How Puerto Rican Income Compares to the US

Puerto Ricans make about half the income of the poorest US state, Mississippi. Below is a link to a good article comparing both to the US general economy. Data from the 2010 Census says the per capita income of Puerto Ricans was $16,300. It was 48,377.39 for the US in that same year. Today, that ratio is roughly the same.

We are doing better than our neighbors in the Caribbean though, ranking 77 on the list of world economies. But what income is available is spread out into a larger middle class than anywhere else in our region. So, while there are still pockets of extreme poverty, it doesn't feel like such dire poverty as I have felt in some downtown US cities.


How Mississippi is Catching Up - and Puerto Rico Is Not - Puerto Rico Report

Dad Date

We are happy that our daughter Kristin has decided to come home and spend the time between her graduation and upcoming wedding with us.

The wedding day, June 17th, seems far away, but my wife Tina and Kristin are spending a lot of quality mother-daughter time getting ready for it.

Not to be left out, I am going on a few father-daughter outings myself.

Today we had some quality time at Ichiban, a nice Japanese restaurant in Puerto Rico. We had the Bento box lunch special. It was a nice casual way to talk and find out more about my daughter.

We feel so blessed that we have a positive relationship with our daughters, who in turn, love the Lord and have a positive view of us and the ministry.

They seem to have chosen some quality guys as well.

The future is uncertain, but from where I am sitting, it's looking pretty good.

The Zika Virus and Puerto Rico

The Zika virus is here.  I have seen absences in our classrooms because of various tropical diseases, but this new one is more worrisome because of its association with birth defects.

Facing tropical diseases is one of the challenges that we face on the mission field.  We are facing it, but your prayers for our health and safety are appreciated.

Here is a good overview of the situation:

'Zika has shaken us to our core': Puerto Rico prepares for the worst as epidemic looms