On our Final Day in Cuba, the team got to experience more of the culture and land of Cuba. This is an important piece of this trip as often people view Cuba in a sad light, but the country and its people are so wonderful, so it’s important to really see that. Following breakfast, everyone packed in the van to travel to the Cuban countryside, a couple hours outside of the city. Once there we were able to see the mountains, which are much rounder than what many people usually think of. Following that, we explored a large cave/ravine, and got to witness how God has created the Earth and how time has shaped it. Afterwards, we all hopped on horses (many of us for the first time) and traveled out to a generational Cuban farm. There we got to learn about the process of making Cuban cigars, coffee beans,…
Continue ReadingOn Day 3 of distributions, the groups went out again to share water filters and the Gospel, being able to interact with many different kinds of people and see God works in amazing ways. Following those distributions, the team was surpised with Gelato to end a hot day, and went back to the house to debrief on how we can translate what we learned here over to our homes and every day lives. On the final day of distributions, the team went out in the morning to share with the final families. Following those conversations, the team, translators, and guides went back to the church and closed out our time together singing worship each in their own language, thanking one another, and praying one last time. There was special moment praying ‘The Blessing’ over one another, being led both by one of their church members and Nora, a reminder that…
Continue ReadingBeginning the morning, some of us were able to see a rainbow, a reminder of God’s promises to us. Then we enjoyed breakfast with one another, and heard a devotional from Micah on Matthew 6. Enjoying the cool rain, we talked about not worrying about tomorrow and relying on the Lord as we share the Gospel with His people. Then we gathered again with our translators and guides and spent the morning sharing both water filters and the gift of Salvation with the Cuban people. Each group came back sharing beautiful stories of how God worked through our weaknesses and how it really felt like the exact situation for us to minister, seeing God use our individual backgrounds, skillsets, and experiences to share His love and Word. Following lunch, we went back out and continued our distributions. One group met Cuban believers and had the opportunity to have a long…
Continue ReadingOur first day waking up in Cuba we all were ready for church, after hearing about their beautiful worship. We got to praise God in Spanish, witness baptisms, and hear an amazing sermon on the book of Acts. Leaving the service, we were all full of joy and energy for sharing the Gospel. After church we got to tour the Seminary next door and learn more about the work they are doing and the people that come to study. After lunch, we gathered into our groups, met the translators and guides who would be helping us connect the families with the local church, and separated to bring clean water and the gift of the Gospel to whomever we’d be led to share it with. Following those amazing conversations, the team met back with one another, prayed together, and went back to our house. After enjoying another wonderful meal, we gathered…
Continue ReadingEarly Saturday the team met at the airport ready for a powerful trip. Beginning the morning in prayer with friends and family, we prepared our hearts and minds for the week to come. A 4am start wasn’t easy, but the layover provided some time to enjoy a meal and good conversation with one another. When it came time to board the plane for Cuba, everyone was in high spirits. Finally landing, it all hit us. Excitement was high, and the hospitality of our welcoming crew brought it all together. Once at our accommodations, we had a few moments to settle in, then upstairs for a snack and an opportunity to get to know our hosts. We then had the ability to walk down to the Gulf and enjoy the warm weather. Afterwards, we began preparing for the rest of our week. We learned more from our hosts about the culture…
Continue ReadingHello friends and family! Welcome to the Cuba team blog! We are so excited to get to share a little bit of our experiences and give some daily prayer requests while we are there. We welcome you to join in praying over our team as we prepare our hearts and minds this week for what God has for us in the coming week. It is exciting to be taking off for our trip here in three days! Please join us in praying for the souls of those we will meet as well as the individuals on the team. We are praying for team unity and a love for one another that is unmatched. May God use us in powerful ways and draw us closer to him! Blessings and lots of love, the team
Continue ReadingWe made it back home Monday night after a few flight delays and cancellations. Still, God in His unwavering faithfulness carried our team through it all; from encouraging and lifting one another up, to sharing that rejection is His divine protection with an American Airlines customer service employee who was eager to help reroute our flights to Michigan. Please continue to pray for the work of All4aid as they minister and serve the refugee families and individuals on Lesvos. Please pray for our local Greek friends who saw and tasted God’s goodness through Calvary’s teams. Please pray for Elipida, Vasoil, Zanthye, Mirsini, Dimitris and Michela to accept Jesus personally and seek His will in their lives. May they feel His Love and comfort in their lives. Please pray for the refugee families on Lesvos, May they see Jesus and meet the Prince of Peace on their journey, may they be…
Continue Reading“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me,” – Matthew 25:35-36a This past week we have been living out these words. It has been a week of both joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, peace and anxiety, and through it all we have seen God at work! Many women came to the food pantry on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, leaving with food for themselves and their families. Every woman and child who came into the center was welcomed with tea and cookies in our hospitality room. Countless stories and hugs were shared here. We were able to give many women their very first winter coat! Today, we also provided some who had just arrived on Lesvos with their first change of…
Continue ReadingWe started today at the waterfront with worship music and prayer. The Lord provided a beautiful sunrise! We shared the space with a local fisherman, who made us smile (we think we made him smile too!). Today in the hospitality room, Mary, Rachel, Nema, Cathy and Lana met women and children with smiles and warm greetings. While their laundry is being cleaned by Vasil, who works daily at the center, the ladies can take a shower, have their hair done, be pampered in the spa room, do crafts, play games and enjoy tea and cookies. We’re praising the Lord that a mom and her young daughter are leaving the camp tomorrow to be with family in Belgium! The food pantry was open today. Cheryl and Carol met the ladies there, helping them with their shopping. They also repackaged tea, stocked shelves, and sorted clothing donations. After finishing at the center…
Continue ReadingWhat a day! We saw over 60 refugees , and it was busy all over the center from start to finish. The clothes closet was constantly in use with our guests picking out warm clothes and coats to weather the impending cold temperatures of Lesvos. Carol and Rachel were on their feet all day making sure everyone was well taken care of. The spa saw a record number of feet massaged by Cheryl and Nema along with huge smiles and multiple ‘thanks you’s” from each woman. But the picture that sticks in my mind is that of the hospitality room full of women enjoying tea and conversation as Mary held a baby so the mom could take a shower, and Lana manning the showers so every woman could have a warm clean shower. We ended our day by stretching our hands out in prayer over the existing camp, and then…
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