Participate in Giving Tuesday on May 5, 2020

This year, Giving Tuesday has come at a critical time for many around the world. Giving Tuesday is an international movement with a mission to “transform communities and the world.” In Cuba, the struggle to make a livable wage and have enough food to survive has only gotten harder with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and Shelter in Place (SIP) order.

One of our partner pastors, Yaisel, took it upon himself and his staff to assist more than 90 elderly community members who were struggling acutely. Many were unable to get enough food due to the strict SIP order. Maricela, a blind elderly woman, wondered how she would manage with a meager pension of only $10 a month. It was hardly enough to purchase food for the month, and with orders to stay at home, she wasn’t sure how she was going to get the supplies she needed.

Maricela pictured in her home in Cuba.

Yaisel and his team brought ground turkey, beans, rice, potatoes, spaghetti, bananas, mangoes, and soap to Maricela, as well as 92 other elderly and sick recipients. They were able to do this because of donations received from Aliento Cuba to purchase food and soap. Now Maricela can live comfortably without worrying about food.

While food shortages are always an impending difficulty in Cuba, the situation has worsened with the spread of the pandemic. Please consider donating to Aliento Cuba to join the food relief effort this Giving Tuesday!

CAIBARIEN - A GROWING COASTAL TOWN

Caibarien is near the tourist area of the keys of North central Cuba. To fill the staffing demand of tourism in the keys, the government is building apartment complexes in Caibarien for people who work in the keys.  Because of this, a lot of people are moving to Caibarien.  This presents a challenge and an opportunity to the church in Caibarien.

One challenge for the church is how to best utilize their resources to reach the expanding population. Even a large town like Caibarien is not exempt from transportation problems and as the city grows the problem becomes more acute.  This makes it difficult for the elderly and children to be able to come to church, especially because as the town grows the distances people must travel to church increase.  Finding inexpensive ways to bringing them to church on Sundays and other activities requires creativity.

 The population growth also creates an opportunity for the church to shine its light in the community. It gives people in the church who are believers the opportunity to reach out to the new neighbors, to welcome them to their new community, to discover their needs and be of service to them. 

GOD LIKES TO HAVE FUN TOO

I believe that God always has a special pre-determined place for all the unrequested donations we receive. They provide the unexpected opportunity to bring a smile to someone’s face or fill a need no one knew about. 

This particular donation was not planned nor requested; but someone donated it and it went into our luggage. A glance at the photo below will explain why this particular donation made it all the way to Yaguajay. 

Yes, God likes sports and specially children playing soccer.  What a great God we have!

Note:  The new ball needs to be inflated J

Club de Cazadores

Consolación is our last stop in this ministry trip and once more we head out to meet people in the rural areas around there. Club de Cazadores (Hunter’s Club) is about 8 kilometers from Consolacion. Farmers in that area grow rice, corn, green beans, and black and red beans.

We visit with the family and the extended family who live where the mission meets. They grow corn, green beans, red and black beans in land handed down from their great grandparents. They rotate the crops and are eager to show us the red beans growing in the field.

Liban is the young seminary student who leads the mission. Liban’s face lights up when he talks about the people at the Club de Cazadores and it is clear he cares about the people there. He shares in their achievements and their struggles as if they were his own. And he wants them to bring to them the joy and peace only God can give.

Not everyone who comes to this mission is able to join us on this Monday morning because they are working.

There are 3 other villages where the church in Consolacion has missions and 4 small churches in the area that do not have a pastor and Rolando, the pastor in Consolacion, supports. The needs of this community are not unlike what we have witness throughout Cuba. Spiritual darkness experienced through Santeria and Voodoo are strong. Shortages of food, medicine, gasoline and transportation make daily life difficult. But through it all we see the positive spirit of the people in Cuba who face their struggles with courage, humor and hope.