Third trip to Cuba
June 2016
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“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
(Matthew 9:37-38) From June 8th through the 16th, the Lord allowed a group of 8 people to make another blessed trip to Cuba with the purpose of evangelism. The group consisted of 4 brothers and 4 sisters from the states of Minnesota, California and Florida. The trip was presided by a minister evangelist. During this trip for the first time the sisters participated; they had prepared an excellent children's program, participated in the music ministry, and left a good example. During the week, brothers and sisters visited 5 cities, where services were held and the gospel was preached in the streets and in the homes of local people. Thanks to God and to all the brothers and sisters who donated their money to support this trip for the work of evangelism. Each member of the group had an extra bag, containing Christian literature, candy and small gifts for children and adults. This trip clearly showed that the people living in this country are ready to receive the Word of God and are in need of laborers who have dedicated themselves to the preaching of the gospel.
Russian speaking people living in Cuba are especially in need of those who could help them in spiritual matters – such as answering questions of people who are just starting to get closer to God but are entangled in various false doctrines. In the city of Cardenas, we were greeted by a hospitable family of a Cuban pastor of the local Baptist church. They showed us a lot of love and care, and although we speak different language, we felt the love of our Lord unite us. This family, like many Cubans, loves to sing. Our daily fellowship at breakfast would not be complete without the singing! They especially liked to sing with the accordion, which we had for musical accompaniment. A multitude of songs which we sing in our churches are also known to them, and thus we could sing in two languages. For example, hymns such as: “Almighty Fortress is Our God," “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” “There is Power in the Blood” and others. In Cardenas, where we had the opportunity to hold one church service. The small room which held the service was so crowded with people that some had to listen outside on the street! Adults and children longed to hear the Word of God and the hymns. The service would go on for 3 hours, and only after 11pm everyone began to go home. In this city we mostly traveled by wagons pulled by horses. In the city of Varadero, we divided into two groups and visited the homes of those who already attended church, but had not yet dedicated their life to God. The pastor had asked that we visit these people and share the gospel to encourage them to accept Christ into their heart as their personal Savior. One of the women we visited was attending church. Her 17-year-old son Emmanuel, however, did not even want to hear anything about God and refused to communicate with us. We called him but he did not want to talk to us, and only after we invited him through his mother, he came to us. He began to listen very carefully and seemed to have warmed up to us. Later in the conversation, we learned that just a mere 8 days ago his brother died in a car accident. As we parted, we invited Emmanuel to come in the evening to worship, and he immediately said he can't go, but upon our persistence he said that he would think about it. We were pleased to see Emmanuel with his mother sitting in the pews that evening at the service! The brothers and sisters held service through an interpreter, preached, shared life examples, and sung hymns in Russian and Spanish. After the service, the minister who had participated in this trip and who had preached in the evening was approached by a young man who said that he repented, but did not know if he is to be baptized and what to do next. He said he went to this meeting and did not know if he would continue to follow the Lord, but after this service, he decided to renew his dedication. A few days later we again held a service in this city, and I saw Emmanuel. He listened with great interest to the Word of God and told us that he will continue to attend church. Praise be to God that the Lord prompted him to come to the meeting, and we hope that he will give his heart to God and find in Him complete happiness. We spent the next day in the village of La Gunillas. By passing all the houses of the village, we invited people to the children's evening service, and many children and adults came. The brothers and sisters held a children's program, the theme of which was the creation of the world and the birth of Jesus Christ. All those present listened attentively and with great interest, and at the conclusion of the program the children were asked questions about what they had learned. In the end, we handed out children's Bibles, candy and gifts. The children were immensely happy and grateful, and the adults expressed their gratitude, and despite the late time they were in no hurry to leave. In the city of Matanzas, we met with a Russian speaking group and spent two days there. The brothers preached about salvation, about God's plan and about the incarnation of God. Those present listened attentively and asked questions. We also brought Christian magazines and other spiritual literature in Russian which were distributed to the people. Someone from the audience said it was the best visit they had. We mention this not to boast, in this we see how much the people are eager to drink the pure spiritual milk. Our last stop was in the city of Havana. We were walking around the city handing out tracts. People willingly took them, expressed gratitude, and read the tracts with interest. Accustomed to the hectic life in America, we just enjoyed seeing people who are not indifferent to Christian literature. In the evening we went out for evangelism to the waterfront, where a large crowd of people gather. We handed out tracts, sang songs accompanied by the accordion, and talked with people. Later in Havana we visited the local Russian church. We were asked to explain some spiritual question they had. We were told that many believers were tormented by some question and some of them had already fallen into despair, unable to understand. Our minister, on the basis of Scripture, clearly and thoroughly explained the passages that they did not understand and also answered their questions. After the service those that desired had personal conversations with our brothers. Not yet established in the faith, these believers are in need of people who would be always there to guide them on the right path. People thanked and asked them to pray and to visit often. Big thank you to all who supported us in prayer, which we felt continuously. Continue to pray for revival in this nation, and that the Lord will send families for resettlement and ministry in Cuba. Our desire is to have a Russian speaking church planted in Cuba, which will preach the pure truth of God's Word. |
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