Puerto Rico: The Paradox

As part of my internship, I was responsible for creating a support folder for a family who is raising financial support to live and serve in Puerto Rico. I wanted to created a document that described the place, the people, the need for a church plant, our church, etc. Here is one page, which I think gives a good snapshot of Puerto Rico. Well, as good as you can capture in 175 words, which maybe isn't that good. Below the page, I've copied the text for easier reading. I hope this offers a window into life in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is full of contradictions. It is a commonwealth of the U.S., but it is its own nation. In many ways it looks like the U.S., but it doesn’t take long to realize that things are different and more complicated (at lease for foreigners). It is considered a high income country, but the wealth isn’t distributed evenly, and many are unemployed. It is a culture that values family, yet, sadly, the family is a platform for some of the most grievous abuse and alienation. Fatherlessness is an epidemic. The culture is complicated and contradictory, which is true to form with the nature of man (that is, at the same time made in God’s image and fallen). We are physically alive, but dead in our trespasses. This is a culture, like cultures all over the world, that needs to hear the truthful paradox of the Gospel:  we are more wicked and sinful than we ever dreamed, and at the same time, we are more loved and accepted in Christ than we ever dared to hope.