Voices from Cuba: Three Testimonies from the Big Island
Our familia on the Big Island is suffering deeply right now. Scarcity of food, basic necessities, electricity, and transportation has intensified to unbearable levels. I asked several of our ministry partners to share honestly what they are experiencing so that we could help you understand the reality they are facing—and invite you to pray with us.
These are their words. These are their lives.
Testimony One: “These Are Very Dark Days”
“We want to tell you how Cubans are living right now—in these dark days… very dark days.”
Electric power has become almost a cruel illusion. Families go more than 30 hours without electricity, and when it finally comes on, no one knows how long it will last. People scramble to cook the few scraps of food they have, wash clothes, or complete basic tasks—only to have the power cut again without warning.
Children cry from hunger because there is nothing to eat.
Elderly retirees are especially vulnerable. Many receive the equivalent of $3–$4 per month, which comes out to about 12 cents a day. Even worse, banks are often closed because of power outages, so they cannot access their money in cash. With bank cards, it is impossible to buy bread, milk, or other basic foods.
Disease is spreading across the country. There are no medicines, and the few doctors who remain are overwhelmed. People are dying in hospitals simply because help is unavailable. One heartbreaking example: during a surgical operation, the electricity went out—and the patient died as a result.
Children go to school without having eaten breakfast.
Transportation is nearly nonexistent.
At night, entire cities are plunged into darkness. In the desperation to survive, criminal activity increases—robberies, assaults, and violence. It is extremely dangerous.
“My son has been stranded in Cienfuegos for over ten days with no way to return home. He is staying with believers until he can somehow make his way back.”
In Havana, garbage is piled on nearly every corner—kilometers of trash lining the streets. Seeing people dig through it just to find something to eat breaks the soul. Because there is no fuel, garbage collection has stopped, and disease is spreading rapidly.
Testimony Two: “Only God Will Provide”
“Pastor, food prices have gone up—especially essentials like meat, rice, grains, and eggs. Many foods simply cannot be found anymore.”
Fuel is nearly unavailable and extremely expensive. Outside of rare exceptions, the only fuel available is on the black market, where prices rise daily. As a result, private transportation has become unaffordable.
Universities have been closed because there is no fuel to transport students. Interprovincial transportation has come to a complete stop.
People are openly expressing their frustration and despair. In the streets, voices cry out for change because this situation feels unsustainable.
“Only God will provide.”
Testimony Three: “Children Cry, and Parents Despair”
“There is no transportation—not even for ambulances. Everything is paralyzed.”
People are afraid. There is little food, and those with some financial means are hoarding rice, beans, and meat—fearing what tomorrow may bring. Many families are already not eating because prices are impossibly high and continue to rise every day.
“My family and my parents’ family have joined together to share everything we have.”
Because they live in the countryside, they survive off what they plant—but even that is running out. Everything has already been planted, yet harvest is months away, and no one knows how they will make it until then.
“May God take control of our leaders, because this is extremely difficult. There is so much hunger and desperation. Children cry because they are hungry, and we parents feel helpless… We need help. May liberation and relief come from God.”
A Call to Prayer and Compassion
These are not headlines.
These are not statistics.
These are our brothers and sisters.
Please pray with us for:
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God’s provision for daily food and basic needs
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Protection for families, children, and the elderly
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Strength for pastors and leaders who continue to serve faithfully
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Peace amid fear, and hope amid despair
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God’s mercy and intervention in these dark days
Thank you for taking the time to listen to their voices—and for standing with our familia in prayer, compassion, and love.
Together, may we be instruments of God’s care and hope in the midst of suffering.
Extend Your Hands to Help
In moments like these, prayer is essential—but practical help is also urgently needed.
Right now, families on the Big Island are struggling to survive day by day. Many have no food, no electricity, no transportation, and no access to medicine. Pastors are doing everything they can, but the needs far exceed their ability to respond alone.
Through your past generosity, we have been able to send emergency food aid, financial assistance, and support to pastors and their families—often arriving at the exact moment it was needed most. We want to continue doing that, but we cannot do it without your partnership.
Would you prayerfully consider sending a gift today—
$25, $50, $100, $500, or whatever the Lord places on your heart—to help provide food, essential supplies, and emergency relief to families in Cuba?
Your gift helps us:
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Send immediate food and financial aid to families in crisis
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Support pastors who are caring for their communities at great personal cost
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Help children and the elderly survive these critical days
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Remind our brothers and sisters that they are not forgotten
As Jesus reminds us:
“And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.” — Matthew 10:42
Thank you for standing with us—and with our Cuban familia—in this moment of great need. Your prayers and generosity are making an eternal difference.
Together, we can bring hope beyond borders.
👉 Click here to give a special gift today
Thank you for your generosity and compassion in extending your hands to help.
In His Grip, Dave & Dawn Diaso
