Blog 6: Words Fail Me

I’ve been grappling with all I experienced in Cuba in an attempt to come up with something that will convey the impact this trip had on me.  We participated in many activities and spent a lot of time in conversations with people there. It is difficult to summarize what I experienced in a concise neat package. 

For me, it started at the Senior Adult Celebration when Mario took over the microphone and surprised us (especially me) with a powerful a cappella rendition of an old song based on Jesus’ words: “If you had a mere kernel  of faith, a mustard seed, you would tell this mountain, 'move!' and it would move.” (MSG)

And when Daniel, in whose house one of the new missions of Buenavista meets, said that he has dedicated a part of his plot for building a small chapel to worship God. This is what God has put in his heart.  He believes he can build it within a year.

Then as I listed to Zenia (the wife of Buenavista’s pastor) tell how she took the colectomy bags we brought to a lady who had been her neighbor some years ago.  These neighbors who at that time had good economic standing, belittled Zenia and her family because they were poor.  Zenia with some hesitancy took them the bags, not knowing if they need them. The woman received them with tears in her eyes because she has only one left and they are very expensive.  Zenia used this opportunity to tell her about God’s love and how He was blessing her.

It could have been seeing so many young people joyfully commit to going on Saturdays to small towns around Remedios reaching out to people to tell them about God;

or seeing the 5 to 8 year-olds on Sunday divided into eight groups, each lead by a young person who taught them about God.

Or maybe it was just seeing so many people involved in making a difference for God that touched me the most.  I saw how they care enough about their neighbors to tell them about God; join one of the age-group choirs they just started; attend seminary classes to be ready to serve God; lead small groups; came to help with an activity at the church; or how they demonstrated through their lives that God can change us if we let Him.

Mostly, though, I think that once again I was touched by their unity in spirit and the love that exudes from the people we met at these two churches.  I need to find new words to express this because the words we commonly use sound hollow and worn; unworthy of the spirit I experienced.

~Rachel

Blog 5: Construction

The morning after we arrived we saw that construction had progressed quite a bit.  The walls for the first floor were up and so was the wall between the church and its neighbor. 

To lay the concrete ceiling of the first floor, which will serve as the floor of the second floor, the crew had to build load-bearing concrete beams that have a rebar center. 

They built the forms from repurposed wood taken from the building.  You see the wood on the right of this photo.

They also built the rebar structure that goes inside the forms.

They installed these at the top of the walls.  You can see a little bit of the forms on the top right of this photo.  The paint on the wood is green.

The next step was to fill the forms with concrete.  We had the concrete but no water.  Arelis, the church administrator,  found someone with a tank and a tractor that was able to bring water, which we carried in buckets into the church.

Then they were able to mix the concrete and carry it in buckets, up the ladder and into the forms.

A day or so later the crew took the wood off the concrete forms.  In the meantime, they had built the forms for the overhang.  You can see them behind the man.

Then began the task of taking the nails off the wood so they can use both the nails and the wood again.

While three men, out of a crew of 5, took off nails, the other two built the wall for the storage room in the kitchen.  The man wearing the yellow shirt is the construction supervisor.

Next week, they will connect the sewage to the street.  To do this they need to remove two rows of  tiles in the sanctuary from where construction begins to the front door.  They want to preserve the tiles since they are original to this 100-year-old building.  They will use the concrete saw with a guidance cart to do this difficult work.

The crew works very well together.  Pastor Alexis had a task for us, but materials were not available, and it would have slowed down the construction crew to have us work with them in their current tasks.  As Pastor Alexis had warned us, "be prepared for anything."  In this case it was to observe and do something else.  

  

~~~~~

Although Pastor Alexis does a lot of things in the church, it would not run as well without Arelys.

Before becoming the church administrator Arelys had many different jobs. She has a large network of people–connections that are key to obtaining materials the church needs. 

So when the church needs transportation for camp and there is no bus to be found, she knows the person in charge who she can call to find the bus they need.  She’s out and about town a lot and knows when supplies come in and where to find them.  She is persistent.

 Insert Blog 5 Arelis photo here

On Wednesday construction was almost at a stand still because we didn’t have water.  Arelis knew someone who has a water tank and tractor and can bring the water for the construction.  Out she goes to talk to him and a few hours later we are carrying buckets of water in for the construction.

 

The next day, the shortage is the sheet metal for the concrete forms so the concrete is smooth. Construction would stop without it.  She finds alternative material and remembers where it can be found.  Arelis gets it and once again construction is back on schedule.

Not everything comes easily. There is something needed for the walls that is not available anywhere.  But she is sure that it will come at the right time because this is God’s work.

Arelys likes her job at the church even though it takes most of her waking hours. “The jobs I had before prepared me for this job at the church. I am very happy working here. God brought me here after I learned all I needed for this job.  His timing is always perfect.”

~  Rachel 

Blog Four:  Children

Sandra is 8 years old.  She is the third of three children whose parents are divorced. Money is very scarce in her family.  Her life is difficult and many times she’s wondering around town by herself.  Her father takes care of them during the day; at night she sleeps at her mom’s.  Her parents literally divided the house when they divorced, so she actually sleeps “next door”.

She asks Yudit about all the things in the church’s kitchen, wanting to know what they are used for.  A few minutes later Yudit hears her inviting a friend to the church’s kitchen.  “Come see Yudit’s kitchen, she is a multi-millionaire. There is nothing in the kitchen at my house.”

Sandra lives in the house behind Maite’s (the Director of Children’s ministries) and started coming to the children’s small group at Maite’s house.  Eventually Sandra started coming to the Children’s Celebration service on Sundays.  She’s full of questions; piecing the world together by observing  and asking about all she sees. 

“I want to go with the young people to the missions on Saturday.  I want to be a missionary and how can I learn to be one if I don’t go?”

So to a mission she went with the children’s choir.  She had a solo.

“Here, take the microphone back,” she told her teacher, “I don’t want to use it.”

“But what if you became a missionary and have to talk to a lot of people?  They won’t hear you without a microphone”

After some consideration, and looking around and thinking about it she turned to the teacher and said, “Well, in that case, I guess I better start getting used to it.”

~ Rachel