Year 67! The Journey! : Cuba

I must finishing unpacking this trip today!. I am finishing it while sitting Lusaka, Zambia, as another adventure unfolds tomorrow. My mind cannot handle too many unpacked adventures.

It is impossible to do justice to this trip in words. Emotions, smells, tastes and feelings are things that one sometimes has to experience on their own to grasp. But to get something in writing will be good for me.

The highlight for me on this trip to Cuba was visiting the churches! Not a denomination but the church, being defined as a group of people who worship Jesus Christ. As a follower of Jesus Christ my view of life is, it is very short here on earth and eternity is where I live forever. I know that Jesus Christ, being a Christian, is not a popular subject these days (it never has been). I know that my desire to follow Him is counter cultural here and many places in our world. However, He will not be ignored. When humans are desperate they always reach out to something, someone greater than themselves. If we are honest with our thoughts, each human knows deep down that we are not in control of anything in our lives, though we try desperately to do so.

Cubans have lived in a communist country for 50 years. At least two generations have been brainwashed into the teaching that there is no God. Their parents, pastors and leaders have been persecuted because they remained true to Christ’s teachings. But man cannot erase God or His work. No government can erase God. It never works, He wins.

Oh, the old cars were and are fun and most definitely a highlight. They are preserved because these were the ‘new’ cars when communism took over. The cars at the time would be 'it' for many years. They were and still are in most cases, all that they could have or obtain. They were cared for, repaired, engines replaced and what was done out of necessity has made a trip to Cuba unique for the world. The once magnificent architecture that has been neglected might one day get a restoration and I hope they do! For now seeing these buildings is like an end of world movie. It is sad and fascinating at the same time. The tenacity of a group of people who live on the edge of poverty who still create beautiful music and art is also special.

But when all is said and done seeing the Church, alive, excited about their Lord was the pinnacle of the trip. These Christ followers are depending upon Him for their daily needs and not caring what the government thinks or does about shutting down the 'church'. This faith humbled and excited me beyond words.