After lunch at church, about 100 women and children eagerly gathered for the afternoon session. Lisa gave a heart moving testimony about trusting God through suffering. Many of the women responded that they too had suffered. The hope and joy Lisa offered resonated. We then presented each lady with a New Testament in Spanish. When told about it, the audience erupted with applause! How great it was to see their hunger for God’s word.
We concluded the women’s ministry with a tea for nearly 100 women. Our men served the food and drink dressed in their mission T’shirts. That gesture spoke volumes to the women. We blessed each guest with a gift bag of earrings made by Frazer member Bev Capell and some candy. What a joy to give!
After enjoying a lobster dinner (lobster is extremely rare in Cuba!) provided by Pastor Javier and Anna, we attended the evening service. Larry talked about marriage, which was the perfect lead in to Saturday´s marriage retreat. Pastor Javier is focusing on strengthening marriages in his church. We all enjoyed the enthusiastic praise music that preceded his talk. The Cuban congregation sang with such joy and energy! Their worship was inspiring.
Saturday began by preparing for a first time marriage retreat at the Methodist church at Guanabacoa. The anticipated 18 couples had grown to 25. We were extremely pleased with this enthusiastic response! Many of the couples were young and included current and potential leaders in the church. In fact, our bus driver and two of our translators and their spouses attended! Mike led the couples through the first session of the HomeBuilder´s series entitled, “Building Teamwork in Your Marriage.” They will continue this series after we are gone, with the leadership of two couples trained by Mike. We were all treated to a wonderful lunch of roasted pig with all the trimmings! At the conclusion, each couple was presented with a gift bag including a framed picture taken in front of a mural painted by Susan Poole. They loved them!
Sunday started with an early service at 8am and finished after a second service at about half past twelve. There was such a spirit of joy and worship. Little children were dancing in the aisle! One little child was brought forward for prayer because of leukemia that was not responding to treatment. We had several requests for healing prayers and prayer for marriages and families after the service was over. Our men challenged the men who attended Saturday´s marriage retreat to lead their families in God´s way. They presented these men with a commemorative coin of Ephesians 6 to carry in their pockets and remember their God given responsibility.
Our plan for this afternoon includes visits to some rural mission churches. Our visit is winding up and we will leave Cuba with mixed emotions. We feel a definite connection with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Cuba! Please pray for safe travel and good health for us as we travel home today.