It’s been an eventful first two weeks in Cuba! Eventful in terms of my ministry, but also as the Cuban people have been living a critical moment in history with the death of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Last week, every major city facilitated a space to commemorate Chavez. Hundreds of people waited in long lines all throughout the day to pay their respects.

Before departing for this particular visit, I had a few new apprehensions, mostly revolving around whether I could manage a long trip to Cuba while pregnant. I’ve discovered there are some serious advantages to being in Cuba while pregnant.  As a country, Cuba is solicitous of women during this special time. Preventative health care is good, maternity leave seems fantastic compared to in the US, my hosts have been careful and thoughtful in caring for me, and people are excited for you and never hesitate to ask if you are “expecting”.  When you say yes, the most common response is, “ay, ¡que lindo!” meaning, “oh, how beautiful!”.  Farewells are usually accompanied by a few gentle pats to the belly along with a blessing for both of us. When I have to do something that seems strenuous, like catching a bus at 3am, all the women say, “ay mija”, which roughly translated means “oh, poor dear!”. Like in any culture, they have countless ways to determine if it will be a boy or girl. It’s been a special cultural experience, and has offered an opportunity to engage with women at a whole new level.

In addition to being pampered, I’ve done quite a bit of ministry. I spent the better part of a week with a fantastic group of about 20, co-facilitating a workshop on fundraising and holistic ministry projects. We had a great time and I don’t know who learned more, the participants or myself. It was exciting to hear about all that is already being done in Cuba, by Cubans, without outside resources.

I’ve also traveled over 500 miles and visited at least 10 churches, four of which the workshop participants are pastors or members of. My previous visits to churches on earlier trips ended up being a tremendous asset in understanding the contexts of our workshop.

Yesterday I was grateful to have the better part of the day to rest. I needed it badly. Today I transition to work with our other partner here in Cuba, the Eastern Cuba Baptist Convention. In addition to planning meetings for upcoming short-term mission trips, I’ll be present for their Convention-wide annual meeting. Please keep them in prayer as there will be board and presidential elections this year.

Thanks for your continued prayers for our ministry partners here in Cuba, for health and plenty of energy for me during the remainder of this trip.

With you on the journey,

Kim