The Beautiful Island: Puerto Rico
Map It Monday:
Today we begin praying for Puerto Rico and place a map of the country on our refrigerator.
Our Prayer:
"Lord we ask that many would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. Amen."
Stats and Facts Tuesday:
Puerto
Rico Statistics
·
Population: 3.8 million
·
Unemployment Rate: 16.3%
·
Puerto Rico is 2nd only to
Bahrain in highest suicide rate in the world.
·
Puerto Rico is 3rd in the world
(behind Colombia & El Salvador) in murders committed by youth per capita at
42%
·
Poverty in Puerto Rico (a US
territory) is THREE TIMES higher than the poverty rate of the USA mainland, at
nearly 50% for the total population. But nearly 60% of children and teens
under 18 live in poverty.
·
Current teen birth rate in
Puerto Rico has been increasing and is currently around 62 teen births per
1,000 births (the US teen birth rate is currently around 42 teen births per
1,000)
·
25% of the population is
identified as evangelical Christian, though the population is plagued with
apathy, practicing various Caribbean ritualistic traditions such as ancestor
worship, and many have no spiritual direction whatsoever. Another
statistic says that Protestant Christians make up only 8% of the population of
Puerto Rico.
·
Drug trafficking throughout
Puerto Rico is a huge problem and a large part of the extremely high crime rate
on the island. The murder rate in Puerto Rico has held the #1 spot over
US states and territories in the last decade.
·
The dropout rate amongst Puerto
Rican teens stood at 42% at the beginning of this decade...as compared to 10%
of teens from the US mainland.
·
In the first 42 days of 2011
there were 150 murders committed in Puerto Rico! 110 murders alone
happened during the month of January 2011. This is 34 higher than
occurred in Puerto Rico in January 2010. Los Angeles is nearly identical
in size of the population as Puerto Rico. In 2010 Los Angeles only had an
average of 24 murders each month.
Our Prayer:
"The problems of Puerto Rico seem so overwhelming Lord, but You see every person and You want them all to hear the life saving gospel of Jesus Christ and be saved. Jesus, please revive Your church and send her out to the people enslaved by drugs, gang activity, poverty, and false religions in Puerto Rico. Amen."
Walk in My Shoes Wednesday:
Today we will look at the Dressel family's ministry to at risk youth, young adults, and those who are at risk on the streets. Check out there website and watch a video about the beginning of their ministry in Puerto Rico.
Our Prayer:
"We pray for the Dressel family today, Lord. We ask that they would not grow weary in well doing. Please continue to provide for their needs financially and physically. We ask that you would give them many creative ways to reach out to the youth and young adults on the streets and to be a vital part of the church as it endeavors to share the gospel with the lost of Puerto Rico. Amen."
Take Action Thursday:
The Dressel family reaches out to the broken, hurting, and lost in Puerto Rico. We too are surrounded by people who are just as lost. Think as a family of a local outreach such as Food For Thought that you would like to get involved with or to help support in any way you can. But more importantly, pray that God would give you a heart of compassion for those that so many overlook. Watch a video about the Dressel Family's Thanksgiving Day outreach to the homeless:
Our Prayer:
"We pray for the believers in Puerto Rico to be broken for the lost and the hurting in their country. We ask that they would make a great impact with those who are homeless, addicts, and hopeless. Father, we ask that You would pierce our hearts for the unlovely all around us too, Lord. Show us how we too can step out of our comfort zone and be Christ to the lost and dying. Amen."
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