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An American In Cuba: The Gift of Hospitality

Easter has officially come and gone, and what I very different Easter we had this year. No fancy clothes, no rushing to church to get a good seat and no singing in the front pew, “Christ the Lord has risen today, Hallelujah!” As much as I enjoy all of this, the solace and calm of this Easter was just as special, maybe even more.  Following Ester, I have been pondering the stories of Jesus appearing to his disciples after his resurrection. It may be because I myself am eager to see Jesus these days of COVID life or maybe it’s a way to keep Easter going despite the day actually being gone. I am a miracle believer and perhaps Jesus may be appearing to us today, just not exactly has he did then.  My favorite of all these stories comes from John chapter 21; here, Jesus is seen standing on the bank at Lake Galilee. He advises his disciples on their fishing skills, then he sits with them and serves them bread and fish. There are few details of this story, which leaves … [Read more...] about An American In Cuba: The Gift of Hospitality

An American in Cuba: Javier’s Coffee

One of the first things I learned about Cuba is that there is normal time, and then there is “Cuba Time”. These folks get in no hurry nor do they always stick to a precise plan. On the flip side of this idea, is that they are all cool about this. No fussing or mumbling. No eye rolling or loosing their marbles. They just go with it. An ‘All is well and all will be well’ mindset. I loved this from the beginning. Everyone just gets along. It’s the neatest thing.  When our airplane landed in Havana, it took about 20 minutes to get some steps located to bring up to our door so we could exit the plane. When asked of the issue, the pilot announced, “They weren’t quite ready for us to be here.” I died laughing inside. How could they not know?? No one was upset though, or uptight about it. Not one, single Cuban. When we finally made our exit, a small bus took us into immigration. Once again, no immediate need to get through. “Let’s just all chill a hot minute and we’ll … [Read more...] about An American in Cuba: Javier’s Coffee

Meeting Cuba, Face to Face

To bare honesty, I knew nothing of Cuba going into my trip. I had heard of a man named Fidel Castro, and my idea of Cuba was one of skepticism. That is all. I went into this adventure completely blind.  I see this as an offering. The ability to have a completely open and new mind, to learn and gather my own thoughts and opinions. My curiosity and eagerness to ask all the questions and learn as much as possible sat my soul in the hot seat. I was desperate to find out about these people, excited to dive into their world. I wanted to talk to them, walk into their homes, eat their food. I wanted to laugh with them and cry with them and put myself in their shoes, even if just for a tiny moment in time. We did this and so much more. We drank coffee with them, listened to their stories, broke bread with them, watched sunsets together, prayed with them, sat in their homes and simply listened to each other.  The stories to come in the following weeks will tap into each … [Read more...] about Meeting Cuba, Face to Face

Work for the Lord

The Word tells us in Colossians 3:23-24 “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”  We had the blessings of spending a week in Cuba witnessing the church of Patria living out this truth. Last week, Brian and I traveled with a team from AUMC to Patria, Isle of Youth, Cuba to serve alongside our brothers and sisters on the Patria Church construction project as well as work on the farm and with their missionaries, women, and children in ministry. What amazed us right off the bat was the pace at which the construction is being completed. They started demolition at the end of January and got the foundations completed to start laying block at the end of February. When we arrived, the block was done and it had only been a short 2 weeks. The crew they have working is truly committed and knows their work is for a higher calling than just some concrete … [Read more...] about Work for the Lord