Aruba
Summary
Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island’s economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba’s request in 1990 [1]
📷 : Operation World
Statistics
From the The Joshua Project [2]
In the News
📷 : flickr.com
Prayer Guide
The evangelical presence has grown, predominantly due to the more recent arrivals. Large numbers have immigrated from Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia, but evangelical growth is not even. There are several English-speaking churches and many congregations using Papiamento. Pray for a greater impact on the Asian immigrant population.
Media. There are three Christian radio stations on Aruba: Radio Victoria (originally TEAM) and two others broadcast to Aruba and the Venezuelan coast. TWR broadcasts to Bonaire on its FM station and internationally through shortwave and the Internet. The gospel is also proclaimed on programs that appear on secular radio and TV. Pray for the enduring fruitfulness of these strategic ministries. [3]