Pastor Alexis has a little speech he gives, whenever he has a chance, to anyone who is considering a mission trip or being a missionary.  The jest of it is that it requires sacrifice.  And the short of it is that there will be flies.

Last May when he was here it was almost his greeting to Kristin, one of our team members.  I was aghast!  No one ever talks about flies and missions in the same conversation – let alone the same sentence. 

We clearly state all the things that God is doing, but we are mum about the hardships.  As if the two were incongruent.  We barely mention heat or humidity, but not too much -- because it would be complaining. 

But the truth is that mission trips are exhausting.  Whether it is to Mexicali, Cambodia, Cuba or anywhere else.  There’s the long trip, the heat, the drastic change in diet, mosquitoes, spiders, and flies, illness, …  not to mention the emotional stress of living and experiencing the lack of resources that are, oh, so abundant at home. 

So, why go?    Here's the answer to the question...from Pastor Alexis.

"I still hear the echo of the bustle of the kids and the songs.  The last night of camp was emotional and beautiful.  But more beautiful was the reaction of the parents when the kids returned.  The parents were ecstatic and grateful for what their children received. 

We overcame countless obstacles in getting ready for this Camp. Today I can unequivocally say that it was worth the sacrifice.

Our expectations were surpassed.  And God was glorified in an unbelievable way, as always.  The impact in the lives of the young people, the community and the leaders has been tremendous.

I want to let you know how important is what you are doing and the impact it has in our ministry in Remedios.

May God bless you and renew the fire in your hearts for Cuba and especially for Remedios."

Pastor Alexis

58 young people from Remedios attended Youth Camp.
Photo taken across the bay from Havana during an outing.

Wednesday and Remedio’s Youth Camp is in full swing

The Bible study is based on Ephesians 3: 14-19, a difficult text, but Oscar has great examples, and games to get the points across.  Small groups, divided by age, are going to zoom-in on the study, and then, there are questions that earn the teams points.

Jr High group discusses Bible study

It is my prayer that concepts will sink in.  But only time will tell.  

Moving “head” knowledge to inner being knowledge expressed in our daily lives is a miracle.  God’s work; supported by the community of believers in Remedios.

So, camp is fun.  Teams, competitions, field trips.  Creating memories -- good ones -- that, we are hopeful, will attach themselves to the Bible study of this week. 

Yellow, Red, Green and Blue teams compete in the "Shave the Balloon" game

We hope the young people will come to realize that a life surrendered to God is waaayyy better than a life surrendered to anything else.  Because the truth of the matter is that we all surrender our lives to something --  our selves, an “ism”, our jobs, our families, our vices or addictions.  Something or someone rules our lives.  For this group, we want it to be God.  

 - Rachel

Today, Tuesday, we met at the church of Guanabo for a morning devotional. I particularly enjoy how interactive the kids are in study; each is willing to contribute and be sincere. Everyone participates in the singing as well, and many of the girls are brought up to sing particular songs. They even sang a worship song in English for the team, and Rachel, Oscar, and I were called up on stage to do the same. “It sounds like Chinese” Pastor Alexis told me.

Oscar and Rachel both spoke. Oscar warmed up the kids with a game, then proceeded into deeper subjects. He was kind enough to hit the main points in English for me, so I got the gist of his lesson. It was about the fullness of God; we need to admit our sins, submit to the Lord, and be obedient. Rachel talked about the global awakenings in the early 1900 that affected many countries and how to apply it to our lives today.

Small group discussion after teaching

After the teaching, the camp played some games. They are serious about their games and earning points for either rojo, verde, azuel, or amarillo. They come up with all of the games on their own. We had one where blindfolded volunteers had to find their team based on the animal call. The next game was a version of tennis. Two people from two of the teams held a towel between them, cradling a water-balloon. 

They would toss it over a makeshift net to the other team, who would have to catch it in their towel and return it. This quickly became a heated competition (which is to be expected with boys) and had to be cut short for lunch.

After lunch, the kids went to Havana, but the team remained in Guanabo for some much needed recuperation. Now we are ready to resume the activities of tonight! 

            Hasta Luego,            

                        Emily

Three Songs

“I’m about to burst with song (because of what you have done for me); 

I can’t keep quiet about you.  God, my God, I cannot thank you enough." 

Psalm 30: 11-12  (TM)

FIRST SONG

When I was growing up we had hymnals at church and sang the same songs over and over; to the point where 30 years later I still remember those old hymns.  They carry an emotional link for me to Cuba and to God.  On Saturday after we arrived, the church is Remedios had their Senior Adult Celebration.  This trio was practicing in the storage room.  The hymn brought a wave of emotion and tears to my eyes.  

The Old Rugged Cross

SECOND SONG

On the second day of Youth Camp,  the young people headed to La Habana Vieja (Old Habana) in the afternoon to take in the sights.

At the Plaza de Armas,  where tourists go looking for old books and memorabilia, Pastor Alexis came across a trio of musicians.  Yes, they knew Christian songs and would play them.

So, right there in the Plaza, in the midst of tourists and vendors, 30+ young people worshiped God with songs.  A beautiful sight.  More beautiful than any old book, memorabilia or building. 

THIRD SONG

Without knowing that the authors grew up in a town near Remedios, Yudilen chose one of their songs as the theme for Youth Camp.  We sang it at camp, translated it to English and sang it some more.  We sang it so many times in that it’s stuck in my head. The last day when we said our goodbyes, everyone came on stage and sang it one last time.

Cleanse my heart and fill my cup,

Heal my wounds and make me whole

I give you all of my heart

Guide me, show me, I want to be more like you.

 - Rachel

On to Camp with the young people of Remedios

Monday our adventure with the youth in Remedios began. We all arose early in the morning to take the bus to Guanabo. There was no air conditioning and not enough seats, but open windows and volunteers who would stand took care of those issues. We literally crammed into the bus and began the five-hour bumpy drive to Guanabo. Even still, the bus was full of smiles and laughter, talking and singing. 

When we arrived, we were a bit sore and thankful to stretch our legs;   

Church building where we held Camp

Inside the three-tiered church building

but there was nothing that a that a trip to the beach couldn't fix.  We relaxed in the surf and on the sand, playing volleyball, swimming and telling jokes. 

Afterwards we went back to our rooms (four small houses were rented), the girls began the intricate business of who’s showering when. We have 16 girls in this 2 bedroom condo. One bathroom; you can imagine the chaos
.  

Stove where Yudit and Arelis cooked.

All too soon it was time for dinner, followed by worship and a message.           

We went to bed excited for the prospects of the first full day of camp that would follow. We all slept well; the girls in my room said I did not move at all in my sleep.

- Emily

Becoming part of the community

          The past couple of days have been spent at Pastor Omar’s home in Buenavista, participating in whatever his family and church are doing, and truly being able to experience a Cuban lifestyle. Friday was a typical day in a Cuban home. I went with Zenia, Pastor Omar’s wife, to the small cluster of stores a block away for some grocery shopping.  We waved, and called, and visited, and introduced during the entire outing. 

          We stopped at Domingo and Danay’s house, calling an “Hola” through the open door. They are a young couple at the church. After a brief visit, they invited me back latter that afternoon to hang out. 

          Back at the church, we ate, rested, and prepared for VBS. Zenia took me on a quest to get honey, which cannot be found at the store. After riding our bikes through the gravely dirt roads, and stopping at a few houses, we reached the home that makes the honey and purchased two large bottles. 

          I visited with Domingo and Danay, and we did the usual things young people do in Buenavista. Chatted. Visited their family. Gawked at an ugly fish. Went to the river. Avoided a pig. Ate a guava plucked fresh from the tree. Saw the valley from the vista point.

Danay with her son Josue and husband Domingo

          And then we returned to the church for, again, Vacation Bible School. 

Buenavista Worship Team - Danay, Yoani and Zenia

          Today, Sunday, was our last day in Buenavista. Already I had come to be stopped several times as I made my way down the center isle to say “Buenos dias” and “Como estas?” to those sitting in the pews. Already I had someone reserving a seat for me, and someone else waving me over here. Already I would glance around and catch someone’s eye and smile at him in recognition. I had already made a place for myself in this loving church family, we all had, in such a short time. And now we had to leave.

Emily amidst all the young people

          When the church reconvened after separating into their classes, there was a ceremony for all who were in the VBS, complete with a raffle and prizes. Rachel, Oscar, and I were leaving soon after lunch, so we had to say our goodbyes. 

Rachel, Emily and Oscar at church on Sunday

            When I came, I did not expect to become so engrained in this foreign community. The goodbyes were hard. There were endless hugs, tears, affectionate biddings of safe travel, a hope (and almost an order) to return, and what took me aback the most was the typical request of not forgetting them, this church in little Buenavista; as if I ever could.

            After packing and eating lunch, we talked with Omar and Zenia for the last time. A few of the people we had gotten the closest to did not want to see us leave because they knew they would get choked up. Which choked me up. And as we gave our last hugs and packed our luggage into the car, I consciously repeated a command to myself to remain composed. I had to remind myself that there were more opportunities like Buenavista in our trip ahead.            

            Today we returned to Remedios to join the youth retreat. Full days with the youth will provide a host of chances to create relationships similar to the ones in Buenavista. It is exciting to get to know a whole new crew. However, the purpose is the same: to help, befriend, live, teach, and learn from our brothers and sisters in Christ here in Cuba. 

- Emily