Friday, November 27, 2015

CUBA...56 YEARS OF COMMUNISM, SOCIALISM, AND PERSECUTION



SOME PASTORS ENJOYING A FREE MEAL DURING A CONFERENCE
Twenty minutes after landing in Havana, Cuba I was already in trouble. I knew that I had landed in new and possibly dangerous territory. As I followed my way through the hot, extremely humid, and unventilated terminal to get to the baggage claim area my heart pounded heavily against my chest. And against my back. I was nervous about being in a foreign communist nation and about doing something culturally wrong that would bring me attention. Terrible stories of Cuban prisons and concentration camps flooded my mind. The very unfriendly faces from the workers dressed in military uniforms did not help. My eyes were like powerful vacuum cleaners; absorbing everything that there was to see. Ron Gartner, another missionary making this trip, and I finally found the baggage claim area. Ron saw his baggage and retrieved it while I waited for mine. Everyone on the plane got their baggage except me. The conveyor belt stopped and still no baggage for me. Finally after about 10 more minutes my baggage fell from the chute. I breathed a sigh of relieve and pick up my bag. Immediately there was a tap on my right shoulder and I turned around. Behind me was a Cuban lady dressed in military style. She asked if the luggage was mine. I said, "Yes." And she said, "Well then, come with me." I didn't know what was happening but I suspected that it had something to do with the 6 Bibles and the hundreds of gospel tracts that I was carrying. She took me to a room where there had placed several others. I was separated from Ron. In Cuba there are no phone connections with an outside phone. I couldn't call anyone. You must purchase a Cuban phone if you want to call anyone. The heat was almost unbearable and my heart was racing at warp speed. 

ONE OF THE BICY-TAXIS
Ron Gartner and I do evangelistic outreaches in Juarez, Mexico. A few months prior to leaving for Cuba he asked me if I would like to make the trip to Cuba with him. He had been to Cuba 19 years earlier and the Pastor that hosted him at that time had made another invitation. I knew that the Lord had sent me to Juarez, Mexico some years back, but recently the Lord had spoken to me on different occasions about sending me to visit other nations. So I told Ron that I would seek the Lord's direction and get back with him. Almost without hesitation the Lord said to me, "Did I not tell you that I would send you to other nations?" That was easy!!! But the next hurdle was how the Lord would supply for the expenses. I spoke to Al and Carla Fowler from Covenant Fellowship Church about this need and they immediately handed me a check for ministry expenses that would cover the trip entirely, with lots left over for the work in Juarez. The check came as a gift from many who support the work in Juarez. Ron and I began to make plans and get all the paperwork ready to enter into Cuba. We would also need a special religious visa from the Cuban senate to be able to minister in Cuban churches. (This makes it possible for the Cuban government to send out spies and control where you can and cannot go. We were denied entry into a large congregation in Havana.) Our flight initiated in Juarez, then to Mexico City, and finally Havana. The same route was used on our trip back. Part of our time in Cuba would be spent in Havana and the other part in Las Tunas, which are about 12 hours apart by vehicle.

OLD CARGO TRUCKS CONVERTED INTO BUSES
The nervousness and the intense heat in the room at the airport in Havana caused me to break out in heavy perspiration. I had over two hours to pray and activate my faith. I was told to move from one line to the next by one guard, and then scolded for having moved by another guard. I knew that what I was going through was nothing compared to others who have had to make the ultimate sacrifice for the gospel. My faith and strength began rise. I finally made it to the front table and no matter how rude they spoke to me I responded with respect. A young man and woman spoke to me. I was asked to put my bag on the table and unzip it. The man lifted the clothing in my bag and I knew that he saw 2 of the 6 Bibles at the bottom. Immediately he slammed the bag shut, had me to zip it back up, and told the young lady to clear me and let me pass. After she keyed in something in her computer I was finally free to go. I quickly walked outside where Ron and our host Pastors were patiently waiting. Ironically, I was also carrying a backpack and another carry-on bag which were both filled with more Bibles and gospel tracts...but it was as if they never saw them. 

OLD CARS ARE EVERYWHERE. I SAW SOME AS OLD AS 1920s
In my 12 days in Cuba I learned a lot about this nation, about socialism, and about communism. But mostly I learned about how the Church of Jesus grows "under the whip", as the believers call it. They call communism and socialism "shared misery". Anyone who thinks that this form of government is such a great idea needs to experience it first hand. The citizens of Cuba are slaves to the government. To be very blunt and cut to the chase the Cuban government is Satanic in origin. The heads of the regime, their families, and other leaders are heavily involved in Satanism, voodoo, witchcraft, and the occult. When the regime first took over the nation they made a promise that within 5 years not one Christian will be found in Cuba. Yet 56 years later the Church is still growing and thriving. A testimony to the power of the gospel. 

SAINTS WORSHIPING
When a child first registers for school he will be asked about his faith. If he states that he is a Christian he and his family are immediately denied some of the few government benefits available to others, including education into the most coveted careers. Currently there are about 3,000 churches in one denomination alone that are due to be bulldozed by the government. In one of the Pastor's conferences that we spoke at I asked the Pastors to tell me how we in the U.S. can pray for them. The response was always the same: "Please pray that my church building does not get destroyed." Many times, as these church leaders shared their stories with us, it was hard to keep back the tears. One leader shared about how he went to his church one day. As he turned the corner there was nothing there. Nothing!!! The government came during the night and destroyed his church buildings and hauled it off. Leaving no trace of a church building. But yet when these believers get together they stand up and sing God's praises as if they were in Heaven itself. How is it possible that we in the U.S. are so cold? 

MANY OF THESE ARE ON THE ROADS
While in Cuba we were not allowed to stay at the home of our hosts. In Las Tunas we rented two rooms that were owned by 3 medical doctors (a husband and wife, and their daughter). They rent the two rooms behind their house to make ends meet. A Physician in Cuba makes about $20 a month. (This is not a typo!) So when a tourist comes (which are few and far between), they hit a bonanza. We paid $20 per day, per room; and a great breakfast was included. When asked about help in finding someone in the neighborhood to do our laundry their eyes got big and they smiled. They said they would do it. The next morning I looked out the window and one of the doctors was washing my clothes by hand. By the afternoon everything was washed, folded, and ironed. They charged me about $3.70US. Another eye doctor in town runs a bicy-taxi service in the afternoons. He has a three-wheel bicycle that he uses to pedal people to and fro for a few cents. Another medical doctor makes lollipops to make ends meet. 

A SMALL CHURCH WITH ONLY A ROOF 
Here are a few more unbelievable facts: 1). Ron, our host pastor, and I went looking for bottled water, coffee, and a hammer one morning. We went to about a dozen stores and we came back empty-handed. Shelves were practically bare...yet full of rum. 2). The ten years after the year 1990 were extremely difficult. During this time they had no toothpaste, soap, new clothing, and other necessities. Food was extremely scarce. One pastor's wife related how they cooked their mop after cutting it up in pieces to add to the small amount of food. 3). We stopped at the car dealership in Havana. Cars and scooters for sale are really just for show. Just so that the government can say that they have cars available. A used car, with 200,000 miles runs between $82,000 to $110,000US. Used scooters were $9-12,000US. Consider paying these prices with salaries of $20 a month. 4). The government will help you build a church if it's a Satanic church. 5). It is against the law to eat beef or fish for the common citizens. Beef and fish are only for government officials and for exporting. I met a 37 year old man that has never tasted beef or fish. Also, if someone kills a cow it's 15 years in jail. Kill a human and it's 7 years in jail. 6). A gallon of gas is about $5.50US. (This list can be endless. I just wanted to show a picture of how different things are in Cuba.) 

CONFERENCE IN HABANA
The only reason that Cubans survive their economy is because their relatives and loved ones who have escaped the regime for the past 56 years send them financial support. 


Every time I stood in front of a church or a group of Pastors to speak I wondered why the Lord brought me there. I felt that I needed to sit down and let them speak to me. I always wondered what I could possibly say to encourage these precious brothers and sisters, some of which had been to the concentration camps. One day at one of our pastors conferences one pastor stood up to thank me. He said that he had learned so much that day and he was glad that he came to the conference. When he said that to me a knot formed in my throat and I had to swallow hard. Just about every conference had a least 100 attendees. Yet there was never one car or bicycle parked in front of the churches. The pastors either walked or used the very poor public transportation system to get to these conferences. 

I made some very good friends in Cuba. As a matter of fact our host pastor in Cuba, who is about 80 years old, was able to get permission to make a trip Colorado to visit his son. From there he made a bus trip to the El Paso/Juarez area. He was with me for 12 days recently. He shared his stories and preached in several churches in Juarez, Mexico. 

Will I ever return to Cuba? That is one of my dreams. Now that I've been there once I will be better prepared the second time. My prayer is for Cuba to be released from the bondage that it finds itself in. 

I thank the Lord for allowing me to make this missionary trip to Cuba and many, many thanks for everyone who helped to make this trip possible. And also for the continued support in Juarez, Mexico. 

I plan on writing another blog entry soon to share about other things going on in Juarez. Blessings to all. 

(P.S. Double-click on the pictures to enlarge.)

Daniel Torres
650 Linwood Drive
El Paso, Texas 79928
d_torres53@yahoo.com

For tax receipts make contributions to:
Covenant Fellowship
P.O. Box 8126
Searcy, AR 72145


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