Third Lens

You are here: Home / Archives for series

An American in Cuba: Faith and Ferry Rides

Our trip originally flew us into Havana directly from Atlanta, GA. Immigration as well as customs was simple and hassle free. It was the same way leaving Havana, returning home to the US.  In order to reach Pastor Enrique on The Island of Youth, we had to take another full day of travel. Kindly, Brian O’Neil had this all pre-arranged for us and in his words, “you’ll take a bus, and then a ferry to meet Pastor Enrique!” I’m a believer in all things bright and beautiful. I imagined a quick little tour bus picking us up, followed by a quaint ferry ride across a bay, as if we were headed to Statin Island.  This is not what happened. What did happen was this: a three hour wait at a bus station, a 2 hour bus ride to the water’s edge, a 2 hour wait at the docks, a three hour “ferry” ride (actually a ship) and then we met jolly Pastor Enrique. Our day trip was nothing like I expected, it was better. It was complex, it was random, it was questionable, there were … [Read more...] about An American in Cuba: Faith and Ferry Rides

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