Surprised by Cuba Again!

Thank Jesus for His Amazing Work!

In my last post I wrote about the amazing people the Lord connected us with in Cuba. How God went before us and truly prepared the way, and we were indeed surprised by our experience in Cuba.
Each time we’ve gone to Cuba God has knit our hearts to the people. This trip we especially enjoyed getting to know Pastor Lucas* and Maria*. From the moment Dawn and I met them we fell in love with them. They shared their testimony with us on the first day, and we were all in tears as they shared. We weren’t the only ones they had this effect on as the friends that went on the trip with also were deeply touched by them.

Lucas & Maria’s Amazing Testimony!

I’ve met very few people with the commitment level and sacrifice that Lucas and Maria have made in the ministry.
We were amazed as they shared about how they felt called to minister to a community 18 kilometers from where they lived. There was no church in the community they wanted to reach out to. It was not an easy place to get to. There wasn’t any public transportation to this small village, so they walked more than 10 miles in the hot sun to get there. It took them four hours to walk that far. They didn’t have any sunblock, so Maria got sunspots on her legs from being out in the sun for so long.
They went into the community and started knocking on doors. Every time someone answered the door they said they were not interested in learning more about Jesus. They knocked on every door in the whole town, and they continued to get the same response. Finally, they got to the last house. The woman who answered the door said she was not interested, because she had two daughters who were confined to a wheelchair. She was mad at God.
Yet the two daughters heard the conversation and they told Lucas and Maria that they were interested in studying the Bible and learning about Christ. That’s how they began to reach that community.

Their Tremendous Sacrifice and Courage

As we talked more to Lucas and Maria we learned that they live on about $20 a month. If they or their children need a pair of shoes or some clothing then they have to eat less that month. They live on a lot of beans and rice. While Maria was pregnant with their first child for about two months they had almost no income for food, so friends brought her fruit and whatever they could afford to share with them. Their son, David was born small, because of the lack of nourishment.
Then Lucas and Maria told us about all the warfare they face where they are working. They had to learn how to pray against the attacks. Part of their routine now includes regular fasting and prayer. They take prayer seriously, and they are experiencing results as the Lord works through them.
Dawn and I stayed a couple of days after the Discovery Center was done and Lucas and Maria didn’t leave until late the day after the Center ended. This gave us a wonderful opportunity to minister to one another. They told us more of their story, more of what they’ve learned and all that the Lord was doing through them. Dawn and I were able to bless and encourage them as well. I feel like it was one of the most special times I’ve ever had in ministry.
I truly wish I could bottle those experiences so I had them more often. 
It is not easy to communicate with our friends in Cuba, because they don’t have easy or inexpensive internet service. Yet, we have been able to email one another and encourage one another in that way.
Please join us in praying for Luis and May and all of our other friends in Cuba!
In His Grip, Dave
DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org