plantation where the first battle of such war in Puerto Rico was fought.

The nuns have a lot of projects in Caguas from community livelihood, schools, etc. The sisters were thankful of the support of the community and their benefactors.

This place is a great place for religious travel. It is believed that they are promoting one of their sisters to be canonized as a saint.

This is a prayer house that was built in 1997. It is believed that when you pray here, your prayers will be granted.

• Pros:A place to pray and come back to help the Sisters of Fatima
• Cons:Just a place to pray and visit the nuns
• In a nutshell:This is a place for prayers