Posts Tagged ‘hunger’

A Horse, A Buggy, & A Shoe: Our Familia Cubana

Posted: May 19, 2020 in Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Video
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Rolando – His Horse & Carriage
Rolando in the striped shirt taking families home from church

This last week was quite a week. We received an urgent message on Friday from our friends Pastor Mario and Yany that someone had stolen the only. horse and buggy of one of the leaders in their church, Rolando. I’ve benefited from rides on Rolando’s carriage when I’ve been in Cuba. The last time I was there, Rolando took us to meet our taxi in the city, so I could go to the airport in Havana. When I offered to give him some money to pay for his help, he didn’t want to take it. He told me that he liked to help out those from the church. I said to him, “I would like to bless you and your family,” so he finally accepted my offer.

Rolando is a wonderful and faithful servant of God. He always helps the church with rides. It’s hard for the elderly and families to walk to church.

Also, he depends on the horse and carriage for his livelihood, so it’s a huge loss for him. I asked some pastor friends of mine if they would be willing to pitch in to help Rolando replace his horse and carriage. All of them said, “yes.” Mario and Yany told me that it costs $800 to buy another horse and buggy. Would you pitch in as well and give a gift by clicking here or the button below?

Families Give Thanks for the Friends Who have Helped Them
Families giving thanks for the help that they’ve received

Dawn and I are thankful for the generosity of those of you that have given so far. Together we’ve helped over 230 people and more than 65 families. We put together some videos of the families that have received help. It’s gratifying to know that they have food to eat, and that they don’t have to go to bed hungry. You can also read more about the families that we helped in our post: Friends Helping Hands: Our Familia Cubana.

Extend Your Hands to Help
Photo of $30 basic grocery basket taken from the news website: 14ymedio.com

It’s amazing to see how even a small gift can make a huge difference! The average monthly salary in Cuba is $25 – $50. Just to give you a small example of how hard it is for them to live, their basic grocery basket (photo above) of mayonnaise, chicken, soap, detergent, and some tomato sauce cost them more than $30. This is supposed to be a special deal for those health workers who have to care for the sick during the COVID-19 crisis. This represents more than half of what a health care worker earns in a month.

You can extend your hands to help these precious families!

Shoes or Food, which would you Choose?

One of the young boys, Angel* from one of the families that we helped said that even though he doesn’t have shoes, and he has to go barefoot – he is still thankful that he has food to eat, and that he doesn’t have to go hungry. Here’s a short 30-second video of Angel (holding the sign in the photo below) with his family.

Friends Helping Hands: Yolanda and her son Angel give thanks

You can get a glimpse through these videos, and through the collage of photos the difference that we are able to make through your gifts. There is still a need to give and extend your hands to help our Cuban familia. Click on the button below to donate, and to make a difference in the life of a family!

Donation
Thank You for Your Prayers & Gifts

Continue to pray for these needs, for protection for the people, and their leaders. In addition to the mounting stresses due to COVID – 19, our pastors have recently been experiencing serious persecution. Please also join us in prayer for their safety.

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

Friends Helping Hands: Our Familia Cubana

Posted: May 8, 2020 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer, Video
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Extending Our Hands to Help Those in Need
Families that we’ve helped by extending our hands in love

In one of my last posts I wrote about the tremendous needs in Cuba and friends helping hands, “Manos Amigas”. Hands of friends like you who have extended your hands to give food to the hungry and the needy in Cuba. The hunger and lack of basic items continues. You can click here to give or on the button at the end of this post.

One of the pastor’s wives that we’ve been working with has sent us some testimonies describing the needs and how your gifts have helped, so I’d like to share with you what May wrote.

Answered Prayer for Toothpaste
Yuni giving thanks for God’s answer to her prayers

One of the issues that many Cubans face is not having toothpaste, especially during this crisis. They end up having to brush their teeth with water and salt when they don’t have toothpaste to brush their teeth. One of the families who are also leaders in the church have been seriously affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Church planters, David* and Deborah* were forced to have their daughter, Yuni* (video above) use salt and water to brush her teeth so she wouldn’t get any cavities. Yuni tried to brush her teeth with the salt and she started crying because the salt burned her mouth. While she was crying one the people from the church was walking by and heard her. He asked her why she was crying, and she told him it was because the salt burned her mouth. He told her, “don’t cry, many of us have to brush our teeth with salt.”

She said, “I am not going to brush my teeth with salt anymore. I am going ask God for toothpaste.” That same friend who was talking to Yuni later went to Pastor Lucas* and Maria’s* house and he was laughing about his conversation with Yuni. When Lucas* heard about it he felt sad, and he told Maria* about it. Lucas said to Maria, “we are going to take some toothpaste to them as well as a donation to help their family so they can buy food.”

Maria added that there are people that buy and resale toothpaste for up to $8 in Cuba which is almost half a months salary, if you can imagine that.
After they took the toothpaste to Yuni and her family, she said, ”God answered my prayer, and he saw my tears.” God used the help of friends extending their hands to provide for this beautiful young family. Lucas and Maria told Yuni that “some friends extended their hands and sent the gift to help them and that the Lord used these friends to answer your prayer!”

Soap for Jesus
Maria with Jesus

Jesus who just celebrated his 75th birthday yesterday cried with joy when he saw Lucas and Maria. He was thankful not only that they came to visit him, but they also came to bless him with the help from the friends hands. The help arrived at the perfect time so that he could buy food and soap. He hadn’t been able to bath for a number of days, because he didn’t have the money to buy soap. It completely changed his day. It’s very important to help the elderly. Many of them have limited income and it is difficult for them to pay for their basic needs. This is especially true during this time of the food shortage, and the lack of basic needs due to the restrictions placed on the people during the COVID-19 crisis.

Jesus Encourages us to Care those in Need

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:35-40 ESV (emphasis mine)
Turning Sadness into Joy!
One of the young church planters, Marcos* with his wife and son

Maria wrote, “It’s impressive what the friends helping hands have been able to do. Although you couldn’t fly on a plane to travel. You weren’t able to leave your country or even your houses, but you extended your hands to give and to support the families in need. You have conquered the obstacles. You have crossed borders and even the sea to arrive at places far away to bring relief. You have responded to the prayers and cries of mothers. You have transformed the sadness of the elderly into joy to know that there is someone on this earth that still loves them. Through the kindness of friends’ hands today many children woke up and had a hot and healthy breakfast to eat. The friends’ hands have shown that love isn’t only something spoken with words, but it is demonstrated with actions.”

Young church planting family – Mario* & Lili* give thanks for the help they received.

In the photos you can see that everyone is full of joy. They are all asking and want to know who are the friends hands that have helped them? They don’t understand how in the middle of this global crisis that someone would be willing to give to the needs of others.

Dawn and I give thanks to the Lord for your generosity and for extending your hands to help those in need. The hunger and lack of basic items like toothpaste and soap continues. There is still a need to give to help our Cuban familia. You can make a huge difference by giving a gift today. Click on the donate button below.

Donation

Thank you for joining Dawn and me on this exciting journey of faith!

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org

More Tears for Cuba: Friends Helping Hands

Posted: April 27, 2020 in Christianity, Church Planting, Ministry, Missions, Prayer
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“Manos Amigas” Friends Hands
Pastor Luis & May with a number of people who have been helped by the gifts that have been sent.

Our familia is so grateful for the gifts that we’ve been able to send to them so far. Pastor Lucas* and Maria sent us some photos of a number of the families that they have been able to help because of our gifts. You can see that they are holding their hands up in the photos, and I didn’t know what that meant. So I asked them, and they explained that they are praying for the Lord to send the hands of a friend to help them. So they are holding up their hands to say thank you for the friends’ hands who have helped them.

Lucas and Maria told me that they have always prayed and dreamed of having a ministry out of their church that would be called, “Manos Amigas” Friends Hands.

Then they went on to explain that Leti (Dawn) and I are extending our hands to help them. Each of you that are helping are also extending your hands to help our Cuban familia.

There is still time to extend your hands to help the families and the elderly in Cuba by giving a gift today!

Our Cuban familia continues to suffer through the coronavirus. The situation is worse there than it is in other countries, because there was already a food shortage before the COVID-19 crisis hit.

Dave with Pastor Lucas & Maria and their children, David & Zuri

Pastor Lucas and his wife, Maria told us how difficult it is for them to get milk, yogurt, cereal and many of the foods that children eat for breakfast. They said that their daughter, Zuri was asking them if there was any milk in the United States. The reason Zuri asked this question is because she is going to be celebrating her 7th birthday soon. The government subsidizes the milk until the child turns seven. Then the price of the milk goes up from .25 centavos to 30 pesos, so it’s about impossible for families to buy milk for their children once they are older than seven.

Families end up sending their children to school without having breakfast, or maybe they’ll have a cup of coffee. Lucas and Maria do everything they can to provide a snack for the children when they come to church on Sunday morning since most of them come hungry.

The Scarcity of Food is Daunting
Pastor Rene on the upper right photo with some of the people from his church

Dawn and I have been staying in close contact with a number of pastors like Pastor Rene (photo above) to make sure that they have enough food for themselves and the people in their congregation. The scarcity is daunting, but they’ve been able to use the money that we’ve sent to help families and the elderly.

We plan on sending more help this week. You can help feed families in Cuba by clicking on the link below and giving.

Dave talking to Pastor Justo

Our good friend, Pastor Justo is one of the pastors that I was able to talk to this week. He had to go outside of his house to get a wifi connection so he could talk to me. We were able to make a video call. Unfortunately, Justo had to wear a mask the whole time, because in Cuba they are giving out fines to the people if they don’t wear a mask when they are outside.

It’s such a different world and now things have worsened with the restrictions due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Extend Your Hands to Help

Our Cuban familia needs your help and your prayers. Please click on the donate button to give and to extend your hands to help these families.

Thank you!

Thank you for praying for the needs of Cuba and our Cuban familia. Dawn and I appreciate you, and we are thankful that you are joining us on this journey of faith!

In His Grip, Dave

DiasoLifeOnTheBorder.org