April 2012 Cuba Mission Trip Praise Report Part 1

Dear Friends of Cuba, Thanks so much for your prayers and support while we were in Cuba. We had such a great week and we have many stories to share. For the most part during the week, we were healthy and able to rest and regain strength each night. Here is PART ONE… of our Praise Report. Praise God—even though the flight was full, all of our luggage, including the huge box containing the basketball backboard assembly, donated by Lily, an Upward player, was loaded on the airplane. We had some challenges in Cuban Customs and were so thankful to know that you were praying for us. After answering many questions and providing paperwork confirming our mission in Cuba, the Cuban officials allowed us to take all of our luggage and enter Cuba. Thanks to Summit Christian School, we took four large containers of brownies to Cuba on this trip. We were able to share them with many people…All of our friends in Cuba love chocolate and everyone who tasted the brownies wants to learn how to make this American delicacy. After unloading our bags at the Seminary apartment, we jumped in the van and traveled to meet with two churches. The first stop was at a former ’house-church’ we partnered with six years ago. Because they have grown so much, they received ‘mission ’status in November, and are continuing to reach many in their agricultural neighborhood. We met with original and new members. In their report to us, we learned a wedding was held at the ‘mission’ a month ago, and several people have been baptized since we visited them, in January. The seminary student, assigned to pastor this mission group, is continuing to reach out to all ages. Their youth group was preparing for a weekend of activities being held at the ’mother’ church in town.  Later on Saturday night, we visited the ‘mother’ church and toured the recently completed children’s classrooms. It is exciting to see that the second floor construction is continuing well, and Lord willing, will be completed soon. While we were there, we witnessed a ‘Quinceañera’ celebration. Every space in the church was packed with happy people excited to participate in this event. People surrounded the church outside and many were straining to have a glimpse through the windows. It seemed as if we were at a wedding, complete with a cake and snacks for everyone. We were told that the figurines on the cake had been shared many times over, since the 1960’s. During the ceremony, many gave encouraging remarks congratulating the young girl who was now being recognized as having grown into a young woman in Christ. The musicians were superb. There were many uplifting songs focusing on future hopes and dreams. It was exciting to see the focus on remaining faithful and living a life that is pleasing to God. Sunday was very different from any other Sunday we have spent in Cuba before. In January 2012, our mission team was able to participate in a prayer vigil for Edy, a husband and father, who suffered a brain aneurysm days before we arrived. Three months later, on the Wednesday before our April trip, after several surgeries in two different hospitals, Edy passed away. Sunday morning was a time to reflect on Edy and his Christian life. Prayer, music, scripture readings, and comments during the sermon echoed the celebration of Edy’s life and his witness to others. At the end of the service, Mercedes and Jennifer, his wife and daughter, received prayer and were comforted by the commitment from the church to continue supporting them and loving them through this difficult time. We were privileged to be a part of this time of worship and reflection. Sunday evening, we participated in a children’s program at another church. They were preparing for the Big Apple Adventure-VBS. We spent time working with their leaders and volunteers as they led the Bible lesson for the evening. We were pleased to see them using the laptop and puppets they received, in January.    Monday, we went on a field trip to Lenin Park and joined the student group for an afternoon of games and fun. We rented a horse for Katie to ride and she took all the kids, one at a time, for a ride around the park. Most of these city kids had never been this close to a horse before or ridden one. We traveled back home to the seminary on the Western Baptist Convention bus! Thank God for those who helped the Western Baptist Convention purchase this vehicle which is used to transport so many groups to and from retreats and special meetings each year. That evening, we participated in a ‘house-church’ Bible study and prayer group. We sat in the kitchen and listened to testimonies of how God is working. Rebecca leads the group and they meet once a week. After each house-church meeting, Rebecca and Alicia spend hours in prayer lifting up the church, the pastor, leaders, and church members. Tuesday morning we packed the provisions for our partner churches. Mary did not feel well decided to stay behind to organize the medicine and gift bags for the Seminary workers and church volunteers. We traveled to San Antonio de los Baños, a town of about 40,000 people. We worked with two churches new to us. Both churches have seminary students as their pastors. The pastor at First San Antonio Baptist Church was assigned to work with this church just two weeks ago. He and his family live in a city about 20 miles away. They don’t have a car and transportation is difficult at times. Students at the church were celebrating a week of Bible activities. The kids enjoyed relay races, arts and crafts and a Bible lesson with Paco, the puppet. After the activities were finished, the pastor showed us the church classrooms and pastorate which were built many years ago. The pastorate is in disrepair and no longer inhabitable. They are asking God to provide resources so the home can be rebuilt and lived in again. It would ideal for the pastor and his family to live next to the church. Please pray for this church to continue reaching people for Christ. We traveled several miles further to Second Baptist San Antonio Church. We arrived just as the sun was going down. The pastor and his family leave nearby the church. As we walked into the sanctuary…we noticed the ceiling seemed to be moving. After a few moments we realized that there was no roof and a very thin tarp was covering the church. We climbed up to the roof and saw a makeshift device that rolled the tarp back and forth. The church pews are made of metal and the floors are tiled. The pastor told us that the church has been without a roof for some time. They hold services in the evening now because it cooler. The rainy season is beginning and they try to schedule their meeting times around the storms. On a few occasions, this past winter, the temperatures dropped below 32 degrees and they bundled together to worship the Lord. They are praying for many needs, but the most important is for them to have help and resources to build a roof to cover the church. What a night it was to worship God and look up to see the stars where a roof should have been.

Chick-fil-A Spirit Night...

  

Thanks to Chick-fil-A on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard for partnering with Cuba 4 Christ.  We had a great time.  It was fun to get together with friends and meet others who are interested in what God is doing in Cuba.  God is great and we are thankful for having the opportunity to raise funds for the April Cuba Mission Trip.