EBM MASA Community, Hilfe für Lateinamerika, Pastor Carlos Waldow

Report on my trip to Cuba - 2011

Report on my official trip to Cuba, March 21 – April 14, 2011
    
As I am writing this report I would like to give you some insight into my official trip to Cuba.

I am very grateful for making this journey together with Arturo Köbernick, our Regional Representative for the Spanish-speaking countries. Time and again we are moved by the way the Lord blesses our team work. Assisting and complementing each other is very important to both of us. This time, our wives, Marli Waldow and Betty Köbernick, came to Cuba with us, as we had planned a common retreat with the missionary couples in Cuba. This was very good for all of us.

Again, we were privileged to witness our Lord Jesus at work firsthand, which fills us with great joy and thankfulness to God. It is simply marvellous to see how Christ reaches people with his gospel. We could experience the passionate commitment of missionaries, or we could leave a meeting where problems were discussed and learn that the Holy Spirit brought about the willingness to repent and to change.

We are most impressed and pleased that the six MASA projects have currently become lighthouse projects for all of Cuba. Our missionary couples are involved with great love and passion, and God gives fruit. God’s impressive working and the growth he provides give reason for great joy on the one hand but, on the other, faces us with enormous challenges, for it calls for additional financial support. This is an exceptional time of God’s working in Cuba. There are many open doors, and the projects are growing extremely fast. There are very specific needs and opportunities which we would very much like to respond to financially in the course of this year if possible. The amount we are talking about is roughly 60,000 €. Considering our agreed budget, this is not implementable. All the same, we hope and believe that God can make it possible.

The three days of our retreat with the missionary couples had an enormous, positive effect. We had a lot of time, listening to each other, perceiving the challenges and results of the projects, working on topics, strengthening and encouraging the team spirit and setting goals for the time ahead. It was also wonderful to see how much they appreciated this fellowship and how important it was to them. We are certain that after this retreat, our missionaries see themselves much more as the MASA Team in Cuba – helping, strengthening, counselling, assisting each other, giving support in difficulties and offering spiritual correction.  

On the Isle of Youth, the work is growing considerably. Karell and Raquel Lescaille with their team work with great love and commitment, and also with a very clear strategic vision. Here, as in all the other projects in Cuba, we notice time and again that they are not stopped by the lack of structure or funds. They do a highly qualified job. The training of workers in church planting in Las Tunas, of which Marcos and Alicia Rivera are in charge, has been extremely successful during the initial two and a half years. About 40 missionaries were trained, and as many new churches have been founded during this time. This positive result has led the Union of Eastern Cuba to decide that this training should be available all over the eastern part of the country. In April, they launched training of 200 new missionary workers in four regions. This means the target is founding 200 new churches within the next two years. To be admitted to this training course, the applicants have to be involved in church planting. All of these training courses are well coordinated and monitored, with pastoral care and counselling being a very important part. – The project of Frank and Yudith San Juán in the slums of Havana adds to our joy every day.  It is incredible how many people from the worst of conditions are won for Jesus. A second church has been founded, and they are already working in another eleven slums. The work in Sayas, Bahia Honda and the entire region around Artemisa, led and coordinated by Juan and Ana Iris Sanchez, is also progressing considerably, making us most happy.  Daniel and Ana Isabel Gonzalez lead a church in Havana, which has been turned upside down during the past two years. Membership has doubled from 400 to 800 during this time. They have launched many new projects, such as the bible clubs, and challenged the people to live missionary lives as disciples of Jesus. Everything started with intense prayer, and this remains their strong point. One of the new projects reaches up to 800 children and youths, through a sports ministry operating daily. Within three months, more than 50 young people have committed their lives to Jesus, have been baptized and are now being integrated into the church in a discipleship course.

Our hearts are filled with joy and thankfulness when we look at the MASA projects supported in Cuba. To him be the glory and the praise!

Carlos Waldow

---