I was privileged to make a trip to Cuba last week, spending time with Tony Fernández there. I accompanied him on a trip to the province of Santa Clara, where we took aid to five churches that had been hit hard by Hurricane Irma. Each church received a gunny sack of corn meal, a gunny sack of beans, a gunny sack of yucca, 20 bags of crackers, and 2 boxes of bars of soap. At our last stop, a very poor rural community, we gave them some clothes that been donated (including a large donation from the Baptist church in Matanzas) as well as a few things I had brought (basic medicine, a small water purification system, and some toys).
Here are a few pictures from the trip to give you an idea of what we did:
We had a worship celebration at the farm on Sunday. There were 3 baptisms.
We had “dinner on the grounds” after the baptisms
The farm has been crucial for the church’s hurricane relief efforts. Here we are loading yucca into Tony’s van.
Corn meal, beans, yucca, crackers, bars of soap, clothes, and toys… that’s what the church in Matanzas had for their brothers who were hit by the hurricane.
If you can’t get roofing materials, old tractor tires will make a temporary fix.
Jesus Pablo, preacher in Quemado de Guines, along with his family. Those are crackers that a baker provided for the church to distribute.
Visiting with Pedro Eloy Ferrer and his family in Sagua La Grande. They lost the roof of the top floor of their house.
Delivering supplies to one of the churches in Remedios in the province of Santa Clara
Leaving supplies at another congregation in Remedios. The preacher there is named Tony, so there are two Tonys in this picture.
I was on a tourist visa, so I couldn’t carry much stuff. But a box of plastic tops made for nice gifts for the kids.
Members of the church in Buena Vista in Santa Clara province. We left them some clothes that were donated by a Baptist church in Matanzas.