The Me I Want to Be?

I guess I don't have to worry about flattery among my Cuban brethren!  David is a believer and artist "in whom there is no guile" as Jesus would say!  He loves to do caricature and it's obvious he is quite good at it. He is an award-winning graphic designer who came all the way from Havana for the conference (more than 700 km).  It was a pleasure meeting him and working with him. I know God has great plans for David and his young family.  

The Future of Cuba

This young couple, Norge and Daliana, was the team that helped me in my workshop.  They are very strong Christians and very talented.  He was one of the master of ceremonies for the nightly conference concerts along with another young lady.  His wife is an extremely gifted vocalist who performed several times.  Thay have a little boy and are very active in their church.  I took their picture one morning during our break.  

When I look at this image, I see beyond the glow of joy and gratitude in their faces.  I see the future of Cuba.  For me they are the symbol of a vision that God has persistently given me.  It is an ambitious vision, as most visions should be.  I picture a future Cuban nation in which the character of its people is celebrated: resourceful, productive, yet loving and graceful.  The Person of Jesus Christ is at the center of that vision.  Jesus is reflected clearly in the faces of many of Cuba's young people.  I pray that more and more young Cubans will find a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and make Him the center of their lives just as this young couple has.  

First Day in Bayamo - Cuba Celebrates Woman's Day March 8

Our hotel was marvelous and historically elegant

An unexpected little blonde in the crowd!

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The art school is nearby; can you tell?

A scale model of Bayamo

We had fun at the local wax museum with Hemingway, Compay Segundo and Jose Marti

Examples of the aesthetics of the small city

Smaller Motorcycles are everywhere

The kids have fun at Woman's Day festivities

Old "pisicorre"

The "ration card"

The garage is the living room!

Chillin' in the backyard

Welcome to the friendly skies

I don't travel much, so I have to ask qurestions to make sure I don't mess up.  I try to overcome my sense of heplessness, and otentimes I get an encouraging response from helpful people.  Today was different.  

Being at O'Hare airport is daunting enough even when you know what you're doing.  I had looked at the departures board and read the information, but it didn't make any sense to me.  I was confused as to which gate I should go to, and a little worried that I might not make the flight on time.  I saw two guys with United Airlines uniforms standing by a counter close by, so I thought I would approach them.  As I did, one of them covered his face in a kind of joking gesture, so I smiled playing along.  Almost immediately, another guy showed up and said with abroad grin, "Don't worry, that was not mean for you."  I laughed a little and admitted I was relieved.  But just as I was about to ask my question, the other guy jumped in saying, "Yes it was!"  I think he expected me to laugh.  I did, half-heartedly, but I left without seeking any help.  I found out what I needed to know from another helpful employee nearby.

I thought about it after a while.  I was upset but I did not retaliate by showing my anger overtly.  I walked away.  That in itself may be considered rude.  But at the time, I felt good about my response.  That's good so far.  But I still let it get to me.  The thought entered my mind to go back and apologize.  But I soon felt it would have been a pretentious gesture.  I had to let it go. Welcome to the friendly skies!

My "Tia" Niñá

She is 102 years young.  My father's sister is the only one left of the six Texidor siblings.  Her name was an "apodo" or nickname that originated with my father.  As a little boy who could hardly speak, he mispronounced the word for girl in Spanish which is niña.  He kept pointing to his younger sister saying, "Girl, girl!"  But he put the accent on the last syllable and the name stuck.  Her real name is Alejandrina, after her mother.

Niñá is an extremely intelligent person who is still sharp as a tack.  I often think her memory is better than mine.  She does not take any medications and jokes about her walker which she says is only for carrying her purse.  In her youth, she was an excellent tennis player.  She studied law at the University of Havana, but dedicated herself to raising a family all her life.  She has always been very easy-going.  Perhaps that (and the Texidor genes) is the reason for her longevity.

It was very gracious of her and her daughter Ada and son-in-law Fernando to give me a place to stay overnight so that I could catch my flight from Miami to Cuba the next day.  Amazingly, Niñá waited up for me until 2:00 am when my flight from Milwaukee was delayed.  We chatted a while longer while I ate cookies and milk.  It was not very much time, but precious nonetheless.

I will be heading south again in late spring or early summer to spend more time in Miami.  This time, I will not be rushed and I can enjoy my time with my dear aunt.  God bless you Niñá!

National Anthems

As the plane landed from Miami in Holguin everyone clapped spontaneously. Obviously most if not all were Cubans. I thought about how attached we all are to our native country even as we have been alienated from it for decades. I wondered what makes Cubans so patriotic?  Why this attachment to place?  Why do we feel this kinship with each other?  

I felt this at the Miami airport just listening to the particular way Cubans speak Spanish. I met a Cuban waiting in line for the flight to Cuba who is from Bayamo. We talked about the historic significance of the small town.

The town square is a beautiful park with several monuments.  One is erected to Perucho Figueredo, the author of the Cuban national anthem.  The words of the anthem appear in bronze on a large plaque embedded in white marble.  Here are the words of the first few lines:

¡Al combate, corred, Bayameses!, Que la patria os contempla orgullosa; No temáis una muerte gloriosa, Que morir por la patria es vivir.	Hasten to battle, men of Bayamo! The motherland looks proudly to you; Do not fear a glorious death, Because to die for the motherland is to live.
Second stanza
En cadenas vivir es vivir en afrenta y oprobio sumido, Del clarín escuchad el sonido; ¡A las armas, valientes, corred!	To live in chains is to live, In dishonour and ignominy, Hear the call of the bugle; Hasten, brave ones, to arms!

The battle of Bayamo was fought nearby and was a great victory for the Cubans who wanted to be free from Spain.  Figueredo fought in that battle and was compelled by his fellow fighters to write an anthem to commemorate the victory.  He did so right on his horse!  Two years later, he was captured by the Spaniards and sentenced to death by firing squad.  Just before his death, he shouted the words to his anthem; "To die for the motherland is to live!"  

The above lyrics and adapted facts taken from Wikipedia

A Mother Church in Bayamo

Narcisso is now retired. But he worked very hard throughout his life.  He was a skilled tradesman and contractor before he dedicated his life to the ministry.  Over the years, he and others struggled to establish and then build their church.  This is an amazing feat considering the limited resources on the island.  As you can see from these photos, it is not much different from our churches here.  It is a mission-oriented church and has established another small congregation in another more remote part of Bayamo.  Again, these strong believers do not limit themselves because of their circumstances.  They pursue the call to bring others to Christ without hesitation.  Pedro, pictured in the last photo, is the current pastor.  The lady pictured next to him is visiting from a baptist church.  When she heard my last name, she remarked that she knows a family with the same last name.  And I thought my last name was unique even in Cuba.  

There was a lot of activity up there!