Back row: John, Lou, Frances and Naka
Occidental Miramar
Briana, Nicole and their family~Cotorro, Havana, Cuba
Nicole and Briana doing ministry follow-up
June 27, 2009
"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it". Psalm 118:24
Our last day in Cuba! Where has the time gone? It seems like we just arrived yesterday.
Today we have a full day ahead. We are going to follow up with people who accepted Christ last year, and with others we are still lifting up in prayer.
My dad gave me some money to bring to the family and I haven't been able to cash the traveler's cheques. I need to do that today! Nicole, Briana and I got up early, went to have breakfast and caught a taxi. We need to go to Banco Financiero Internacional. The taxi driver claims to know where it is, but after going round and round in circles he decides to drop us off at Banco Metropolitano. I already know this bank does not cash TC, but I indulge his insistence. I ask him to wait for us to make sure this is the bank, but as soon as we walk in the bank, he takes off. So here we are, in a strange city and lost. But have no fear, our God is here. I ask where I can cash the TC and a man tells me at the six star hotel "Hotel Nacional", which happens to be only three blocks away. "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives". Genesis 50:20 Isn't God good? We walk the short distance and as we approach this magnificent hotel we spot a taxi, a classic one at that, a 1956 Chevy Convertible in mint condition. We ask the driver what it will cost us and he tells us $15.00. We tell him we'll think about it. We go into the exchange store and I am finally able to cash the cheques. On top of that, the cashier who helped us needed a black pen and Briana gave him her pen. We were blessed and paying forward. After exchaging the cheques we come out and the car is still parked in the same spot as if waiting for us, so of course, we take it. The look on the team's faces when we arrived at the hotel was great, but the look on the transportation manager was priceless. Was was his motivation? Leave us stranded so we would freak out? They weren't counting on the power of our God. Not only did He make sure we accomplished our goal, He made sure He got us back to the hotel and in style. PTL!!!
We had arranged for a van to take us to Cotorro. The driver showed up, but a few minutes later he tells me he cannot take us because something came up, but that the transportation director will send another van. I suspected all along that the drivers and vehicles that transported us were chosen very carefully, now it was confirmed. We waited forever, but finally the van arrived. The driver was not very friendly, but his attitude did not affect us. We played games in the van all the way there. We got to Cotorro shortly before noon. We were greeted warmly, as if they had known us all their lives. It was special. Today was a day of reward from God. Margarita had been wanting to eat Mamey, but we were not able to find any. Well, what do you know? There was an entire Mamey, cut up and ready to eat just waiting for Margarita. The lunch was spectacular. They had made fried rice, tamales, salad, fruit, dessert, fresh juice etc. We couldn't stop eating. It was delicious! We then chatted and were happy to learn that the people of the house who were saved last year were walking with the Lord. But the most exciting part of our visit was when we found out the Reinier's (Briana and Nicole's cousin and out 12th missionary) pastor was willing to send us the invitation letter and do all the paperwork required for a religious visa. PTL!!!
The food was so good and satisfying, the girls took a nap after lunch.
The driver picked us up at 3:30 sharp, but amazingly enough his demeanor was totally different. I told him I needed his help. We were having dinner at my cousin's house that evening and I was in charge of the drinks and the vegetables. I asked him if he knew where we could purchase Coca Cola. He smiled and said, well, you are not going to find everything in one place; we will go to the farmer's market first and then to the grocery store. The farmer's market was an adventure. God again reminded us that sometimes He likes to spoil us. You see, we were looking forward to drinking sugarcane juice, but were not able to do so in Sancti Spiritus and we doubted we would find it in Havana. Well, it just so happened that this place had a sugarcane juice bar right next door. Thank you Lord! With less than $10.00 I was able to purchase 5lbs of beans, squash, sweet potatoes, garlic, onion, tomatoes, spices, and a bouquet of flowers. We then went to the grocery store where I was able to purchase Coca Cola, Sprite, Diet Coke, Malta, condensed milk and oil. I found everything I needed. It was so neat to see God at work. We found favor with everyone.
We got back to the hotel to freshen up a little within the hour we were on our way to my cousin Raul's house. The team had also been praying for this cousin since last year. Although Raul is a brilliant Physicist, he has been involved in Santeria (a mixture of Catholicism and Voodoo) for quite some time. My heart ached with desire that he would come to know the living God. We were all looking forward to spending time with him and his girlfriend. He had been roasting the pork all day. When we walked in the house the sweet aroma of roasted pork filled the house and although none of us were really hungry we feasted on this succulent dinner. The conversation suddenly turned to faith (but of course), Raul was telling me about a great movie he had watched recently and how he thought I would love it. He begins telling me the story line and to my surprise I realize he is speaking about Fireproof. I told him I had seen it and loved it as much as he did. After dinner everyone went into the livingroom except for Margarita, Raul and me. We stayed in the backyard listening to him tell us that he had given up Santeria and was now involved in a fellowship where he felt he was learning and growing. Margarita listened intently and then began to talk to him about "The way, the truth and the life..." He paid close attention to what God was saying through us. We must've talked for over two hours, finally it was time to go. I looked at him and said, well c'mon, accept Christ already, we got to go. He smiled and said he had done that when he saw the movie. PRAISE YOU ALMIGHTY GOD!!! Can you believe this? Before we knew it it was 11:30pm and time for us to get back to the hotel. We said our goodbyes and off we went.
Upon arriving at Occidental Miramar (our 4th hotel in a week) we notice two secret service like agents in the lobby. We didn't think much about it and went directly to our rooms to pack up our stuff. As previously arranged, the entire team was in the lobby at 12:30. When we arrived there was a band playing & people dancing, but at 1:00am, the music stopped, the guests retired to their rooms and we noticed more secret service agent types. Now there were five. The immigration officers were nowhere to be found. Suddenly, the outside lights at the entrance of the hotel were turned off and the lights in the lobby were dimmed. We found it odd, but oh well. I got up to get a bottle of water at the bar and was shocked to discover an agent following me. That was unsettling to say the least. We kept waiting and waiting as more and more agents came, eight in total, plus the two immigration officers who were to escort us to the plane. The bus finally arrived at 3:00am. By this time all we wanted to do was come home. The officers did not ride with us in the bus; they followed us to the airport. They checked us all in and walked us to the terminal, it was then and there they returned our documents to us. They sat with us and as we waited we talked about about our families. One of the officers even showed us a picture of his twin grandsons. Again we found favor. Thank you Jesus!
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you". Matthew 5:10-12
Lord, we thank you for the mighty work you did in Cuba. We exalt your name for you alone are worthy of all praise. We love you Lord!
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