Letters for posterity: the challenge

Holguin City

2010-03-29T17:31:00.000-07:00

Waking up in Holguin

We slept until 8:30! I used ear plugs and that drowned out the honking cars and cloping horsecarts. The men slept in a room with open windows & heard pigs and all sorts of street noise. Breakfast was bread with a hot dog on top. Chocolate milk made with fresh milk that was warm. Coffee is strong and sweet and I love it.

We walked around town and changed our money into CUCs. We sat in the park and "people watching".

We were served a very nice lunch of bean soup and rice with fried Plantains and salad, even desert. Then we were taken by taxi to the top of the highest point in Holguin the "La Crusa" the cross.

We took photos and talked to Tanya, our translator. She explained about how someone might get or build a home (or might not) when they get married. The joke was "you don't asked where will we live, but who's parents will we live with". We questioned "who taught and spread the Gospel since Christianity has been illegal, if the clergy fled, who trained out Pastros?" they explained that the Holy Spirit planted the seed. This conversation was brief as we were in a taxi and they don't discuss these things in public.

We gave our Pastor his gifts and he tried on the clown costume. He was overjoyed. He prayed with us and said he hated to leave.

This afternoon I showered and rested. Tonight after dinner we have a worship at Central Church at 8:00pm.

We're being called to dinner. This is the view from our room.

Desert and Cuban Coffee

We worshiped at Central Church for two hours with beautiful contemporary music and a message based on John 1:20. We prayed for a man who needed healing. Nine people stepped forward to receive Christ. We prayed over the clothes of people who need healing. They have seen many miracles from this ministry.

We met with the District Superintendant in his home afterward until after 11:00. Our translator Tanya was so helpful. We met her mother and her " soon to be fiancée" after worship.

Holguin Cuba Day One

2010-03-29T16:41:00.001-07:00

Flying to Holguin

Up at 5:45 to pull on some clothes & brush our teeth and pray for the trip.

The flight was delayed and that's ok since it took us a while to park at the Crown Plaza & shuttle in.

The airport

Other travelers had warned me about the airport. They warned of long waits and tough questioning. I really felt a great deal of peace from the moment we landed. The palm trees were swaying as we walked onto the tarmac. The airport is clean and there were lots of young people working there. The security checkers wear white t-shirts and jeans. The women wear suits with short skirts and hose, some fishnet. I was pushed through customs partly because the customs agent didn't speak English. He said "lady, go".

We met the District Superintendent and Pastor Yovany right outside. They waited with us & all the other Pastors for our group.

Our traveling companion. Brad was not so lucky. He stayed inside being harassed for two and a half hours. We finally left the airport as it got dark after 4:30pm.

We met our Pastor and surprisingly I understood his Spanish. We went to Central Church where they showed us our room.

We have a window air conditioner, bathroom with shower, and six comfy beds. What else could a girl ask for? Three lovely ladies served us chicken, rice, and vegetable soup with a salad of cabbage. carrots, tomato, and peppers. They added desert of some kind of sweet bread pudding.

A Visit with our Sister Church

We were exhausted, but we had one chance to visit our sister church until Sunday so we went. It was after 8, maybe 9. It took us 20 minutes on very bumpy roads up the side of a mountain, we go back Sunday. I can hardly wait to see it in the daytime. The Pastor and his family live in a very meager home. The house is open to the outside and has no roof over the kitchen or shower-sized bathroom. Electricity is open the the elements which we found was more common than we expected. Water and electricity do an interesting dance in Cuba.

We worshiped with our Sister Church. We were so tired, but they were so warm, inviting, and it was a wonderful experience. As worship ended we were greeted by everyone. Each worshiper kissed our cheek as they left. The Pastor's wife invited us in for orange soda and a snack of white cheese & guava paste. Our bus drivers brought us back to the city of Holguin at about midnight.

Holguin Cuba

2010-02-21T18:16:00.000-08:00

I leave for Cuba tomorrow. I'm excited and have no fear at all. I've heard so much about the great people there. I'm packed and ready and only home I can share the true feel of the trip when I return to you.

Cuba! Maybe

2009-09-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

I was recently informed that the process to request visas for myself and the caravan of others from my area has begun. I'm praying that the visa is approved and my path is cleared for the trip this winter. More to come...

Cuba

2009-09-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

I was informed this week that it is not an opportune time to request the number of visas that were going to have to be requested for this caravan. The caravan has been postoned, but not canceled. I will continue to learn Spanish since I have faith that I will visit our Sister Church in Cuba in the future.

Miami Beach

2009-08-21T11:12:00.001-07:00

In planning a new adventure, a trip to Cuba to visit ous sister church, Iglesia Methodista Floro Perez, I've had to take a drive to Miami from Central Florida to get my passport.

This challenge is a long day, but you're up to it. This is how it begins:

We started at 5am. The tank was 3/4 full. My 21 year old daughter, Emily was the navigator and in charge of the music (Jack Johnson and some Cuban tunes I got at the library). The trip down was quite eventful; a speeding ticket (admittedly well deserved), we ran out of toll money (25 cents short!) after the GPS sent us off I-95 across Florida's turn pike, and we arrived hungry with full bladders, but on time for my 9:30am appointment.

The process only took a couple hours, so Emily and I decided to see some of the city. First, we walked across the street to find an ATM in the hotel that was just beautiful and the back door lead right to the bay area. What a view.

We then headed across the water to South Beach. We really felt like tourist in the cool Deco neighborhood. Emily felt right at home around all the young tatooed people. We stopped for lunch at a little Juice bar and look for Miami Ink. apparently they moved without telling us.

We then walked down to Ocean Drive to see the sights and look for Casa Versace which we fould is now a B&B with no signs of a memorial to Gianni Versace. We couldn't leave without first buying cheap sunglasses and a christmas gift for Lisa.

The day as a whole was nice, mostly becauase of the company. Emily has grown up before my eyes, she so much fun to be with. I almost spewed diet coke out of my nose once when we got to a giggly point in the drive. We made a few stops including the Barnes and Noble for a coffee and a break and we had the standard traveller's fare at Cracker Barrel. The sun went down just as we arrived home at 8:15pm. What an adventure. I can only imagine what Cuba will bring!