Introductions for February Mission Trip - Michael

The team for this mission trip is a father and son team. Yes, Oscar is teaming up with his son to do mission work in Remedios. It is a special trip for Michael for many reasons, as you will read below.

- Rachel

Many people in the U.S. have aspirations of achieving the American Dream of riches and accumulated wealth. I, on the other hand, am of a different sort, one who realizes that riches and wealth do not translate to happiness…at least for me. I have always aspired to achieve what I call the Cuban Dream.

From the time I was a little boy and learned that my parents were Cuban, I learned to speak Spanish like a Cuban and eat Cuban food. I understood that God brought my parents to the United States for a reason. And that was the beginning of my Cuban Dream. My Cuban Dream is to trace a path, albeit backwards, to the reality that existed for people in my family when they lived in Cuba. Whether that means walking the same paths that my grandparents walked, or seeing ships docked in the port of Caibarien where my grandfather was a fisherman, or visiting the farm where my grandmother lived, worked and played. Those are profound images that I want to take in and cherish for life.

Yet the trip means more than that. People in Cuba have what in the U.S. is considered very limited means of getting by. In the past 4 years, I’ve worked in Mexico during Spring Break building houses in the most impoverished areas near our borders. I understand, and have been in solidarity with, people in poverty. And, through the men and women I met there, I learned to identify with their struggle of being poor or being denied entry to a country. I saw the power of God working in people in Mexico. That is one constant that is similarly working in Cuba.

God has a profound way of working in people and through people. I feel that working with and toward the betterment of situations in Cuba is a way to spread the message of God. Consequently, working in unison with people and demonstrating unconditional love toward others is what God wants from us and what I want to do.

Taking this opportunity to go with my father on this trip is special because not only do I have a chance to impact people, but also to see Cuba through his eyes while enjoying the sights and sounds of living my Cuban Dream.

Michael Serrania

Short of a Miracle

I’ve come to realize that even though I was born in Cuba, the culture there is so different from when I left that it’s like a foreign country to me. It does not cease to amaze me how people in Cuba deal with lack of resources.

Take the mission work the church in Remedios is doing in a nearby village. There are 3 women from Remedios who are in their 70s, that do outreach in the village. They get up at 5 AM to catch a truck to take them there because it’s the only viable transportation available. Once there, they have to wait for sunrise to start visiting people to talk with them about God. Sometimes it’s raining. They return at the end of the day in a horsecart.

These ladies wanted to show the Jesus Film in the village. The only place large enough was a bar. The pastor had to get approval from 9 government officials. But they did it. And it was a great success. “No trouble”, they said, “we just love Jesus and want to share what he has done in our lives with others.”

Their joy is inspiring, their humor is catchy, and their spirit of overcoming obstacles is awesome. It reminds me of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Their ability to accomplish so much for God with so little is just short of a miracle powered by their dependency on God. Maybe that’s where we come in in God’s plan. God working with and through all of us to accomplish his plan.

Below are some of the things we have partnered with them to do:

B U E N A V I S T A



In Buenavista, a railing around the church's porch provides added space and protection for the children.

At the end of the Christmas season they sponsored an event for all the children in Buenavista.
150 attended plus 50 adults.

This year Buenavista launched a new program for children. They plan, work hard to make sure everything is ready and then rest on God for the results.

R E M E D I O S

Children receive tickets for different things they achieve through the children's program. Later they can trade their tickets at the fair for items they want.







160 Families received bags with oil, seasonings, and toiletries.

In addition to these events, both churches had well-attended Christmas programs.

R E M E D I O S




Christmas Program - Special Music and a Drama

B U E N A V I S T A


Omar Perez is the pastor of the church in Buenavista, a town of about 6,000. Here he is with his wife Zenia. They have three mission houses in nearby villages. Once a week everyone gathers to worship. Their Christmas event started on the 24th and ended on the 25th.

B A P T I S M S
Both Remedios and Buenavista held baptism services in December. Photos below are of Remedios.















More plans are in the works: expansion of church buildings for classrooms, new mission houses, children and youth camps, puppet ministry.

Thank you for your generous support, coming along side in prayer and financially to make all this happen as they share how God can make a difference in our lives.


- Rachel