Tag Archives: Cuba

Opening roads in Cuba

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Back from my trip to Cuba last week, I want to share some more of what I experienced there. I’ve written in the past about the evangelistic efforts going on in the province of Matanzas, but I’m still overwhelmed every time I see the work in person. The Versalles congregation in Matanzas decided to reach out to communities around the city, something that the church had done before the Revolution.

They chose a road that led from Matanzas to the province of Havana (which now has been split in two and renamed, though I don’t remember the names). They prayed for those towns, asked members to give them names of people they knew in those towns, contacted respondents to Herald of Truth’s radio programs and set out to start churches. When someone was converted, they were told that the church would meet at their house the following Sunday. Those people would always invite family, friends and neighbors, and a new congregation was born.

After a time, congregations had begun in every town on the road they had chosen, so they picked another highway. When all the towns had churches meeting in them, a third highway was chosen. The church is now working on a fourth highway in their province.

The last few years, the Versalles congregation and the churches planted from it have averaged 280 baptisms per year. The retention rate is high. The number of Christians meeting in the province has basically tripled since 2006.

While describing their outreach methods to a visitor from Alabama, Tony Fernández made a statement that brought tears to my eyes:

When we are out and we come to a town that doesn’t have a congregation, we always stop and have a prayer for that town. Above all, we pray asking forgiveness for not having reached them yet.

Wow! I wish I felt the same passion, the same urgency. Maybe some of theirs will rub off on me.

Home From Cuba

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Well, to the dismay of many, I’m back. I just returned from a 10-day trip to Cuba with Herald of Truth. I’ll write in more detail about my experiences there, but here are a few highlights:

  • Seeing the amazing work being done by Tony Fernandez and the Versalles Church of Christ in Matanzas
  • Sharing in a worship service with about 500 dear brothers and sisters
  • Witnessing the baptisms of 28 people on Sunday
  • Marveling at the videos produced by the Cuban production team under the direction of Tim Frakes
  • Speaking 7 times to the gathering at the XI National Preachers Conference
  • Talking with brothers from the States who were present at the conference
  • Visiting Manuel Manrique, one of the Cuban preachers from before the Revolution
  • Spending time with Rex and Brenda Morgan, as well as the West Broward Church of Christ in Fort Lauderdale
  • Coming home!

Good news from a distant land

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“Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land.” (Proverbs 25:25)

I do a 15-minute radio program in Spanish, 5 days a week. I enjoy it, but I have to admit that there are times when I almost groan when it’s time to record.

Then you get one of “those” letters. Like the e-mail message from a preacher in Cuba:

Of course, here in my province there is a woman who frequently listened to the radio program where you preached. (Tim’s note: That radio station ceased broadcasting, so I’m not currently on the air in her area). Tony gave me her address and I visited her. After hearing the Gospel, she was baptized, and, to God’s glory, this past week we started a new congregation in her house… In this way, the words are fulfilled that some sow, others water and God gives the growth.

After reading that message, it was much easier to go to the studio yesterday.

One of God’s servants

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I’m blessed at Herald of Truth to serve with some great men of God. One of those men is Tony Fernández in Matanzas, Cuba. Tony works in local ministry in Cuba, leading a congregation that has grown and multiplied, averaging over 200 baptisms per year and planting new congregations on a regular basis. But more than that, Tony is the representative of Herald of Truth in Cuba, handling our contacts from radio work and following up with those interested people.

At the moment, because of the closing of two radio stations, we currently have no radio presence in Cuba. But the work continues to move forward. I received a letter from Tony yesterday and would like to share parts of it with you:

I want to take this opportunity with brother ____ and his wife coming to Cuba to give you this CD with some photos of the trips to the eastern part handing out your programs, Bibles and other materials. The majority of these people heard the gospel through the radio programs and were impacted by my visit. Many, upon learning of my presence in their town, came with their well-used Bibles that we sent them years ago. We were able to establish a new congregation in Granma in the town of Buey Arriba on the northern slopes of the Sierra Maestra where I was able to teach them everything related to the doctrine and faithfulness to the Lord. Also in the city of Camagüey we were able to establish a new congregation with a family where all the members were converted and have been meeting for several months. The brother that owns the house built a baptistery in the back yard and has gotten sheets of tin and metal framework to build a building for the church with his own funds.

You can’t imagine how great of an impact Herald of Truth has had in Cuba with the radio programs and distribution of Bibles and other spiritual materials. People pass the address on to others, and we’re currently receiving letters as if the programs were being heard on the radio every day.

Next Monday I’ll take a plane to visit Moa, in the northern part of Holguín, then by road I’ll visit Baracoa and the far eastern part of Cuba, Maisí, Guantanamo, then Lord willing I’ll end up on Friday in San Luis, Santiago de Cuba, returning to Matanzas Saturday morning by plane. I ask you to be praying, I prefer driving, the planes are very old, but these are mountainous areas and the car can’t make it.

Can you see why I consider myself blessed to work with servants like Tony Fernández? Tony has been invited to speak at the Harding Lectures next year; please be praying that all necessary doors will be opened for that to come about. I’ve also contacted ACU about extending a similar invitation; hopefully he will be able to speak there as well. You would be blessed to meet Tony, and I truly hope that will be made possible.

Blessed by giving

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This is the third March that I want to tell you the story of a certain woman in Cuba. Two years ago, I got to tell you the story of her baptism. Last year, I told you about seeing her again and learning of her need for a wheelchair. That thought weighed on me for a year, especially as we shared her story with many people as we talked about the work in Cuba.

Early this year, Bill Brant, president of Herald of Truth, got up from a meeting about Cuba, walked to the phone and called his friend Ed Enzor, head of Global Samaritan Resources. The conversation was short, but important. Yes, Global Samaritan had a wheelchair that we could take to Cuba.

Lots of questions remained to be answered. How would we transport it? What would the airlines charge us if we carried it with us? Could we even get it through customs? Since we were spending the night in Cancun on our way to Cuba, how difficult would it be to carry the wheelchair with us to the hotel and back?

As we thought about complications, we knew that any hassles we might have would be nothing compared to what this woman went through on a regular basis. We asked for and received many prayers all along the way.

Everything went smoothly. Neither American nor Mexicana gave us any problems about carrying the wheelchair, nor did they charge us for it. The hotel shuttle in Cancun helped us take the chair back and forth from the airport. Neither Mexican customs nor Cuban customs took a second look at the wheelchair.

Sunday night, when we got to surprise this Christian lady with her new wheelchair, we knew that we were the ones that were blessed by this gift. What a wonderful experience.