Trip summary

The arrival at Holguin was late in the evening and made a bit later by some initial delays.  I was at first detained because the customs officials expected me to have a Cuban passport.  It turned out that I had emigrated to the US only two months before the deadline for this requirement.  Once they realized this, they were very apologetic and courteously allowed me entrance to the country.  Another team member was detained because she had packed 300 toothbrushes (a rare commodity in Cuba these days) to hand out to conference participants.  The officials were somewhat embarrassed that they were obligated to open the bags, check the merchandise and finally declare it a benign import not for commercial gain.  What made it humorous is that they ignored many thousands of dollars worth of musical equipment that the team brought in!

We spent the first few days in Bayamo which turns out to be a historically significant if not large city in that region of Cuba.  The Cuban national anthem was authored by a native of Bayamo and in its lyrics the "Bayameses" courage is invoked.  Men are called to not fear death on the battlefield, for to die for one's country is to live.  I am only now noticing the similarity to the apostle Paul's passage in his letter to the Phillipians 1:21: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." 

We stayed in picturesque Bayamo over the weekend and visited two churches on Saturday and Sunday.  The music is what struck me as the central feature of worship among Cuban believers.  And a very lively music it was, not stripped of its many influences  as I imagined might be the case.  A lot of conga drums and bongos were involved!

We traveled about 3 1/2 hours on Monday morning to Moa where the Huellas de Adoración Conference was to be held.  The full name translated is: "Imprints of Worship" and its slogan translated is: "Marking hearts for Christ through the arts in worship."  It was conceived planned and executed by Cuban believers themselves.  That's impressive enough, but what makes it all the more so is the lack of resources with which Cubans have to contend for organizing such an event.  But they have to deal with this harsh reality every day of their lives.  Their spirit of overcoming with the help of God has been developed to a high degree due to the difficult circumstances.  They regularly see the hand of God in delivering their needs on a daily basis.  They are strong believers because of it.   

I made so many wonderful and lasting friendships that it will be a challenge for me to stay in touch regularly with all of them.  But some in particular made a significant impression on me.  Wilter, the pastor of the relatively large church hosting the conference, is a very alert and strong leader with a great sense of humor.  We bonded almost immediately.  The other person whom I grew to admire greatly is the president of the denomination, Eliseo Navarro.  His more subdued personality belied his depth of character, brilliant mind and servant leadership qualities.  Many others touched my heart such as Yudismir the head organizer of the conference.  In his late 20s with three daughters, he already has his plate full of responsibilities, Yet he boldly stepped up and led several large teams of people to a very successful fulfillment of the event in all its intricate details.  I was very impressed with the overall management of people, resources and the resulting impact.  

I taught visual arts workshops daily and gave one presentation on art from a Christian perspective summarizing Francis Schaeffer's Art in the Bible.  There were numerous other workshops held simultaneously on various aspects of music, dance and evangelism.  Each evening a fabulous concert was held culminating in a finale on the last of the four and half days of the conference.  I was moved more and more each night and was deeply touched by the Christ-centered worship of my Christian brothers and sisters.  It changed my attitude toward worship altogether.  

Throughout the entire time there, I was most impressed by the joy on the faces of all the believers with whom I came into contact. It was contagious.  It was difficult to consider my departure even before the time came for us to leave.  I honestly wanted to stay.  I have contemplated over the days there, and even beforehand, the possibility of living in Cuba permanently.  Since then, I have continued to pray and felt more and more that this may be God's will for my life at this point.  Whatever happens, I am extremely open to that possibility.  

In the event that happens, I would miss my connection with the dear  and close friends I have been privileged to meet at church and elsewhere  But in another sense, they will remain a part of me as I have felt they made possible my initial steps on my journey toward a mission in Cuba.  As my life unfolds and more opportunities arise to do more and more permanent ministry in Cuba, I would hope that future connections with More people may be possible.  I would love to share my heart with others for the Cuban people and the much-needed work among them through short-term vision trips and other experiences. 

Church Cuban Style

Tonight I gave my testimony at a Pentecostal Cuban church. It was a wonderful experience. Other than a lot of halelujahs, praise the Lords and glory to Gods, it was a theologically sound and comfortable worship experience. The music was incredible and performed by very young people ranging in age between 11 and 30. Guest performers were Rex and Donna Carlaw who played flute, clarinet and oboe.  I was hoping and wondering if I would hear the strong rhythms of popular Cuban music and I was not disappointed. This was a small church (60 in attendance) but with a big heart and soul.   There was a lot of joyous clapping, singing, foot-tapping and other movements!  The pastor was saved at the mother church which planted this one not long ago. But the message tonight was delivered by a woman who was obviously well trained. It was a solid, biblical evangelical message out of Matthew's gospel. The building is a modest corrugated tin roofed space (formerly a patio) that was "slapped together" by the pastor of the mother church who works construction on the side.  He said that for another $3,000.00 US they could add to it and enhance it. I was very impressed by what they had done with such limited local resources. The average salary in Cuba is the equivalent of less than $30 us per month. 

Cuban kinship

In the past two days I've met fellow Cuban Christians with whom I feel as if I've known them all my life. I can understand our bond in Christ. But I've also met several others who are perfect strangers and with whom I feel a special kinship.  

Today, March 8, they celebrate the national day of women in Cuba   One particular young woman named Arielle saw me with another friend's special-needs son and without prompting offered him a coin for a ride in a children's cart. We talked briefly and I thanked her. I asked if she attended church. She sad no. I told her that I felt as if she was a devoted believer by her actions of kindness. She answered that it was the way she was brought up and she has maintained that way of believing and behaving even though she does not attend church. I told her she honors Christ through her actions. Today I celebrate Arielle. 

Customs

I was detained by Cuban customs agents  when I arrived at Holguin Airport. I was a little unnerved but never truly worried. I just sat patiently and waited for them to call me. Finally the mix up was solved. They thought I needed a Cuban passport but then realized it was not necessary. It all hinged on the date of my initial departure from Cuba more than 53 years ago. I made the cut off by two months.   Whew!!  

Bayamo

My new friends here tell me that Bayamo is the town of horse-drawn carriages. I thought they were kidding until our taxi came to pick us up. They were serious and proud of this peculiar heritage. Bayamo is nearly 500 years old; much older than Havana. Perhaps this is a vestige of a more historic and less urbanized past. Regardless, it is quite fun and even trendy as it is green transportation that offers a much lower carbon footprint. 

Leaving a hard winter behind

Experts are claiming that more than 90% of Lake Michigan is covered with ice this winter season so far. It's a different kind of sea than where I'm headed. I remember thinking of the lake as the ocean when I first came to Chicago as a child. My uncle drove us on Lake Shore Drive in the city before taking us to his house. We had arrived late at night and it was dark in the last days of October. It seemed cold to us, but we didn't know what was coming.  Winters have been a time of foreboding gloom ever since. My spirit has escaped that melancholy feeling this year. Oddly, it should have been my worst winter ever. But the prospect of this trip has changed all that. I'm leaving winter behind, but I'm leaving a lot of other things behing as well. I'm reminded of the Apostle Paul's letter to the Philliians: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13, 14 KJV)

I'm off!

The plane is just now leaving the terminal. I have to turn off my phone.