How to Help Cuba

The shelves at the food market in Buenavista (pop. 3,000) are empty. Gasoline to go find food somewhere is scarce. Electricity is out and no sure when it will be restored. Many people are affected with conjunctivitis (pink eye) not really sure if it is bacterial, viral, or because of allergies. 

Remedios (pop 30,000) is working on finding food to feed the most disabled in the town and using a generator to help people to charge their cell phones.

These two towns are less than 10 miles from the north coast of Cuba where Irma landed as a Cat 5 hurricane.

Your donation will go 100% to help the small towns in the area get food and other needed things. It will be channeled through the church leaders who know their community and how best to help and we will have accountability through their activities.

To donate go to www.svccchurch.com/give  and 

select Cuba Mission from the drop-down menu.

Food Store in Buenavista.  Empty and a damaged roof

The woman in the back is Arelys.  Her house lost half the roof and she has conjunctivitis (pink eye)

Bus station in Buenavista.  Just a sample of the destruction of Irma's wind and rain.

Remedios after Hurricane Irma

To donate for relief for Remedios and Buenavista go to 

www.svccchurch.com/give 

and select Cuba Mission fro the pull-down menu

100% of your donation will go directly to the relief of the community in these towns

Raul Martinez de Villa, from Remedios, sent us these photos tonight (Sept 11). He also sent an audio voice message. Raul is part of the church in Remedios and our translator during the mission trips.

Raul is physically OK, but sounds tired. People are in shock over the damage in town. 

They do not expect to have electricity for 1 to 4 weeks, so food and water are big issues. Water is a problem because they use pumps to pull water from the well.  Without water they cannot even flush toilets.

Hurricane force was so strong that it ripped the lock off his the front door and he and his wife had to hold the door shut for 3 hours. 

Damage in his house could have been worse. Cracked window panes, but not broken. No flooding. Lost some tile roofs so now he has a leaky roof.

Pray for their continued safety, for clarity in their thinking to solve their problems, for peace in the middle of the storm

Mangled roof on the third floor of the church.  This is AFTER they worked at straightening it out.  It was mangled.

Part of the roof fell unto the roof of the old building and then to the patio

Uprooted tree in Ivan's back yard.  Ivan is a photographer who is also part of the church in Remedios

Uprooted tree in the park

T

Hurricane Irma - Buenavista

Tree in the back of the church that was ripped off by the hurricane winds.

We received an e-mail today from Pastor Omar in Buenavista. They were very close to the center of the hurricane wind and rain for 2 days. A lot of the homes and stores have been severely damaged. The wind was so strong that most of the trees in the town are gone.

Although the church building was not damaged, it flooded during the hurricane.  They covered the windows with cardboard, which was all they had.  But the wind blew the cardboard off and rain came in.  It came in through the windows, the electric outlets and the ceiling lights.

They used the church building as shelter for many and are sharing whatever food they have.

People are distraught and without resources. Food was not delivered before the hurricane, so their food supply is low.   They did not receive the eggs that were given to other locations.  The bakery was destroyed by the hurricane, so there is no bread either.

There is no electricity and they have no idea when it will be restored   It could be a month.  Without electricity they cannot pump in water or cook meals. So there is no water to flush toilets or water to drink.

 In the whole town there is one generator at the medical clinic.  The clinic allows people very limited access to their generator to charge cell phones.

We ask for your prayers for the people in Cuba affected by the hurricane.  They do not have the resources we have in the U.S.  Pray for their safety, clarity of mind to make decisions and know what to do, and God's help to them to find their daily sustenance.

They need our help. 

Donate now.  100% of your donation will go directly to the churches to help the community.
Go to  www.svccchurch.com/give and select "CUBA MISSION" for drop-down menu.

Cuba Mission Trip July 2017 - Video

Carla compiled this video from photos she took during the Mission Trip.  I am hopeful that it will give you a flavor of what happened during our time there.  It starts with our visit to the church in Buenavista.

Cuba Mission Trip July 2017 - Medicines

We take medicines with us in every mission trip.  On this trip we took medicines from friends in Ohio for the church in Remedios and medicines to the church in Buenavista that were donated by our church South Valley Community Church In Gilroy, California.  Over the counter medicines and prescription medicines are not always available, so whatever we take, from vitamins to anti-acids to antibiotics, is useful.  Here are a couple of examples.

DANIEL

We met Daniel, his wife  Belkis and their daughter two years ago.  The previous year he approached Pastor Omar in Buenavista with doctrinal questions.  Shortly after that he offered his home to begin a mission in the village of Quintana.  He was committed to God and talked about building a structure in his lot to house a church.  Belkis and her daughter were at church the Sunday we were there.

Daniel, (far left) Belkis (behind him - black blouse) their daughter is in the back second from right.

Last month Daniel contracted bronchopneumonia and went to the hospital.  He had several respiratory failures and finally his body did not respond to doctors' efforts to revive him. So he passed away leaving Belkis and their special-needs daughter.  It all was very sudden and unexpected.

Belkis had depended on him to take care of house, food, medicines, income.  Now she finds herself having to do all he did, plus taking care of their daughter.  A daunting task.  So every piece that falls in place for her is a great relief.  

Her daughter has been affected by the loss of her father and among other things is unable to sleep.  So the psychiatrist recommended Benadryl, but it was not available at the pharmacy.  However, it WAS on the list of medications Buenavista requested and among the medicines that was donated.  You can only imagine Belkis joy to see God's plan unfold.

*****

KATIUSKA

Pastor Omar and Zenia also visited Katiuska.  She has diabetes and has not been feeling well for a while.  There are no test trips for her glucose meter at the pharmacy, so for a long time she's had no idea of her glucose level.  Again, God provided through you a glucose meter and test strips she can use.  Like Belkis, Katiuska was relieved and thankful to God.  

"Giving thanks to God for you...because of the really wonderful way your faith has grown and because of your growing love for each other."  2 Thessalonians 1:3

Cuba Mission Trip July 2017 - Buenavista

"Because there is one loaf (Christ), our many-ness becomes one-ness—Christ doesn’t become fragmented in us. Rather, we become unified in him. We don’t reduce Christ to what we are; he raises us to what he is."  (1 Corinthians 10:17  MSG)

Buenavista

After taking a red-eye flight out of San Francisco on Thursday (7/13) we arrived in Cuba Friday (7/14)  afternoon .  Friday was a day of settling in, sorting all the supplies, medicines and medication we took, and briefly exploring Remedios.

The following day was Saturday and we went to a beach in one of the keys of the northern coast of Cuba.  The clear and warm water of the beach and its gentle waves were just the right combination to ease us into the week of Youth Camp.  Even more special was that 11 people – youth leaders and young people—from the church in Buenavista joined us.

The people from Buenavista were prepared.  They brought juices, water, and crackers to snack on until it was time for lunch.  We got acquainted and had fun enjoying the beach, lunch, and the bus ride.

Those are times that embed themselves in our spirit. We set aside the language barrier and enjoy each other’s company and God’s gifts.

Sunday in Buenavista

Juan Murillo preached in Buenavista’s Sunday morning service.  There were new faces along with people we have known for many years. After the service we felt like we were at a wedding reception.  Our team lined-up at the door and every single person stopped to kiss and greet us.  No need for words, either in Spanish or English.  We felt loved and gave love back.  We knew they were happy to see us and we were happy to be with them. 

Buenavista is at the foot of the mountains and not far from the coast.   

Walking from the church to the vista point where you can see the Caribbean.

Oscar and Rachel

"Because there is one loaf (Christ), our many-ness becomes one-ness—Christ doesn’t become fragmented in us. Rather, we become unified in him. We don’t reduce Christ to what we are; he raises us to what he is."  (1 Corinthians 10:17  MSG)

Mission Trip July 2017

The question we grapple with is not so much who is our  neighbor, but what does a neighbor DO?.  (Luke 10: 36-37).  How do we LOVE our neighbor and why is it important?  That's what Youth Camp July 2017 was all about.

                          * * * * * * * *

Whenever someone goes on one of the Mission Trips they are amazed by the love they receive from the people at the church in Cuba.  So having a youth camp about love and relationships may seem a bit over the top.  Don’t they have this love thing down pat?

Not really.

Cuba’s culture is for the most part relational.  People are interested in people; they talk to each other easily and like to know what’s going on in the neighbors’ life.  But that does not necessarily play out into reflecting God’s love or loving God.

So this camp was about establishing relationships on the foundation of God’s love--  loving God, loving ourselves, loving people we don’t like or marginalize.  It was about reconciliation and forgiveness; and key components of love—compassion, involvement, inclusive community, and support so a person does not feel alone.

Juan Murillo, who is part of our team and was the Camp Pastor, focused the young people each day to truly search their hearts – taking off the masks we so often wear—to get to the bottom of how to put love in action from the heart.

Moving “head” knowledge to the heart.  Getting in touch with emotions and deciding how to put love into action.  The Camp Program provided many opportunities to practice it.  That’s what this Youth Camp was all about.

Each year Camp gets better.  It’s become more inclusive, more to the point, more youth involvement in the program, more thoughtful activities that help young people discover the path God has for them. 

What is left for us to do now is to earnestly pray that all they’ve heard this week, all they have done, will take hold of their hearts and become an expression of how we love God.

Until next time.  

May the grace of God and His peace be with you till we meet again.

 Oscar and Rachel

Children's Camp - Remedios

For the children in the area of Remedios, going to camp--for a whole week-- is as exciting as for us going to Disneyland. 

The venue we've used the past few years was not available; but a better one was--at a price well beyond our budget.  What price are we willing to pay to have a child's dream come true?

And what would our Good Father do when we ask for the benefit of children who are the heirs of His kingdom?  So the impossible became possible and off we went with 105 children and leaders to camp.

The theme was Children in Action.  And the centerpiece was the Bible and missionary stories inspiring us to share the gospel with others.  We taught and challenged children to share the gospel with friends and family. 

By the last day of camp a girl named Sandrita was ready to share with her friends.  She showed us how much she'd learned by telling us the plan of salvation guided by the colors of the "Book without Words" they made at camp. 

During the afternoons the children were free to go to the playground were they found swings, see-saws and a slide.

In the evening all the children were delighted by the rambunctious and funny puppets who visited every night.  

I would say the camp was a success thanks to our dedicated leaders who were the true heroes of the week.  And to the generous donors who, at the last moment, made it all possible.

 Glory to the God of the impossible, who always gives generously.  Amen.

Pastor Alexis

Cuba Mission Trip January 2017

Last night we returned from the mission trip to Cuba.  Our mission was to strengthen pastors and their wives; to encourage them in the difficult work they do day in and day out bringing peace, reconciliation, and the love of God to people who live in their communities.  No need to elaborate on the difficulties of life in Cuba.  Life is hard. 

There were snags along the way.  Situations that made me wonder if our trip was only my plan, or if it was also God’s plan for us.  Knowing that God always has our best interest at heart made it easier to accept all the shortcomings. Our religious visas were not ready when we left and it was heartbreaking to leave two of our team members in the U.S.  Along the way we had airplane delays, long layovers, long processes through customs and the loss of a very small part of our supplies.  In addition, transmission of the van that was taking us from Habana to Remedios (a 5 hour trip) broke half way there. But in comparison to the outcome of the Conference for the pastors and wives, our troubles were no more than a little pebble in our shoe.

Here’s what we celebrate.

This was the first conference that was not a theological Bible study.  It was a two-subject conference.  One part was about dealing with crisis—being prepared in mind, body and soul to help people in crisis and discovering the best way to do it (which as it turns out, may not be intuitive as we think).  The other part of the conference was on marriage with the goal of strengthening the couple’s relationship, finding how to deal with conflict, and the dynamics of the couple..  The comments from those who attended were that both studies were very needed since they counsel a lot of people but lack training.

We saw the generosity.  Almost all the pastors were housed in the homes of people who are part of the community of faith in Remedios.  Volunteers were up early in the morning and worked until late in the evening to feed almost 100 individuals – not an easy task.  They cleaned the church and went to the market in the early hours of the morning to buy bread and last minute things needed during the conference. 

The Conference was indeed a happy and blessed time.

We are glad to be back.  God blessed our time in Cuba and safely brought us home.  The small difficulties were encountered were, in retrospect,  small indeed compared to the final results.

Rachel and Oscar

The team:  Rosalva Saavedra, Greg Quirke (pastor of SVCC, Gilroy) Rachel, Oscar, Carol and Eric Smith (founding pastors of SVCC) and Leah Muscarella.

Registration Desk was staffed by these women from Remedios' church: Yudit Hernandez, Maite (Childrens' Ministry Director) and Yudilen Hernandez (Worship Director)

Two pastors on the left with Raul, one of the translators, on the right

Getting ready for the first session

Pastors Eric and Carol Smith delivered the Marriage portion of the Conference

Pastor Greg Quirke delivered the Crisis portion of the Conference

DURING THE CONFERENCE, PHOTOS OF PASTORS WITH THEIR WIVES:

Women made love cards for their husbands.  She is reading hers to her husband.

   

          

Rolando, one of the pastors at the conference,  led us in a song before Communion.

The time of Communion with couples participating was very special.

Then it was time for gifts

       

Pastors, team and staff 

People who fed us during the conference

They also prepared the meals that are delivered to 14 seniors and disabled persons