I’ve been thinking a lot about my friends in Cuba.
Over the course of my time in ministry I have been to Cuba many times, either to teach a class, take a group, preach at a camp, or just to visit friends and check in on how the ministries were going.
When you visit a place once, it impacts you. When you return multiple times, it’s hard to explain how you are then drawn to both the people and the place.
That’s how I feel about Cuba.
So this week, when I saw that their infrastructure is failing and they are having a lot of issues with their grid and just everything that implies being able to live, I have been feeling it.
I’m not under the impression that life has ever been easy in Cuba. I’ve seen how difficult it is to get transportation, food, supplies, etc.
It has not been easy for a long time. However, this feels different.
But in a sense, my friends in Cuba have always had a reliance on God. I have seen their prayer lives. I’ve had the privilege to watch their faith (albeit mostly from afar). Those times I was up close or involved in a serious conversation with my brothers there, I could tell they were not just saying something about belief. They have the kind of faith that shows they are dependent on God for all they have.
My friends in Bayamo shared a video this week of a packed house at their church, the while congregation (and those in the overflow area) singing “How Great Thou Art.” They truly believe it. They know that God is greater than their problems. He is their hope.
When I sent them messages, they always respond with something to the effect of “We know who sits on the throne.”
They are my heroes. I feel privileged to be surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. If Hebrews 11 was being written again today, their stories would be mentioned.
I hope that my faith will be as strong as theirs in the middle of uncertainty.
The electricity may be out in Cuba, but the Light of the World has never left the island.
