Introduction:
I wonder what you think of when you hear of Cuba? Castro, rum, old cars, sandy beaches, cigars perhaps? Certainly in March 2007 when I first heard of an opportunity to go to Cuba that is probably the general perception I had. That all quickly changed. Spending a month there in June of 2007 opened my eyes to the real Cuba, the real people of that country and what God is doing there.
As a communist state, Cuba is still stuck in the 1950s, with generalised widespread poverty. This poverty is not on the scale of a remote tribe in Africa yet the destitution and lack of resources is ubiquitous. With all families subjected to a ration book for food barely enough to survive on, limited job satisfaction or income and little prospect of improvement, life in Cuba is generally quite bleak. A stark contrast to the jolly, relaxed Latin-Caribbean image presented by a propaganda driven government. Hope is something that is not viable for most Cubans, dreams are crushed at a young age and the main aspiration then becomes how to leave the country for a theoretically better life. The unfortunate thing is Cuba is a beautiful country, with beautiful people and land that if used better would be a holiday paradise. Cuba is a country defined by having two faces: the one the government wants to portray and the one that real people live in. So often we get taken in by the imagery.
I wonder what you think of when you hear of Cuba? Castro, rum, old cars, sandy beaches, cigars perhaps? Certainly in March 2007 when I first heard of an opportunity to go to Cuba that is probably the general perception I had. That all quickly changed. Spending a month there in June of 2007 opened my eyes to the real Cuba, the real people of that country and what God is doing there.
As a communist state, Cuba is still stuck in the 1950s, with generalised widespread poverty. This poverty is not on the scale of a remote tribe in Africa yet the destitution and lack of resources is ubiquitous. With all families subjected to a ration book for food barely enough to survive on, limited job satisfaction or income and little prospect of improvement, life in Cuba is generally quite bleak. A stark contrast to the jolly, relaxed Latin-Caribbean image presented by a propaganda driven government. Hope is something that is not viable for most Cubans, dreams are crushed at a young age and the main aspiration then becomes how to leave the country for a theoretically better life. The unfortunate thing is Cuba is a beautiful country, with beautiful people and land that if used better would be a holiday paradise. Cuba is a country defined by having two faces: the one the government wants to portray and the one that real people live in. So often we get taken in by the imagery.
God at work:
However, God is at work here in this country. The Cuban church is growing faster and faster than ever before and the evangelical denominations, predominantly Baptist and Methodist are attracting more and more people to Christ. The opportunity for outreach is vast and the church has an amazing ministry meeting the social needs of the people where they are at. Pastor Raymundo’s church, Iglesia Bautista, Almendares (Baptist Church, Almendares) in Havana, Cuba is one such mission of God. Here under his leadership and guidance from the Lord they have grown from 150 baptised members in 2004 and are now 450 members in 2010, with many more associated with it. This is not without its risks though under a government that reserves a lot of animosity for the church. Raymundo deals with government informants in the church on a regular basis, and is caught in a constant tension between providing for his family, serving God and avoiding the inevitable persecution that comes from serving God in a country that is against Christianity. Nevertheless God’s grace unmistakeably shines through the lives of Raymundo and his wife Maria. The joy they have and express is an amazing testament to their trust and their “live by faith” approach to life. Literally every day is an act of faith, for God to provide electricity to run their house, to provide bread to eat, to provide water to drink and wash with – all commodities here but are greatly valued in Cuba.
However, God is at work here in this country. The Cuban church is growing faster and faster than ever before and the evangelical denominations, predominantly Baptist and Methodist are attracting more and more people to Christ. The opportunity for outreach is vast and the church has an amazing ministry meeting the social needs of the people where they are at. Pastor Raymundo’s church, Iglesia Bautista, Almendares (Baptist Church, Almendares) in Havana, Cuba is one such mission of God. Here under his leadership and guidance from the Lord they have grown from 150 baptised members in 2004 and are now 450 members in 2010, with many more associated with it. This is not without its risks though under a government that reserves a lot of animosity for the church. Raymundo deals with government informants in the church on a regular basis, and is caught in a constant tension between providing for his family, serving God and avoiding the inevitable persecution that comes from serving God in a country that is against Christianity. Nevertheless God’s grace unmistakeably shines through the lives of Raymundo and his wife Maria. The joy they have and express is an amazing testament to their trust and their “live by faith” approach to life. Literally every day is an act of faith, for God to provide electricity to run their house, to provide bread to eat, to provide water to drink and wash with – all commodities here but are greatly valued in Cuba.
The team:
It was such a privilege to have the opportunity to serve there this summer in August 2010. Having contacted Raymundo in March regarding coming over to serve he instantly replied with “please come, and bring your team with you”. So began the process of recruiting a team and the result is as you see to the right (from L-R: Catherine, Heather, Gareth, Sarah, Chris, Sharon and Ciara). One of the main things we were there to do was to take a week of youth mission, this involved practical work with them in the morning – painting the interior of the whole church (ie the YF painting the walls of the church sanctuary in our money). This was amazing because it drew them into helping out in the church instead of hanging out on the streets during their holidays. This was followed by lunch with them and an afternoon of something more relaxed, an excursion to the beach, football and dominos or maybe some cliff jumping into the Caribbean Sea! Our days were finished off by evenings of bible study and activity centred on the “values of being a disciple of Jesus” – the word of God, evangelism, service, prayer and holiness, which when translated into Spanish becomes PESOS – interestingly their currency, the worldly values counter cultural to what the bible says! This ministry was particularly fruitful, with so many young people engaging in bible study, praise and prayer for and with one another, so much so that their parents were enquiring at the church to see what all the fuss was, praise God. Aside from this we took part in church services, shared at house churches, prayer walked and enjoyed much fellowship with our Cuban brothers and sisters.
Horror:
Apart from the government putting pressure on the church the other main area of challenge comes from “Santeria” – a local tribal religion that has become mingles with Roman Catholicism going back hundreds of years. Every day at a place called “El Rincon”, featured to the left hundreds of people come to offer sacrifices to saints for everything possible, disease, life situations, financial troubles, everything. A place that is beautiful decorated and ornate just stinks of evil and goes so far that on one day a year they still sacrifice children to one of their “saints”. What is perhaps most depictive of the spiritual forces at work is that at the main altar (features above) you may be able to make out the relatively small and insignificant Jesus on the cross to the bottom right of the picture. His relative insignificance to the other saints shows how badly twisted this has become. The main problem with this place is that is has become a business for both the church and the government, who conspire with Santeria to ensure some income for the government out of it all. So whilst a Cuban pastor will be arrested for preaching openly on the streets about Jesus stalls for Santeria are found everywhere in public. It is important to take heart from the words of 1 John 4:4, “You dear children are from God and have overcome them, because one that is in you is greater than the one that is in the world”. Amen.
It was such a privilege to have the opportunity to serve there this summer in August 2010. Having contacted Raymundo in March regarding coming over to serve he instantly replied with “please come, and bring your team with you”. So began the process of recruiting a team and the result is as you see to the right (from L-R: Catherine, Heather, Gareth, Sarah, Chris, Sharon and Ciara). One of the main things we were there to do was to take a week of youth mission, this involved practical work with them in the morning – painting the interior of the whole church (ie the YF painting the walls of the church sanctuary in our money). This was amazing because it drew them into helping out in the church instead of hanging out on the streets during their holidays. This was followed by lunch with them and an afternoon of something more relaxed, an excursion to the beach, football and dominos or maybe some cliff jumping into the Caribbean Sea! Our days were finished off by evenings of bible study and activity centred on the “values of being a disciple of Jesus” – the word of God, evangelism, service, prayer and holiness, which when translated into Spanish becomes PESOS – interestingly their currency, the worldly values counter cultural to what the bible says! This ministry was particularly fruitful, with so many young people engaging in bible study, praise and prayer for and with one another, so much so that their parents were enquiring at the church to see what all the fuss was, praise God. Aside from this we took part in church services, shared at house churches, prayer walked and enjoyed much fellowship with our Cuban brothers and sisters.
Horror:
Apart from the government putting pressure on the church the other main area of challenge comes from “Santeria” – a local tribal religion that has become mingles with Roman Catholicism going back hundreds of years. Every day at a place called “El Rincon”, featured to the left hundreds of people come to offer sacrifices to saints for everything possible, disease, life situations, financial troubles, everything. A place that is beautiful decorated and ornate just stinks of evil and goes so far that on one day a year they still sacrifice children to one of their “saints”. What is perhaps most depictive of the spiritual forces at work is that at the main altar (features above) you may be able to make out the relatively small and insignificant Jesus on the cross to the bottom right of the picture. His relative insignificance to the other saints shows how badly twisted this has become. The main problem with this place is that is has become a business for both the church and the government, who conspire with Santeria to ensure some income for the government out of it all. So whilst a Cuban pastor will be arrested for preaching openly on the streets about Jesus stalls for Santeria are found everywhere in public. It is important to take heart from the words of 1 John 4:4, “You dear children are from God and have overcome them, because one that is in you is greater than the one that is in the world”. Amen.
Learning points:
I think I am continually amazed by how God blesses us here on earth. Obviously from a summer where much of my time has been spent with those living in poverty I realise the physical blessings God has given us here in Bangor. However more abundant is the spiritual blessing that God gives people when they serve Him wholeheartedly. I would love to say I served Him wholeheartedly the whole summer but I did not, but when I did it enabled Him to bless me so much more because I was giving him my whole heart and not just part of it. Instead of coming back from Cuba spiritually drained from giving out I felt spiritually refreshed from God just blessing over and over again. A big part of this is how he blessed the team members, all the specific prayer points I had for the team members were answered out there, things which were pretty spectacular to witness, and a true testament to the discipling experience of being missional like this in both thought and action.
Pastor Raymundo is a great man and some of you had the pleasure of meeting him when he was here. He is a man of God living by faith every day, facing so much more than we do here and yet is joyful always. It was a real privilege for him and Maria to be in Northern Ireland to have a rest and to enjoy their time, which they did immensely, including their time at our church. God is shining through them and I really felt completely at home with them in their country, a country with people I have come to hold very dear to me and it was really like going home for me when I arrived on the 4th August with the team. Over the 3 weeks there I felt a real affirmation of God’s calling to work for Him overseas in some capacity and it remains to be seen what capacity that is and exactly where that is, although I think if not Cuba then Latin America would be top of the list.
I think I am continually amazed by how God blesses us here on earth. Obviously from a summer where much of my time has been spent with those living in poverty I realise the physical blessings God has given us here in Bangor. However more abundant is the spiritual blessing that God gives people when they serve Him wholeheartedly. I would love to say I served Him wholeheartedly the whole summer but I did not, but when I did it enabled Him to bless me so much more because I was giving him my whole heart and not just part of it. Instead of coming back from Cuba spiritually drained from giving out I felt spiritually refreshed from God just blessing over and over again. A big part of this is how he blessed the team members, all the specific prayer points I had for the team members were answered out there, things which were pretty spectacular to witness, and a true testament to the discipling experience of being missional like this in both thought and action.
Pastor Raymundo is a great man and some of you had the pleasure of meeting him when he was here. He is a man of God living by faith every day, facing so much more than we do here and yet is joyful always. It was a real privilege for him and Maria to be in Northern Ireland to have a rest and to enjoy their time, which they did immensely, including their time at our church. God is shining through them and I really felt completely at home with them in their country, a country with people I have come to hold very dear to me and it was really like going home for me when I arrived on the 4th August with the team. Over the 3 weeks there I felt a real affirmation of God’s calling to work for Him overseas in some capacity and it remains to be seen what capacity that is and exactly where that is, although I think if not Cuba then Latin America would be top of the list.
Future implications:
Cuba needs our prayers first and foremost. It is a country sidelined in international importance and does not get the press it needs to raise awareness. Pray for:
In adoration
God, we ask to be in your presence
Thankful for all that you have given us in your grace
You have freed us,
Defeating every sin on the cross
You have transformed this darkness
Giving us light and life
Today your people are
on their knees before you
Giving glory and honour to your Name
Celebrating your majesty.
Eternal God, we exalt you
Your greatness we declare
With love we bring before you
Our hearts in adoration
From the heart we sing you a song of praise
In adoration, one body and one spirit we will be
Only your glory, Lord of the Heavens,
Fill this holy place and in obedience we proclaim
You throughout the heavens the earth and the sea
Today your people are on their knees before you
Giving glory and honour to your Name
Celebrating your majesty.
Eternal God, we exalt you
Your greatness we declare
With love we bring before you
Our hearts in adoration
Chris Agnew
Cuba needs our prayers first and foremost. It is a country sidelined in international importance and does not get the press it needs to raise awareness. Pray for:
- Increasing religious freedom
- Safety for Raymundo and his family
- Their basic needs (food, water, electricity)
- The educational system which is falling apart
- The economy which is falling apart
- Our brothers and sisters in Christ there to stay strong in the faith
- Elderly food ministry – many elderly folk in Cuba are alone and have no one to look after them. With no money many are starving (literally) and the church provides meals for approx. 30 elderly people in the church on a daily basis. Food in Cuba is expensive and it is by the grace of God that this continues – what if we were being called to be part of that grace?
- Potential church plant – the government have given back land previously owned by the church and have granted the rights to redevelop an old building on it – in a place where there is no evangelical church. Again this requires funds to organise and maintain.
- Raymundo’s car – presently he owns a 1974 Russian Bolga (a new car for Cuba) and really it is the church car and functions for everything – allowing meals to be delivered, errands to be run, people to be collected, literally everything and therefore it is constantly breaking down. Money for maintenance is also required. If interested in supporting contact me at cpagnew1@aol.com
In adoration
God, we ask to be in your presence
Thankful for all that you have given us in your grace
You have freed us,
Defeating every sin on the cross
You have transformed this darkness
Giving us light and life
Today your people are
on their knees before you
Giving glory and honour to your Name
Celebrating your majesty.
Eternal God, we exalt you
Your greatness we declare
With love we bring before you
Our hearts in adoration
From the heart we sing you a song of praise
In adoration, one body and one spirit we will be
Only your glory, Lord of the Heavens,
Fill this holy place and in obedience we proclaim
You throughout the heavens the earth and the sea
Today your people are on their knees before you
Giving glory and honour to your Name
Celebrating your majesty.
Eternal God, we exalt you
Your greatness we declare
With love we bring before you
Our hearts in adoration
Chris Agnew
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