The last time I was in Cuba it was pre-Covid-19…. January of 2020. We gathered our Eagle Leaders from across the country to a hotel in Varadero. We celebrated all that had occurred in their ministries and churches since filming the JFYM online segments in Spanish there in 2019. We planned for 2020, and we prayed with them regarding the challenges they faced living in Cuba. Living there was hard, and it has been that way for decades…but that was Cuba. Looking back on that 2020 trip now, I am reminded of the lyrics to Big Yellow Taxi, … “you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”
Shopping in Cuba…even with money in hand, the options are limited…
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It almost seemed surreal landing in Havana with our team last month. It had been a long 2-1/2 years…for the world…but especially for Cuba. Not only was the country impacted by the pandemic, but it also experienced the devastating blow of hyperinflation that occurred when the government discontinued one of the two currencies it was using internally. Follow that with Caribbean storm disasters, rioting in the streets, and citizens exiting the country by the thousands (175,000 people so far just in 2022!), and you have a country on the verge of complete collapse. Rations have been reduced. Thirty-dollar-a-month wages have shrunk to $20. Rolling black outs are a daily occurrence. Basic utilities like water purification systems are broken down. Fuel shortages are everywhere. The shelves in the stores are empty. Even the once thriving industry of tourism is on life support. And yet, we discovered hope in the havoc.
Hope-filled leaders…
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During the week, hope and optimism were evident in our leaders as we met together to worship, pray, and plan at a Catholic Center in Havana (one of the few lodging locations where food was available for its guests).
It was during this time that Yamira, one of our Eagle Leaders, shared how important the encouragement was for her that she received during our trip in 2020. She said that God often caused her to reflect back on what she experienced with us that year, as she fulfilled her duties as a doctor stationed in the country’s “red zone” during Covid.
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She said, “When other doctors and nurses were running away from that zone in fear, I believed God was actually sending me there. I knew Jesus would be there with me. So I stayed. I kept going back, day after day. It was a difficult time. But God had ministry for me there. He gave me opportunities to live out the principles of Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry. I was even able to disciple others there. It was in those moments that I saw His Glory.”
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Yamira has facilitated four JFYM forums, and just finished leading a youth camp. She is currently coaching 16 churches in youth ministry, and she is more excited about reaching the younger generation in her country than ever before! |
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Ovi, another JFYM Eagle Leader, sees the church growing in Eastern Cuba despite the desperate times in which they live. He said that before being trained in JFYM, they were just “a normal church.” Once they began implementing what they had learned from a forum, he said that “everything changed.” Now, they have planted six missions that are in the process of becoming churches!
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A hope-filled generation...
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On Saturday, September 17, Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry hosted an event for young people in Havana who love Jesus and want to be part of reaching their country for Him. It is important to note that the targeted age demographic for this event is the same age demographic of the highest percentage of those who are currently leaving the country. But of even greater significance…most of the young people invited to this event have been discipled by JFYM trained youth pastors in Jesus-focused youth ministries. As we consistently were reminded throughout the day, mentoring makes a difference!
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Registration for the event started in August, and in four days, the registration was closed because so many had signed up. As we drove up to the venue, we saw a crowd of 350 teens and young adults in attendance. They worshiped with intensity. They fellowshipped with great joy. And the crowd was challenged to see the vision of a Cuba reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ. At the end of the day, Elio Martiz spoke these words from Jeremiah 29, “Build houses and live in them…take wives and have sons and daughters…seek the welfare of the city…and pray to the Lord on its behalf…”. The aisles of the church were filled with younger generation believers, weeping for their country. They responded to the call and committed to reaching Cuba for Christ.
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This all-day event was the largest worship experience in Havana since the pandemic. Even as I write this article, I feel overwhelmed that God allowed our team to experience this moment with them. Did he just allow us a front row seat into the seeds of spiritual awakening and revival in this country we have come to love so deeply over the years? And how would our opportunity to live through this pivotal moment with our leaders also increase the faith walks of those on our American team?
From the unexpected ways in which people provided food for all the participants, to the transportation that was made available to safely return everyone to their homes, there were multiple miraculous moments leading up to that day which gave our leaders the faith to follow through with the event. As our team later reflected on the day, they mentioned that at times it was as if a rushing of the Spirit of God filled the room. It was palpable…like the moment when seemingly every voice in the room was loudly singing “all my life you have been faithful, all my life you have been so, so good. With every breath that I am able…I will sing of the goodness of God.”
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For several weeks leading up to the trip, God continued to impress these words on my mind: “be with.” I sensed we were to focus on simply “being with” our team, whatever that might mean. From having dinner at the home of a renowned chef who had given his life to Christ just prior to the pandemic and now attends Elio’s church, to playing baseball with students and youth leaders on a neighborhood field, “be with” continually rang in my head throughout the trip. But, most of all, we were able to “be with” them as we listened to what they had walked through, what they were learning, and how God was propelling them forward.
I want to leave you with one of those moments…an excerpt of a conversation I had with Yoan, one of our regional leaders…
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“When the team was here 2-1/2 years ago, that feels like we were in another country back then. Today, the water quality is very bad - our pastor’s water from the tap was mixed with sewer water last week. Sometimes the water is brown, sometimes it is yellow, but it always smells bad. The system is broken. Everyone is trying hard to find clean water for their wives when they are pregnant. Garbage is piling up everywhere. Neighbors are coming together to give whatever scraps of food they may have to the person nearest them that has chickens or pigs to feed. The situation here is worse than I have ever seen. People are more discontent than ever before. One reason for this discontentment is that people are more connected to the rest of the world than ever before. They see what they do not have. Children watch a commercial that comes on the TV between the cartoons and they ask why they can’t have those things. I grew up in the '90s.
Disconnected from the rest of the world. I have learned to be content with what I have. God gives me an eternal perspective. If you do not have an eternal perspective, you will just try to make this life as good as it can possibly be. When people believe that “this” is all there is (he motioned to everything around him), it makes sense that they become discontent. That is one of the reasons so many are leaving the country. Yes…staying here is difficult. Sometimes we do not even know where our next meal will come from…but we keep trusting God and He provides.”
Hope in the havoc.
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If you have a heart and passion for helping teens in Cuba come to know Jesus and want to contribute by coming alongside us, click the button below. Every.Dollar.Counts. |
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Thank you for partnering with us with your prayers and financial support, as we continue to follow God into new opportunities and new countries! |
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Randy Riggins, President
Reach Out Youth Solutions
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