Cuba

In the summer of 2009, I had the opportunity to go to Cuba with my friend Ellie on a missions trip.  It was quite intimidating going to Cuba as an American, and we weren't sure what it was going to be like, but it was definitely a worthwhile adventure.  We went with Ellie's church in Virginia with a group of men and high school boys who were hosting a baseball camp.  We flew to Canada and then to Cuba and landed in our final destination, Camaguey.

The entire group in the airport.

Ellie and I at the airport.

Cuba's flag

View from our hotel room

While we were in Cuba, we visited many churches in the area and helped lead Sunday School, VBS, and youth events.  We got to meet a lot of neat people and see how Christians worship in another culture.  During the afternoons, we would walk to a nearby baseball field where the boys would play pick-up games with local Cubans. After each game, everybody would gather in a group and Coach Moore would share the gospel and pray.  Many people came to Christ through this part of the ministry.

Teaching the children to say "Jesus Loves You" in English

The boy's side in Sunday School

The girl's side in Sunday School

Church for children

Leading the kids in a song

The church where VBS was held

Tons of children came to VBS

Ellie and I helping to sort rice (tedious task)

Preparing dinner

The pots they used to cook our dinner

Leading some more children in a Bible study

About to start a pick-up game

Praying after the game

 One of the days while we were in Cuba, we got to make the two hour journey to the beach! We went to a very nice resort called St. Lucia, where we got to ride a Hobie Cat, snorkel, relax in the pool, and eat amazing food.  Ellie also had the opportunity of sharing the gospel and baptizing two girls who approached her on the beach.  We had a nice relaxing time.

Cowboy on the side of the road

Farmer we saw on the way

 One of the most common things that people know about Cuba is that all of their cars are classics.  This is very true and it felt like we had gone back in time 40 or 50 years.  Not only were there many classic cars, but also lots of horse and buggies.  Much of the housing there was very run down and poor.  There was sewage and trash lining the streets and hardly anyone had windows.  We saw many dogs, poor and injured people, and little children without shoes.

Some of the housing near the baseball field

Finally, we were able to do some sight seeing while we were in Camaguey.  We went to a monument, a professional baseball game, and even attended a quinceanera. Traveling to Cuba for two weeks was a very interesting experience and we were able to learn a lot about the culture in a communist country and the faith of Christians under these circumstances.

Approaching storm

Professional baseball game

One of the Camaguey players

Quinceanera!