Almost Stateside - Highlights from the last two weeks in Cuba

It is almost time for the team to come home, and though they are anxious to see their loved ones, a part of them will remain with the people in Cuba. Rick Davis, resident missions trip photographer, has been keeping our Stateside team updated with snippets and photos of the trip. As this adventure comes to a close, allow us to share some of the (many) highlights that have moved the team:

During Hurricane Irma this house was badly damaged. Part of the roof was completely destroyed, leaving its residents no choice but to live with only part of their home protected. They still use the uncovered bedroom and kitchen.

You can’t picture Cuba without imaging classic cars cruising down the highway. These were spotted in Remedios, one of the towns that the team visited. Oscar and Rachel have been visiting the church in this town for several years, and have watched it grow each time they return.

This is a small church in the town of Vitoria. This church meets in a house that is built next to the pastor’s home. Here they also hold after-school program for elementary school children. Many churches in Cuba meet in the living room of the pastor’s home.

In Buenavista, the team boarded the city bus for a truly authentic experience and visited several outlying villages. Reliable transportation is a struggle that the Cuban people face daily. Many end up walking to neighboring villages - a trek that often takes hours. 

Oscar and Rachel are often asked to speak at the churches in Cuba. It has been an excellent way to get to know the congregations directly. They share about their mission, their Cuban heritage, and how they and the team are here to serve God and Cuba. 

Lawn mowers are a modern luxury that does not exist in the typical Cuban home. Ever ingenuitive, the Cuban people are able to piece together clever contraptions. This homemade lawnmower is a testament to the industrious spirit of the Cuban people. 

Lastly, this photo is of a missionary training class that was taking place in Jumagua. The team got to hear each of the nine students share how they were drawn to ministry, and what their vision to serve God and their country looked like. 

Thank you for your support and for following the team during their time in Cuba! Please continue to pray for their health and safety, and most importantly, that God would use this trip to do mighty works in His Name. 

A SONG IN HER SOUL

Rural areas in Cuba are beautiful. That is what Wanda, one of the member of our team, keeps reminding us. Groves of tall palm trees adorn the green grassy fields.  Mountains and sea surround us and the air is clean and fresh.  Clear blue skies entice you to float along with the puffy white clouds.  

 It takes us 30 minutes to travel 10 miles on a dirt road that leads us to a village where we meet Midilady and her family.  She is a beautiful soul whose tears express her overwhelming emotion when she sees us arrive. We are late—so late she thought we were not coming.  

 During the week Midilady walks a quarter of a mile down the dirt road to catch the bus that takes her to work. She is a professional singer who was trained in one of the best institutes in Cuba.  But when the weekend arrives, transportation disappears.  It disappears, that is, except for the bus that comes on Sundays to take her to church.  There her soul sings as she celebrates and worships God.  She tells us it is the best day of the week.

Midilady at church with her mom and daughter

COMPASSION

Manos Compasivas (Compassionate Hands)is the name of the ministry of the church in Barrio Africa that comes alongside people to share their burden in the midst of situations that are more than they can bare. That is what Idalme does. She is part of Manos Compasivas and she is full of joyous energy.

One of the people she visits is Gloria a woman in her late 50s.  Gloria like many people in Cuba has high blood pressure and diabetes.  She is the caretaker for her husband Ignacio who recently had a heart attack and her sister Iris who is disabled after most of her body was burned in a fire many years ago.  To this home where pain and discouragement can take hold, Idalme brings joy, love and friendship along with groceries and medication.  She is there for them in their need.

 Henri Nouwen wrote: “Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears.”  

And Idalme is a living example of what compassion is all about.

MAYAJIGUA – Living Water / Fresh Water

Mayajigua is our first stop. We go travel to the province of Santis Spiritus (Holy Spirit) through well-paved roads onto dirt roads that lead to the outskirts of town.  There we meet Aldeladse, who ministers to the people in that area.  He walks to the nine villages he ministers.  Two of them are almost impenetrable. A 6-mile climb into the mountain through a road where  rocks sometimes give away in his path.  We join him in his travel to the nearby villages (not the ones in the mountains) to meet some of the people who live there.  We meet a blind woman who leads worship music; beautiful funny children and their mothers who courageously help them through their battles with diabetes and disabilities; Yoerbi who lost both his legs, but not his indomitable spirit; and a family who holds on to their faith in the midst of loss of health and job.   

We’ve brought a water filter to provide clean drinking water to the community.  It’s not a fancy filter and requires some work and upkeep. But Aldeladse is willing to take it on and provide clean drinking water for their physical needs as well as the living water of Jesus to their spirit. 

“Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.” Revelation 22:17