|
Dios Está Aquí ~ God is Here
These words began the first hymn sung at the April 20, 2008 service of the Dora E. Valentin Presbyterian Reformed Church ("VPRC") in Varadero, Mantanzas, Cuba. Varadero is a beach resort town just ninety miles, yet light years away, from Key West, Florida. For the rest of the week, the FPC Mission team of Brett Darken, Susan Doughty, Brenda and Glynn Dowdle, Karen and Ron Pasquale, and Pam and Mike Shampain witnessed the truth of this hymn. 
We were there under a U.S. license to travel to Cuba and carry vitamins, and other goods on behalf of FPC and also, to carry donated funds for Cuban church and related projects we are helping to support "in the spirit of friendship and solidarity with the Cuban people". We were there due to an application for our travel license submitted by David Cole, who was unable to go with us at the last minute, but traveled with us in spirit, as he was frequently mentioned by our Cuban friends and us. We were there to travel with Pastor Joel Ortega Dopico, of VPRC, and see the results of the funds FPC has donated since 2004 to help Dopico and Cuban Presbyterian Churches with their ministries in Varadero and neighboring communities. We were there to donate additional funds to VPRC to be used toward the purchase of a van, and to donate the net proceeds from the sale of Rev. Tom Walker's book, Prayers of the People, to the Evangelical Theological Seminary ("SET") in Mantanzas, Cuba, to establish a scholarship for seminary students in honor of Rev. Walker.
God was indeed there in Cuba. He was in the face of the blind guitar player befriended by the VPRC. He was in the faces of the young girls who lead the Spanish hymns. He was there when Mike Shampain passed out fifty necklaces beaded by Whitney Adkins, a member of FPC with cerebral palsy, to children with disabilities and the children of the Varadero church. Even the young boys and male bus driver had beads around their necks.
God was there as black, brown and white Cubans, members of FPC, old and young, female and male, participated as lay persons in the Sunday VPRC service. God was there when Karen Pasquale presented a banner to the Presbyterian women with appliques of quotes and pictures of FPC and 
VPRC in partnership with each other for spreading the love of Christ. He was there when Karen presented sewing supplies to the women's sewing group, including a belt for an antique Singer sewing machine. The women appeared most excited about now being able to use their antique machine.
God was there when Pam Shampain preached in the Sunday service about peace from Christ, and the promise that Christ had gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us in His Father's house. He was there when she lead our nightly devotionals. God's presence was felt on the magnificent grounds of SET, where Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Episcopal and other pastors and Christian educators are taught.
Perhaps most of all, God was there when we met with Cubans in their homes and saw community churches that we were privileged to help build with FPC financial contributions. We visited a Presbyterian church meeting in a Cienfuegos home. The "church" was built on a dirt patio, 
with a makeshift tin roof purchased with money contributed by FPC. On this trip we were able to provide plastic chairs and a plastic table for this community Presbyterian Church. The church service was accompanied with the voices of playing children, and the song of birds and insects buzzing. We were humbled as we witnessed the Rev. Leticia Ramos preach from Acts 2:42-47. She said: "We are like the first churches. We are meeting in homes as a part of a community with the purpose of loving God and our neighbors. We will not be afraid. We will have faith in the promises of God."
We witnessed joy as Cubans showed us progress on their church buildings in Guasimas and Perico, Cuba built in part from money given by FPC. We were the recipients of joy as we gave baseballs and gloves to the boys who love and play the game in cow pastures filled with cow patties. Most places we visited we received joy as Cubans gave us gifts of mangos, bananas, papayas and other fruits grown organically in their gardens. |
| |
Cuba is a land of many contrasts, we frequently said. The world's second largest statue of Christ was left standing in Havana, Cuba. It had been donated, by the Catholic Church, just prior to the Revolution.
Cuba is a land of horse-drawn carriages, bicyclists and hitchhikers in which government cars are required to pick people up. Cuba is an antique car lover's paradise. The people's ingenuity has kept late model 1940 and 50's Oldsmobiles, Chevrolets, and Studebakers running. They are driven along with modern foreign-made cars.
The buildings of Havana and other cities are ornate with gorgeous carved plaster moldings that are crumbling. There are plush new resorts on emerald Caribbean waters, frequented by Canadians and Europeans. Only recently were Cubans allowed to stay in these resorts. However, most cannot afford them as a result of very low average salaries.
Pre-Revolution there was a 23.6% illiteracy rate, compared to a 97% post-Revolution literacy rate. In the resorts you may be waited on by a doctor or engineer who can make more money with tips than practicing their profession.
Post-Revolution, health care is free and everyone is provided a monthly food ration. They will be hungry however, as it is only enough food for approximately ten days and must be supplemented somehow.
We saw the American Embassy in Havana where an electronic billboard had been installed to broadcast messages to the Cuban people from America. We saw the black flags that had been installed on Cuban property in front the billboard to obscure the message. It can still be seen, but not from the street.
We were treated to a commentary on the American Embargo by a professor at SET who was the former President of SET and a member of the Cuban parliament. Suffice it to say that his views of American history were different from history that we had learned in our schools. Along with the other Cubans we met, he was not a fan of the embargo and thought that the Revolution had actually improved the lives of the people.
We do not know the validity of all his statements. We do know the value of hearing his perspective. We did not travel as historians or politicians to Cuba. We went on behalf of FPC in the spirit of friendship and solidarity with the Cuban people. We went as ambassadors of Christ.
"Dios está aquí," their hymn said. We do know that much is true. We witnessed glimpses of God first hand in the ministry of the Cuban Presbyterians we met and in the ministry of Dopico, a modern day, Cuban Apostle Paul.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
