The team at the Plaza of St. Francis of Assisi, Havana Cuba
The team having dinner at Cafeteria Jardin Oriental
Buying a cake to celebrate Charlie's birthday.
Friday, June 26, 2009
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path". Psalm 119:105
We got up, had breakfast, spent time in prayer and praise and then it was time to go to the Immigration office. Our appointment was at 10:00 and we left the hotel at 9:40. The skies were gray and there was a mist in the air. I remember thinking that traffic this morning was heavier that usual and I was praying we would be there on time. We arrived at 10:00 sharp and were ushered in to an enclosed patio. There we were greeted by a very nice man who spoke perfect English. He told us many stories, which put us at ease. However, we waited for over an hour. At one point we began to sing a praise song, which was obviously a no-no, since we were told to stop by two different officers.
I was called in first. I was asked to recount the events which led to this meeting. A very detailed report was taken and I was asked to sign it. I was then told that because we abused our tourist visas, our passports would not be returned until the day of our departure, furthermore, we would have to pay $20.00 per person for the transfer to the airport. I explained to the officer that we had already secured the transportation from our hotel to the airport and it was already paid. He told me he would check with his commander and see if they would allow us to use our own transportation. His officer approved it, but told me that we would be escorted all the way to the terminal by uniformed immigration officers, and only then would our documents be returned to us. We were to be at the hotel lobby at 12:30am. We each had to sign a bunch of paperwork. We were there for what seemed like an eternity. I asked if we could leave our hotel to eat and get fresh air and they encouraged us to do so. They issued us temporary I.D.'s and sent us off.
Mercedes, our travel agent in Cuba was at the hotel waiting for me. I told her that we were not willing to stay at that hotel one more night, that we felt unsafe and we wanted to me transferred. I was steadfast on my position and both she and the general manager, Selma could see that I meant it. So they offered to move us to the other tower, give us an entire floor and have security officers on the floor. I agreed and soon we were moving to the 18th floor of Hotel Neptuno. It was just as Selma had said. This particular floor had only eight rooms, all facing the ocean and the best part-we had the floor all to ourselves. After getting all settled in, we grabbed a taxi and went to dinner. The restaurant had been recommended and it was great! It was a charming courtyard in the heart of Old Havana, enclosed by beautiful green, lush, folliage. The food was good and inexpensive. Again, the place was empty when we got there and filled up moments after our arrival. We knew we were being watched, we just didn't realize how closely. After dinner we decided to go to the bakery we had gone to last year and get Charlie a birthday cake so we could celebrate. We purchased the cake and were on our way back when a woman approached Tricia and Naka. She was complaining about the Cuban government and warning them to be careful because they were poisoning us. Tricia and Naka ignored her and walked away. Shortly thereafter a man approached us. He wanted a pencil. Elsa had one and I told her to give it to him, but Margarita realized that this was a set up so she whispered in my ear. I told Elsa to forget it (our pencils said-smile Jesus loves you-religious material). Wow, Satan is such a deceiver. Later, Margarita shared with me that he had asked for a bag (we had given out backpacks), and told her he came to us because he knew we had good hearts. ummm. I finally asked him to leave us and he walked away. We walked around and enjoyed the beautiful evening.
We got back to the hotel and celebrated Charlie's birthday. It was so much fun.
Another day where we experienced God's wisdom, faithfulness and protection. Praise you Lord!
The team at the Plaza of St. Francis of Assisi, Havana Cuba
The team having dinner at Cafeteria Jardin Oriental
Buying a cake to celebrate Charlie's birthday.
Friday, June 26, 2009
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path". Psalm 119:105
We got up, had breakfast, spent time in prayer and praise and then it was time to go to the Immigration office. Our appointment was at 10:00 and we left the hotel at 9:40. The skies were gray and there was a mist in the air. I remember thinking that traffic this morning was heavier that usual and I was praying we would be there on time. We arrived at 10:00 sharp and were ushered in to an enclosed patio. There we were greeted by a very nice man who spoke perfect English. He told us many stories, which put us at ease. However, we waited for over an hour. At one point we began to sing a praise song, which was obviously a no-no, since we were told to stop by two different officers.
I was called in first. I was asked to recount the events which led to this meeting. A very detailed report was taken and I was asked to sign it. I was then told that because we abused our tourist visas, our passports would not be returned until the day of our departure, furthermore, we would have to pay $20.00 per person for the transfer to the airport. I explained to the officer that we had already secured the transportation from our hotel to the airport and it was already paid. He told me he would check with his commander and see if they would allow us to use our own transportation. His officer approved it, but told me that we would be escorted all the way to the terminal by uniformed immigration officers, and only then would our documents be returned to us. We were to be at the hotel lobby at 12:30am. We each had to sign a bunch of paperwork. We were there for what seemed like an eternity. I asked if we could leave our hotel to eat and get fresh air and they encouraged us to do so. They issued us temporary I.D.'s and sent us off.
Mercedes, our travel agent in Cuba was at the hotel waiting for me. I told her that we were not willing to stay at that hotel one more night, that we felt unsafe and we wanted to me transferred. I was steadfast on my position and both she and the general manager, Selma could see that I meant it. So they offered to move us to the other tower, give us an entire floor and have security officers on the floor. I agreed and soon we were moving to the 18th floor of Hotel Neptuno. It was just as Selma had said. This particular floor had only eight rooms, all facing the ocean and the best part-we had the floor all to ourselves. After getting all settled in, we grabbed a taxi and went to dinner. The restaurant had been recommended and it was great! It was a charming courtyard in the heart of Old Havana, enclosed by beautiful green, lush, folliage. The food was good and inexpensive. Again, the place was empty when we got there and filled up moments after our arrival. We knew we were being watched, we just didn't realize how closely. After dinner we decided to go to the bakery we had gone to last year and get Charlie a birthday cake so we could celebrate. We purchased the cake and were on our way back when a woman approached Tricia and Naka. She was complaining about the Cuban government and warning them to be careful because they were poisoning us. Tricia and Naka ignored her and walked away. Shortly thereafter a man approached us. He wanted a pencil. Elsa had one and I told her to give it to him, but Margarita realized that this was a set up so she whispered in my ear. I told Elsa to forget it (our pencils said-smile Jesus loves you-religious material). Wow, Satan is such a deceiver. Later, Margarita shared with me that he had asked for a bag (we had given out backpacks), and told her he came to us because he knew we had good hearts. ummm. I finally asked him to leave us and he walked away. We walked around and enjoyed the beautiful evening.
We got back to the hotel and celebrated Charlie's birthday. It was so much fun.
Another day where we experienced God's wisdom, faithfulness and protection. Praise you Lord!
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