11/7/2012

Mission Started (Cuba)

This is a broke down version of my Cuba mission trip. This is the first time for me to be out of the US and on mission trip like this. God prepares us for things in life.

God shows us what to do when we least expect it. This is what happened on my recent trip to Cuba. I have never in my life seen God transform a trip as such this one. The trip was Oct 25 – Nov 2 and what we experienced is only the will of God and God only!

It started several months back when I was asked to go on a mission trip to Cuba; I was excited that I was actually asked to go. Once we found the dates they were original set for Oct 19 – Oct 26, 2012. Well once I had set my vacation and was ready to go plans changed, the dates were changed to the following week and I had to change my plans. I wondered at first why are we changing, then I found that the librarian going with us couldn’t go the originally week, after this I thought nothing about it.

Time moves on and time get close, emails, forms, etc…. then the time is here. Then someone asked me about Sandy (Hurricane) I said what hurricane? Then I looked it was aimed right at Santiago, Cuba right where we were going, but I did not think too much about it. We take off….

We fly to Atlanta then Miami to spend the night. During that one night we find out that we cannot go to Santiago because the hurricane has knocked out lights, flooded the area we were going and the airport was closed. Stuck in Miami and nowhere to go, still my mind not clear of the magnitude of everything. We go to supper and Bill (our Missionary) makes some phone calls, God speak go to Havana. During supper we get some details, we are going to Havana, Cuba but we have no plans. Bill said have faith that God will lead us on what to do. Bill said that we had a hotel to stay in but we would have to pay for our lunch and supper. Know I only took $100.00 with me and this was going to be for 3 – 4 days. I had cards to use in the US but they would not work in Cuba. (I am having little faith).

The next morning we leave for Havana and arrive fine, but one issue our Visas are in Santiago so we cannot enter the Country. Bill talks and make calls trying to get us in on a tourist visa, our visa were religious visas. The government was not sure about this so we waited 2-2 ½ hours in customs. Finally they grant us a tourist visa and we get through.

We leave the airport and go to the airport and for the next 3 days we tour Cuba because without being on the religious visa we cannot do any type of religious work. We are still checking on getting to Santiago but finally were told we weren’t going and we still have no plans on what we were doing. Money was tight but we finally had some faith that we were going to do something in Havana. God did not purposely redirect us across a Country to do nothing.

The next day (Saturday) I believe is when we found out that there was a church 2 blocks away that we could stay at and they would cook 3 meals for us. They could keep up to 41 people in the church; we stayed in one room (10 of us). 2 ladies stayed in another room. Sunday morning we checked out of the hotel and rolled our luggage down the sidewalk to the church.

For our visas we found out that we were being re-granted religious visa, so we go swapped from tourist visa back to religious visa, but it did cost but that was ok. God was in control.

We went church Sunday morning met the people and it was all good.

Now here is the final thing that made the entire trip. Remember the hurricane, one of the ladies came up and reminded us that if we would of left the US a week earlier we would of been in Santiago when the hurricane hit. God knew and protected us.

Secondly, God moved us to Havana and we did not know why but here is the kicker. A week before we found out about the church they had prayed and talked about the repairs that were needed to be done, but they did not have the resources or the money to get them done. Our group shows up with the people and money to get the work done.

Lastly, We had to computers one that one person brought and another one that was for the library at the seminary. I am in IT and have computer experience, so I was able to get both the computers up and running. Bill told me that if I would not of been there the computers would of never got fix. God put me on this trip to help with that. He also put each other person on that trip because each one of us had a task and ability to do different things. God used each for His will.

I give God all the glory on this trip. He took a group of 12 people from different backgrounds and used us to do what he wanted. I have never in my life seen God work so much as he did in the trip. Words cannot express my feelings; it is something each one of you will have to experience. I would literary do this full time if I could. God will guide me where he wants me in my life.

 

RBTC