August 17

Selfie

Good afternoon from Puerto Rico. PR has been in the news lately with the Zika virus. I read today that one-fourth of the 3.5 million inhabitants will be infected before the end of the year. A few in our congregation have indeed been sick with the virus but recovered without incident after four or five days. Although there is danger for pregnant women, in general, people are not too concerned; certainly less concerned than the media.

Of greater concern is the economy. PR is seventy-two billion dollars in debt and for multiple reasons has no way to meet its financial obligations. The result is not only is the government unable to respond to its commitments, but also, jobs have become non-existent or offering minimal pay. With the unemployment officially at twelve percent, people "are leaving the island at a historical rate" (CNN.com). Eighty-four thousand left in 2014. What does that mean for churches everywhere across the island? Attendance drops. Ours is no exception. Over the summer we lost three more families to moves.

Summer church attendance has been two months of ups and downs; going from the upper nineties and low one-hundreds to the mid-sixties. In addition to the problem sited above; vacations, Sunday work schedules and a lot of sickness are the causes of the instability. Things should settle down now that school is in session and people are feeling better.

On a more positive note, I want to mention a couple of just-completed events. We planned and carried out an all-day VBS for the wee ones up to eleven years of age. In addition to handcrafts, a Bible lesson and music, we enjoyed a Christian clown and a demonstration from the police canine division.

church outing

Then, a couple weeks ago, the church hosted it's second outing of the summer. The fifty-four who went visited a coffee plantation, a historic Indian ballpark, the museum (picture to the left) and "Piedra Escrita" (Written Stone), a place along a river in the mountains that boasts petroglyphs several hundred years old. Many enjoyed swimming in the refreshing mountain stream. These events provide opportunities for people to get to know the church in an informal setting. Several people have become part of our congregation through events such as these.

The second week of August, Mary and I took a second week of vacation and went to Bush
Gardens/Sea World with our oldest son, his wife and most importantly, our granddaughter. We had a great time... Now... BACK TO WORK :-)

God bless you.

Johnathan and Mary