|
NEWS FROM NOEL IN CUBA
[Note: As many of you know, Noel Fernandez is the founding pastor and now pastor emeritus of our partner church in Cuba, Iglesia Bautista Enmanuel in Ciego de Avila. Often, he writes long emails to DH and me sharing personal, church and community, and national news. The one that follows came on Tuesday of this week. So that we can all share in these wonderful epistles and have a better understanding of what is happening in Cuba, we will begin sharing at least portions of some of these missives with you. For clarity Eduardo is pastor at Enmanuel, and you will remember was with us at Northminster in late June. At the time he and wife Queen were in the US to oversee the container project in which we participated. Ormara is Noel’s wife and soulmate. Hope you enjoy! Craig Henry]
Dear brothers and sisters,
It is nothing new for me to write and say that I am very busy; that is the norm. I thank God for it; when I have nothing to do, I invent something new. I have had to keep teaching the teenagers in Sunday School because there is no one else willing to take on this task. I have been asked to handle the work with senior citizens at the National Association of the Blind in this province. The person who was in charge of disability issues at the Council of Churches of Cuba emigrated to Jamaica with their family, and I have had to take over—though not entirely—that work. I say "not entirely" because there are tasks in places other than Ciego de Ávila, and traveling there is very difficult for me... I won't go on with the list of duties I have; it is a long one. I am not complaining; I thank God for allowing me to serve others.
I have barely managed to speak with Eduardo since his return; he has had to shoulder many responsibilities, especially the task of distributing everything that arrived in the container. I am sorry about that, but as they say in French, "C’est la vie!" I heard that you sent a quantity of donations that could almost allow us to open a branch of Sedano’s, the Miami "Calle 8" supermarket, or even a Kmart here... I regret not being able to list the specific items, but I want to express my deep gratitude, as this will be a great blessing for our congregation.
Ormara and I pray every morning about the terrible situation we Cubans are living through and that relations between our two countries might become normal, without interference by either side in the other's affairs. We also speak to the Lord about the sad reality facing emigrants living in the United States—especially Cubans. It is something we struggle to understand... We say, "Lord, we trust in You, we place our hope in You, but Lord, we are in anguish and lack the strength for a long wait." It is hard to maintain one's faith amidst so many difficulties.
We also fail to understand the new changes taking place in this country. In various economic and social aspects, there is a return to a consumer society, yet the authorities keep repeating that "we continue working for the continuity of socialism..." To give you an example: just a few steps from the southern corner of our home, a "market" opened three weeks ago that rivals any you might find in your country. On Saturday, Ormara and I went to check it out; we found all kinds of beef for sale (including huge hamburger patties), as well as pork and fish... Potatoes peeled and cut in various ways, crackers, bonbons, chocolates, powdered milk, various canned goods, rice, beans, coffee, sugar... in short, a huge assortment of products unavailable in other stores.
Most notably, the owner is a Cuban resident of Havana who already runs three similar shops or markets in the city; the products sold there are generally imported from Spain. They sell ONLY in US dollars (both banknotes and coins) and accept credit cards. The staff are incredibly friendly and well-trained. On the other hand, Wilson—who, in addition to his pastoral duties in Chambas, holds a secular job at the city’s Ministry of Agriculture and is responsible for allocating idle arable land for use—told me about the land grants made to Cuban-Americans. They have transformed these plots into magnificent farms, using state-of-the-art equipment and machinery brought in from abroad... Go figure! It seems all that’s needed here is dollars—and more dollars. [Note: most Cubans do not have access to US dollars and otherwise cannot afford what is offered for sale.]
There is a group at ENMANUEL ready to be baptized. As you know, since we became a church, we have always held baptisms in a river; we do not want to stop doing it this way, but we face significant difficulties. For one thing, the congregation has grown, requiring either a large-capacity bus or two smaller ones, and there is no fuel available for either option. At the upcoming Members' Meeting, we will be welcoming several brothers and sisters who have come from other congregations where they were baptized by immersion. Both of these developments are cherished signs of growth.
We are both in good health; I feel very well, a fact confirmed by the doctors who have treated me. Glory to God! Ormara has dinner ready, and I shouldn't keep her waiting, so I will conclude by wishing that the Lord’s guidance and companionship be with the two of you, your family, and Northminster—today and always.
In the love of Jesus Christ,
Noel
| 
