Finishing The Work Behind Communist Lines

Greetings to you again my friend in Christ. It is a blessing to once again communicate to you again via our blog.

It has been a most productive year in ministry for us in 2014. God has opened the way for us to undertake mission projects in various places, and we have seized upon these opportunities to continually raise high the standard of Christ around the globe.

Recently, I had the blessed privilege of visiting communist Cuba for the second time.  It became apparent to me several years ago that the doors in Cuba were beginning to slowly open after many years of closure to the outside world. It was always a dream of mine to visit and do evangelism in Cuba. Through the blessings of God, my dreams have been realized, and our ministry has been able to go into the interior of this once closed island, to share the good news of a risen and soon coming Savior with our brothers and sisters there.

In my mind, this trip will always be remembered by me as a new bench mark, because I was able to personally witness the vast accomplishments that can come from dedicated, committed people on a mission trip. In retrospect, I can honestly say that I accomplished all that I envisioned to do for the Lord in Cuba on this trip. On this trip, I was accompanied by four friends who belong to our now extended mission team. Daily,our team  prayed earnestly for the power of the Holy Spirit to go before us, and daily we received the blessings that we prayed for. It seemed like every person that we prayed for in Cuba received an answer from heaven. I was the Evangelist in the group, and I can personally testify that night by night as I preached and appealed to the people in Cuba, the people were moved by the power of the Holy Spirit. There were many people who gave their hearts to Jesus, and many backsliders were reclaimed, after years of being away from Church. Even our door to door encounters were powerful. People shed many tears, as some had never had a compassionate soul to draw nigh them, and pray for, and empathize with them in their homes. As I reflect back on the events of the last few weeks in Cuba, I feel as though I lived through a chapter in the book of Acts.

Our mission station in Cuba was an old coastal town, that was walled on one side by the sea. Many of the people there were descendants of the Spaniards, who had settled there many years before. It was a historic town, with many riveting tales of pirates, and battles between rivaling colonial powers of days past. Because of Communism, the people are all equally poor, except for those fortunate few who receive remittances from family abroad. The average salary in Cuba is about $20 per month. People who are extremely qualified professionals may make as much as $25 per month. The highest paid persons in civilian Cuban life are doctors, who make a whopping $40 per month. The people dress very well as they attended the nightly meetings, and one would almost be tempted to disbelieve the financial statistics. But, as you visited their homes, the harsh reality of Communistic Cuban life would come bearing down upon you. Some people were so poverty stricken, that I remember a few mentioning to me tearfully, as I was completing my house visit, “sorry we don’t have anything to offer you.” The lack of refreshments in the homes were no deterrent to our team members at all. Though the temperature in the days would average about 93 degrees, still the joy of fellowship, and the desire to encourage the brothers and sisters in Cuba, motivated us day by day to press on with our work. The people were much appreciative of our visiting them in their homes, and praying with, and studying the bible with them. As a result of these visitations, many came out to the nightly meetings with their children as a result of these visits.

Our visits were not limited only to our town of evangelism. In fact, we made special efforts to visit our brethren scattered in the country side. Upon visiting the countryside, one would feel as though he had stepped back in time more than 100 years. Cowboys could be seen riding their horses bareback, or rounding up their cattle in order to bring them to their watering holes. There were wagons, caravans, and horses visible everywhere, as these were still the only means of transportation for many people in the rural settlements.  From observing life in the rural settlements, I was reminded again that there is a great difference between the actual needs and wants of people. If necessities demanded it, I realized that both my family and I could live on just the basic necessities of life, and could be just as contented as our brother and sisters who live in the outer districts of our target area.

There is a great demand for bibles in Cuba. Every year many bibles are shipped to the churches in Cuba from US printing houses.  But, I was told by a member of our Church, that these bibles are confiscated by the government of Cuba, and the church has to pay a large fee to the government as duty for each one. By the time, the bibles are brought to the Adventist book store, the cost is about $5 for each one. Initially, one would comment that that is not a lot of money, and technically it is not, but when you consider the fact that a person has to work for 1 week,  and then give up the 1 week’s salary just to buy 1 bible, then the reality of the situation is seen. Young and old alike were asking us from place to place, not for money, clothes, or even food, people were asking for the gift of a bible. We purchased a limited amount from the Adventist book center, but those few bibles were quickly exhausted, and for the rest of our time in Cuba, sad to say, we could not honor any more requests for bibles. I hope with the help of God, to somehow provide every person who has the need for a bible with at least 1 copy on my next trip (God willing). Our team was able to provide several hundred dollars worth of books and reading literature to the brothers and sisters in Cuba. For the 1st time in my life I saw men and women excited about receiving Christian books. In fact, we supplied literature to one small group bible study, and as the sisters received the books, they bowed in prayer and tearfully thanked God for answering their prayers. The members we all happy that finally they had received some reading materials, after many months of praying.

Though the people in Cuba were quite friendly and warm to us, still I had to remind myself that I was in Communist Cuba, and that for the sake of myself and my group, I needed to be on guard (mentally). On every block in every city and village, in every province of Cuba, there are spies. On every block, there are at least 1 or 2 persons who work for the interior government under the department of  the “defenders of the revolution.” It is the duty of these individuals to report all of the relevant happenings of all citizens to the Government. Through this intricate network of spies and informants, the government is always aware of the developments within it’s borders. All foreigners are monitored by them, and their whereabouts and actions on the ground are documented and reported. That is why, even without proper computers and electronic communication, the Cuban revolution has remained now for more than 60 years. Even in the nightly evangelistic meetings that were being held in the church, every night there were at least 2 or 3 individuals from this secret service who came to the meetings. So before I presented, I always asked God for wisdom as to what to say. I did not want to be so concerned about being politically correct that I compromised the truth, but at the same time I did not want to raise anything of controversy that could get me and my 4 friends deported or incarcerated. Thankfully, the Holy Spirit gave me boldness and courage every night, and those who came out received the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I pray that those who came out to spy, also would yield to the Savior’s last appeal, as they came out to the solemn meetings night by night.

Simultaneously, while the adult program was being conducted, there was a program also conducted for the youth. Nightly, one could easily count between 50-80 children who came out to the special children’s meeting. There was a colorful study on the Sanctuary for the children, as well as snacks and toys every night for them. It was such an exciting program for the children, that even many of the adults attended.

It is a prayer request of mine, that you keep the work in Cuba in your prayers in a special way. The ability to be on this island, and preach the Gospel freely is an awesome fulfillment of bible prophecy. I am just deeply humbled that God has given me a small part to play in this work. Secondly, we would like to ask you to also pray for the brothers and sisters in Cuba. The Church brethren there have been, and to a great degree are still closed off from the outside world. Many are extremely talented and educated, and would like get access to more books and general Adventist material. Thirdly, we would like to solicit your prayers as we plan to return to Cuba again for a follow up visit in several months from now, as we would like to conduct a similar series of meetings in 2 more of the unreached settlements. Besides the evangelistic work, children’s programs, and literature distribution, there were several other projects that we embarked upon while in Cuba. However, due to the delicate political situation in that nation, we think it best not to mention them in our blog at this time.

Your prayers and support are helping us to serve God’s children around the world, thank you from the bottom of our hearts. If you would like to make a donation to our work, please feel free to do so at:www.3goingforward.com, just click on the give button. Or you can mail us a check at: 3Going Forward Ministries, P.O. Box 324 Burtonsville Md. 20866, all deductions are tax deductible. Thank you for your partnership, God bless.