Tag Archives: mission trip

2014 Cuba Youth Conference

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Last week I was in Cuba with a group from the University Church of Christ in Abilene. Our church sponsored the conference, along with 3 churches in Tennessee and some other individuals. It was especially nice for me to travel with my wife, Carolina, and daughter, Andrea.

I feel like a broken record when I tell about Cuba. It was wonderful, great, exciting…. The work in Cuba continues to be one of the most encouraging works I’ve been a part of. Half a century of socialism coupled with an economic embargo imposed by the U.S. have left the island’s economy in shambles. People live constantly on the border of disaster. Yet being there makes me think of James’ words:

“Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?” (James 2:5)

I’ll share some pictures from the trip:

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The ladies from our mission team

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Tony Fernandez, Herald of Truth rep in Cuba

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Tony leads singing Sunday a.m.

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One of several baptisms Sunday a.m.

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Worship at the church’s farm Sunday afternoon

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Baptism at the farm

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Youth conference

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Paul Rotenberry and Steve Austin, elders from UCC

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Some of our team with a family from the province of Las Tunas

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Andrea sharing her story with the young ladies

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Ladies sent by the Madison church in Tennessee

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Lighthouse built by the young people. Each box had a Christian virtue printed on it.

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Tony Fernández and Ammiel Pérez, two of the principal leaders in Cuba

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Alejandro Ezquerra speaks to the young people

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There were 3 baptisms the last night of the youth conference

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The church had a party for the elderly of the congregation

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Me and one of my favorite people: Pastor Cardenal. I call him “Bishop,” which always makes him laugh.

Cuba… again

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vbsOK, so I made my 15th trip to Cuba. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Each trip has been different. This one was special for me for a couple of reasons. I got to take my whole family with me. And I got to go with a group from my home congregation, the University church of Christ in Abilene, Texas.

The trip had the expected highs. 25 baptisms, which isn’t all that unusual for the church we were working with. Fascinating stories of faith in the midst of hardship, of the power of prayer, of God’s faithfulness. Lots of connections and reconnections. An outstanding national youth conference.

There were unexpected joys, like getting to see the impact the four young people in our group had on their peers in Cuba. My son Daniel and Daniel Austin got to jointly baptize 3 young men. My daughter Andrea led an outstanding drama workshop. The rest of our group also led workshops, which were well received. Paul Rotenberry did a 2-night marriage seminar which was quite a hit. The visits to Consolación del Sur and Santa Cruz del Norte were an encouragement to our group and to those we visited.

We were privileged to work with a group sponsored by the Madison church of Christ in Tennessee. They were the financial sponsors of the youth conference, and they brought an excellent team of men to work at that conference. Men like Carlos Gonzales, Luis Estrada and Alejandro Ezquerra made the conference an outstanding success. Herald of Truth’s Juan Monroy added some thoughtful lessons; his presence at the conference is always a highlight for the Cubans.

I may share some more, but I want to steer you to an insightful source of information this trip. My daughter Andrea wrote about it on her blog. It’s refreshing to read about this trip from an 18-year-old’s perspective. Let me encourage you to read her article: Cuba Mission Trip 2013