SATURDAY, MARCH 23 šØšŗ | Our Cuba team got off to a solid start and snapped our team pic at 3:20am at NCCS before rolling to the Atlanta airport. It was such a blessing to have so many parents send us off and pray us out! We encountered a few bumps at checkin because of all of the extra details for traveling to Cuba, but the desk agents were awesome and got us all set. Security was pretty much a breeze, but we had to skip breakfast at the ATL airportā¦no problem, we will eat in just a little while in Miami!
We boarded the plane without too much difficulty and then waited and waited. Finally we pushed off and taxied towards our takeoff. After sitting on the tarmac a bit, the pilot let us know that there was a mechanical issue with some sort of generator and we were going to have to go back to the gate to get that fixed. A minor inconvenience and one we agreed was nice to catch on the ground before flying away!
Unfortunately that didnāt work out so smoothly and we ended up having to deplane, change gates, and find a new plane. Butā¦praise the Lord, there was a plane available and we got loaded back up pretty quickly. Donāt forgetā¦we were still looking forward to breakfast after most of us had gotten up at 2am.
After we got all settled in on the second plane, we learned there was a ground stop in Miami due to weather. No worriesā¦we were all safe and soundā¦and raising our snacks. The flight crew was AMAZING ā¦so kind and friendly. The plane was originally to have taken off at 7:12am. We finally took off at 11:15amā¦safe and sound, but looking forward to lunch.
Our ATL > MIA pilot must have been hungry tooā¦we got to Miami pretty quickly and the whole plane cheered when we landed. Super fun how people can bond over those moments! We easily deplaned and headed for the food court in Miami. Again, the Lord provides. Our Miami flight to Cuba was supposed to have been at 2pm and weād have had to run to make the connectionā¦but weather delayed that flight long enough for us to eat lunch and stretch our legs. Grateful for that as there wasnāt another flight to Cuba available. Lunch was fun and the crew had fun playing games at the gate waiting for our next flight.
Boarding for Cuba was pretty smooth. We were surprised to see a lot of extra room on the flight so we were able to spread out a little bit. The flight to Cuba was uneventful and we landed to a beautiful, sunny early evening. Everything went great through immigration and meeting up with our ministry partners.
Once we loaded the bus to head out to Matanzas, a lot of the kids caught their second wind while a few others finally drifted off to a good nap. One of the gifts of the flights delays is that the Lord treated us to the most beautiful sunset over the ocean as we drove along the coast. We saw beautiful farmland, lots of homes, rivers, mountains, and lots of opportunities to practice our Spanish by reading signs. We even got to use math to convert kilometers to miles! All kinds of learning already taking place!
We arrived at the Las Marias guesthouse that will be our home base for the weekend. Everyone was quick to unload because we knew dinner was waiting for us. The place we will gather for meals this week is on a really nice patio that was beautiful at nightā¦and we assume even more beautiful in the day.
Everyone enjoyed beans, rice, chicken or pork, cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh vegetables, corn cakes, and the most incredible dessert of guava and some type of sweet potato. Some kids went back for thirds! We also enjoyed trying some fresh fruit drinks.
After dinner, we spent time in a quick orientation with our ministry partners from Praying Pelicans Ministry (PPM). Danny is our trip guide and he introduced us to Adelso, Adonys, and Daniel that will be working with us. We are already enjoying getting to know them as their heart for the Lord and for our team is very evident. The PPM staff helped us learn more about the church in Cuba, the context of the culture here, and prepared us for opportunities to e will have to share the gospel and represent Christ this week.
The evening wrapped with the team discussing the question we will engage at the end of each day, āWhere did you see God at work today?ā So many easy examples already of Godās provision and protection. By thinking towards that question, it helps us during the day to be more keen to noticing.
After a great dinner and the evening breeze on the rooftop, everyone was ready to get to their rooms for the night. The rooms are nicer than we could have expected. Very clean and comfortable. Every room has their own bathroom. The girls are all staying in one guesthouse with me and Mrs. Carr. Half the boys are at a guesthouse around the corner with Mr. Humphrey and the rest of the boys are down the street from them with Mr. Bitner
The kids have been incredibleā¦super flexible. So glad we got to practice that so early in the trip. Those are great muscles to build! Thanking the Lord for a wonderful first day in Cuba!
Megan Strange
SUNDAY, MARCH 24 šØšŗ | Happy Sunday from Cuba! The consensus from the group was that everyone slept well and enjoyed their rooms. Our day started strong with a beautiful sunrise and breakfast all together on the rooftop. The group enjoyed sharing with each other about their rooms and what they are noticing in this beautiful country.
Mrs. Carr led the team in a morning devotional from Philippians 4 reminding us of Paulās admonition to be content in Christ so that we are not swayed by the circumstances of life. God has called us to persevere and to keep our eyes on Him. A great charge for the day ahead!
We loaded the bus and headed out for church and two different churches. Mr. Humphrey and I are with one group at Limonar and the other group is with Mrs. Carr and Mr. Bitner at Collecera. These are the churches we will be serving with this week and it was super cool to be able o worship together.
Our church service was a great celebration of Palm Sunday and a reminder of our need for Jesus to be our Savior. Our students brightened up when the pastor charged us to ābe reconciled to Christāā¦the theme of the NCCS retreat this year and a reminder in our Spring Term chapel a few days ago. We enjoyed special music, worship, and a great message of Godās grace and provision towards us out of Mark 11 and John 1. The service closed with a special dance, a presentation by the kids of the church, and a really powerful rendition of āThe Old Rugged Cross.ā
After church, our group had a chance to hang out with the church members. It was fun to get to know each other, to ask questions, and to play games together. Just ask our group about āElephante/Kangerooā..hours of endless fun! Especially when we added in the random alligator!
The ladies of the church prepared a wonderful lunch for our team. We had beans, rice, ribs, salad, and potatoes along with flan for dessert. We all agreed it was quite the feast. At our table, we discussed some of the things our families do back home as part of a Sunday tradition after church. I was pleased to hear there were multiple families that choose to celebrate the Lordās Day at Pablanoās!
We played cards and chatted with our new Cuban friends for an hour or so after lunch and then enjoyed meeting with the pastor and his wife for awhile. They have been in ministry 30 years and shared a lot of their story of planting the church, some of the hardships they endured, and then the story of the seven church plants they have had the privilege of sending out. In their denomination, you have to have 24 members who have professed faith in Christ AND been baptized to officially be called a church. Up until that growth point is achieved, it is still a church plant.
One of the most fascinating parts of our time together was hearing from the pastor and ministry partners about the economy here in Cuba and what it looks like to live under communism and socialism. Super pleased to see the way our kids are making connections and appreciating the freedoms we enjoy at home! This helps turn our hearts towards the Cuban people and the struggles they endure.
At 3:00 the youth of the church returned for some hangout time. We decided to try things like we do at home for building relationships and had a great time. Turns out buying ice cream and hanging out at the park crossed a lot of cultural borders! We met a lot of new friends at the park and definitely drew some attention as we walked through town back and forth from the church. Everyone was very kind and interested in the Americans.
We walked back to the church and spent the rest of the afternoon playing dominoes, Uno, Taco Goat Cat Cheese Pizza, and just enjoying getting to know our new friends. Dinner tonight was beans and rice (so goodā¦and a theme for the week) along with chicken, potatoes, and salad. The food has been incredible and the team is eating well! We spent another hour or so after dinner sitting around the tables and chatting. At home, everyone always is rushing off to here and there. Here in Cuba, we can just enjoy each otherās company. What a gift!
The bus arrived and brought the other half of our team who had been serving at the church plant today. It was so great to see them! One of the biggest blessings of no cell service is that we have a lot to tell each other when we are finally reunited! It sounds like things in Collacera were very similar to Limonar. They attended church, ate lunch, visited with the pastor, hosted the youth for games and hanging out, ate dinner, and learned a ton about each other and their new Cuban friends.
We didnāt know how the kids would respond to being broken up into two teams, but it was a big hit. Each group requested to stay the same. Only one day in these teams and God is already at work knitting our hearts to His and with the people we are serving!
When the team arrived back at our home base, the students had several examples of where they had seen God at work todayā¦super encouraging! Not much in the way of physical labor today, but a lot of fruit from the relationship building. The team is healthy and is enjoying the food and our time here.
LJ and Jack both spoke up about what a blessing it was to see how generous the Cuban people were as they gave money and food even when they donāt have enough for their own families. Our kids were so encouraged and challenged by the trust these people showed in Godās provision. Chase and Ben pointed out how easy it was to build relationships even when we donāt speak the same language. A smile and a laugh go a really long way playing cards or sitting around the table together.
Emma Bartlett led us in a devotion from Romans 12 which contains the passage our senior class is memorizing together in their Bible class. Emma was pointing out that we are called to be set apart as Christiansā¦we should look different than the worldā¦and we should be using our God-given talents to be a blessing to others. A great word for us to wrap up a great day!
It didnāt take much encouragement to get everyone off to their rooms for showers and to call it a night. Monday morning will bring some physical labor for construction and painting as well as an opportunity to share the gospel by delivering food bags and leading a VBS. Hasta luego!
Megan Strange
MONDAY, MARCH 25 šØšŗ | The Lord is gracious and kind in so many ways. We woke up to a beautiful morning after a great nightās rest. Each of the roommate groups had stories about their eveningā¦eating all their snacks, playing cards, fixing hair, telling stories, etc. These are all key parts of making memories in these experiences. Breakfast again was made up of eggs, a variety of breads, fruit juices, fresh fruit, and the addition today of sausages. More and more of the kids are trying the coffee and have discovered what a key piece of the culture it is.
After we finished up breakfast and morning devotions, everyone grabbed their bags to head out for todayās adventure. The crew at Limonar was planning to spend the morning painting and the afternoon leading a Vacation Bible School. I switched teams today and went with the crew to Collacera to learn more about the ministry there.
Our task for the day was twofold: this morning we spent a few hours working on the churchās new property that they were developing. We did a lot of shoveling and busting up of piles of dirt and weeds. The next step was to shovel the piles onto a metal screen to sift out the rocks and weeds. By the time we broke for lunch, we had made several large piles of good dirt to be used for construction. We used the rocks and other big pieces of dirt to help fill holes because they needed to level the property.
Itās a beautiful parcel of land located in a high traffic areaā¦making it perfect for a church. Keep in mind, in Cuba churches canāt own propertyā¦so the pastor must live there as his home that āoften has friends over on Sundays.ā What a powerful reminder to all of us in how blessed we are to have churches all over the town where we live that can boldly declare the gospel with no fear of retribution.
We returned to the current church location for lunchā¦everyone was ready to eat and to have some shade. We enjoyed rice and beans, salad, and plantain chips along with a dessert of guava pudding. The people of the church took incredible care of us and we ate well!
After lunch we had some downtime for restingā¦some napped, some played cards, and several just chatted. Around 2:30, we headed out with āmercy bags.ā Mercy bags are made up of rice, beans, oil, sugar, salt and other basic staples that people need for sustenance. The government allocates a certain portion for each household, but you still have to pay for it, meaning that many of the poor donāt have those items.
The church at Collacera gives out these mercy bags once a month. The supplies come from their members who bring things from their own homes. Keep in mind, the people who donāt have enough to eat are the ones who are bringing in food supplies to help others.
The first home that we went to belonged to a lady that was just going through a rough patch. She was very friendly to our group and we enjoyed meeting her. Our visit was brief, but Laura Jane had an opportunity to pray for her through our translator. The next home belonged to an older couple. The wife had gone blind and that led to obvious hardship for the family. Trey prayed for their family and they were so kind to share that they trust the Lord to meet their needs.
The last stop of the afternoon for my group (Mrs. Carr had the other half of this team) brought many of us to tears. We visited an elderly woman who was obviously stricken with a physical ailment. Her daughter shared that her mother had suffered a debilitating stroke and was still recovering. The government refused to provide care for the mother, so the daughter had to quit her job to take care of her mother. She said it was an honor for her to do that, but their life was very hard. The mercy bags from the church helped them make ends meet.
Michelle prayed for these precious ladies and then we asked the elderly woman to share her story. Through her daughter and the translator, the woman shared of Godās faithfulness to her over the years and the way that He had provided for her. The joy of the Lord radiated through her and it was very clear that her circumstances didnāt impact her outlook. She was the epitome of Philippians 4 because she found her contentment in Christ.
We returned to the church and met up with the other half of our team. The pastor and his wife had snacks and wanted to share some stories. This was the second time today that the team was blessed to enjoy fresh bread with mayonnaise. The kids have been awesome about the mayonnaise sandwiches and have fully convinced the ladies that they are a favorite of the team. It seems they are offering them more regularly now š
The rest of the afternoon was spent playing cards, chess, dominoes, heads up (hilarious), and just enjoying each otherās company. So grateful for time to build relationships away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Dinner was a wonderful feast of roasted chicken, rice and beans, carrots, peppers, cabbage, and potatoes followed by by our favorite dessert of guava pudding. After dinner our kids played outside and we visited with several of the people in the church as well as curious neighbors that came by.
We wrapped up the evening in Caracelo by visiting with the leadership of the church. They shared with us the various ministries that are taking place and we were able to learn more about what they believe God has called them to in the days ahead. This church is not deterred by the challenges they face in Cuba. I wish you could have seen the resolve of the people around the table. We were so encouraged by them!
It was a privilege to pray over these church leaders and to join our hearts together in pursuing Godās plan for the church and its leaders. After this week, who knows if we will ever see these Cuban friends again on earthā¦but we know we will spend eternity together!
We left Caracelo and picked up our teammates who had been serving in Limonar all day. When we arrived, they were having a jam session with the pastorās daughter singing, one of the missionaries on bass, one of the missionaries on keys, and our Joshua holding it all together on the drums. Weāve learned that Joshua is a man of many talents this week! The Limonar team was all smiles as they came out of the church and loaded the bus.
The Limonar team made great progress on the painting and it sounds like VBS went really well! They also spent time with the ministry leaders from their church and learned about the vision and plans for Limonar.
The bus ride back was super fun because our kids had lots of things to tell each other. Since they arenāt on social media here, they havenāt āseenā each other all day and itās glorious to hear them sharing! When we arrived back at the guesthouse, we had several students share about where they saw God at work today. God is tuning our heart to His by drawing our attention to where He is working. Each night, there are more testimonies to share!
Will shared about how cool it has been to build relationships with people we didnāt even know before yesterdayā¦and now weād consider them friends! Both groups made home visits today and several kids shared about the impact of that time. Sutton shared about the home they visited with a little boy who is unable to walk due to some physical limitations. He said it was so cool how the group got to pray for the boy. LJ also highlighted the home visits and shared how much she enjoyed playing a game with Jack todayā¦a freshman she wouldnāt have otherwise gotten to know except for this trip. So many examples of Godās kindness and grace towards us!
Mr. Bitner helped us wrap up the evening with a devotion from Acts 19 that built on our devotion from this morning about repentance. He encouraged us to make sure that we know Christ more than simply having knowledge of Christ. As we serve this week, may people desire to know Christ because of the way they have witnessed His presence in and through our group.
These are long daysā¦but so fruitful! We left here at 9am and got back at 9pm. Everyone headed to showers and bed pretty shortly after devotions wrapped up. Tuesday we will be back in the two locations to continue the work and we will also have an opportunity tomorrow night to worship and study Godās word with some of the small groups from the churches. We are seeing Acts 2 community play out right in front of our eyes!
Soli Deo Gloria! Live Sent!
Megan Strange
TUESDAY, MARCH 26 šØšŗ | Sunday morning breakfast was at 7:30. Monday morning breakfast was at 8:00. The kids cheered when Danny announced that Tuesday morning breakfast would be at 8:30. Even as tired as everyone was after yesterday, lots of us sat up and chatted in our rooms until lateā¦which is one of the fun parts of an outing like this!
We woke to another beautiful morning here in Cuba. The weather is nice and cool in the mornings and evenings before it gets pretty hot in the daytime. We enjoyed the same breakfast weāve had each day, but todayās fun addition was homemade donutsā¦a big hit!
Great conversation around the tables at our rooftop hangout over breakfast. Our devotion from this morning was about faith in the midst of hardship and having courage to trust in the Lord. A particularly poignant reminder in a land where we are serving people who are truly having to make a choice to stand for Jesus.
The bus departed and we enjoyed our morning commute with a twist. Today the team at Collacera was dropped off first and then the Limonar team. We parted ways and everyone was ready to get to work!
The Limonar team continued working on painting the outside of the church until lunch time. The green is looking great and the beige parts of the wall look awesome with a fresh coat of paint. Emma S. braided Joshuaās hair and then Gus got a braid as well as Emma B. Then the music started back up with Emma S. on the keys, Ben on the bass, and Joshua on the drums along with the Cuban worship team. Even speaking a different language, the commonality of music brought the group together for lots of smiles and laughs!
For lunch, the Limonar team enjoyed rice, beans, beef, salad, pumpkin, and fruit for dessert. The serving plates were pretty clean by the time they went back to the kitchen and the conversations continued. Once lunch was cleaned up, the dominoes and cards came out to continue the relationship building. Ask Mrs. Carr to show you how to do the Narwhal for Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizzaā¦she can keep you entertained!
We spent the afternoon visiting some of her missions of the church in Limonar. We drove about 6 miles deep into the villages and met some of the coolest people weāve encountered so far. They host a church at their home in a central place in the village and are seeing many people come to Christ.
The first mission we visited was a great opportunity to fellowship and pray together. Then the missionary invited us to walk with him, his wife, and children deeper into the village where they live. They have the most beautiful view of the mountains and shared their coconuts with us. On the wooden door of their modest home, they have handwritten Joshua 24:15 āAs for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.ā That makes for a cute plaque on the wall in our homes in Acworth, but it is a bold declaration of faithā¦no matter the consequenceā¦here in Cuba.
We visited another mission and had an opportunity to visit with the pastor and learn more about his family. His young adult nephew joined our time together and we had a chance to share the gospel with him. Right there in front of our group, this young man prayed to receive Christ as his Savior. That made our whole trip worth itā¦all of Spring Term itselfā¦just for the sake of his soul. We will see him again in heaven one dayā¦glory to God!
Our Limonar team rode the bus back to the main church. As we made our way over the rocky and dusty roads, we were reminded of the great lengths the people from the mission churches go to once a month to visit the main church in Limonar. We were reminded yet again what a blessing it is to be able to gather for worship as easily as we do in the US.
We returned to the church for a quick moment and then headed out to visit with the home groups for dinner and their cell group meeting. The groups in both Limonar and Collacera had a chance to visit homes. Please be sure to ask your kids about their experience! Mine was the nicest cookout Iāve probably ever been too. The cell group went above and beyond to host us well!
We enjoyed grilled chicken, fresh tamales, salad, beans and rice, and chocolate ice cream. As usual, we sat around the dinner table for almost another hour just enjoying one anotherās company.
After dinner was cleared, we moved the furniture until a circle to begin the time of worship and study of Godās word. They invited us to share a message, so I shared our of Acts 5 about the apostles and the hardship they facedā¦but how courageous they were because they had placed their hope in Christ. We wanted to encourage our Cuban friends that their faith was very inspiring to us. They have to overcome a lot, but they know that they have the true answer to the hope that all people are truly looking for.
We enjoyed sweet time of prayer and singing together as we e wrapped up our time. We walked down the street and hung out with the other half of the Limonar team finishing up their cell group. After walking back to the church, we loaded up the bus where the Collacera group was waiting for us. As always, we loved hearing about their day too!
The bus ride back to the guesthouse was full of chitchat and laughter as we shared stories from the day. The students are already noting how fast this week is flying by! Weāve come to enjoy these night time rides back through Matanzas!
We gathered for our team time on the roof where the kids shared many examples of Godās faithfulness today. Elizabeth Turnbough shared our evening devotion out of Matthew 6:25-34. She pointed out these four great takeaways from the passage:
- God will provide
- Do not be anxious
- God cares about both the little things and the big things.
- We canāt attempt to do anything without seeking Him first.
We prayed together and the evening closed just as the others haveā¦with Danny giving us a quick run down of the next day. The team has all headed out for showers and to get some rest. Thankfully breakfast is at 8:30 againā¦the kids (and us old people) are grateful for the extra rest to recover from these incredible days. Thanks for praying for us and cheering us on! Your prayers are making a difference!
Check out this feedback below from some of our awesome students on the team.
Live Sent!
Megan Strange
This trip had been impactful beyond words. I love my group. I love our church. My eyes get opened more and more each day because of the crazy faith and love these people have. 2 specific examples is an old lady we visited tonight talked about her daughter passing away. Her daughter was heavily in church and loved God. This lady (Mary) said how she walked away from the Lord because of it and said āhow could someone so deep in faith pass awayā . I almost cried because of how i related and connected with her so well. And her amazing faith throughout and within was very admiring. Seeing how little these people have and how much joy they reflect is genuinely and truly the most touching thing. I find myself bettering as a person and a believer every day. -Josiah Hidden, 12th grade
It has been so amazing to see the faith of the members of the church, the testimonies of the many families weāve visited, and the hospitality of every place that weāve been. Whether weāre painting, eating, or just talking, being in Cuba has been a very enjoyable and eye-opening experience to the problems that Christians around the world face. Their perseverance has encouraged me in my own faith and I want to remember their testimonies when I face my own troubles. I am also so grateful for our translators as theyāve been able to bridge the gap between us and the Cuban people. Cuba is a beautiful country filled with beautiful people and Iām very glad that I have the opportunity to be here with this group. – Elizabeth Turnbough, 12th grade
During our few days so far I have been really moved. Specifically when we went to visit the cell groups. One of the cell groups there was a man who was on the verge of giving his life to Christ. Some of the kids and the pastors of our group said a few things and after a prayer he proclaimed his faith to the Lord. – Chase Konchak, 12th grade
These past couple days I have learned that the love of Christ is available to all people. I came into this country thinking that I would be helping this community but they have actually helped me. They have helped me learn to not take certain things for granted, how to love those around me, how to be a light, Gods precious child. The children and adults here have the biggest hearts for all those around them and radiate Godās love through everything they do. This is one of my biggest blessings to have gotten to know this community in such a short time and I know God is going to continue to work in not only my heart but in theirs as well! -Katherine Garcia, 11th grade
I have had SO much fun with the Cuban people we have met and spent time with this week. Seeing their faith, despite their many challenges, has encouraged me to fully live for God in all that I do. We have been able to talk with many people in the community, and we have been able to learn about all of the challenges that theyāve gone through in their life. They all have stories of how God has delivered them from sickness and other tribulation, and it has really impacted my life. One of my favorite things has been getting to know the pastorās family. We have become really good friends and it has been a big blessing in my life. -Emma Bartlett, 12th grade
I have learned that people can make community even when their language is different. -Sanghyun āJoshuaā Park, 9th grade (South Korea)
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 šØšŗ | Itās crazy to see how fast this trip is flying by! Even though the kids were tired, they caught their second wind after devotions. Many stayed up chatting, playing cards, sharing snacks for a bit last night. Even the adults joined inā¦itās such a blast for us to have these unique opportunities to serve with our students!
This morning the crew rolled in for breakfast at 8:30ish š We enjoyed the same breakfast weāve had each day and itās been great for the kids to know what we would be having each day. A few kids have even commented how many snacks they still have left since weāve been eating so well!
Today is our last day working at the churches weāve been serving at since Sunday and itās definitely bittersweet! We are taking our donations with us today and also packing clothes to change into for a special celebration service where the Limonar and Collacera congregations will be all together in Limonarā¦so cool!
The Collacera team will spend their morning working on the construction lot to get that project as far along as possible. They will also spend time visiting some of the church plant locations before meeting up with the Limonar team after dinner.
Now is probably a good time to share who has been on each team for the week. At first we assumed the kids would want to mix up the teams a bit, but at the end of the first day, both teams insisted that we not change them. Weāve rotated the adults through each of the spots so we can work with different groups of kids and see both ministry opportunities. All the teams that started together finished together today.
The task for the Limonar team today was to paint the inside of the churchā¦just in time for the big celebration tonight! After lunch, our crew was to host sports for youth in the community. The painting turned out well, lunch was amazing as usual, the youth sports was super hot (think surface of the sun)ā¦but lots of fun! Our kids showed their prowess on the soccer field and in a new tennis ball game that was a mix of wiffle ball and kickball. Lots of laughterā¦and pink faces!
We returned to Limonar for a time to rest, get ready for the service tonight, and many more games! Dinner was awesome as usualā¦rice and beans, chicken, salad, and a really awesome dessert that we never figured out the name of. One of my favorite parts of this trip has been the opportunity to share a meal next to or across from every person on this team. Itās a blessing to be able to share that kind of intentional fellowship! Iāve learned a lot!
After dinner we changed into our church clothes and waited for the Collacera crew to arrive. And they rolled up in force! Our bus for the week held our team and several of the people from Collacera and they also brought a second bus full of church people as well! We knew we were in for a treat!
The worship service quickly got underway to a packed house. The Limonar worship team led us in three Spanish worship songs. As a surprise to us, Emma S. helped lead one of the Spanish songsā¦super fun! Then they invited us up to lead a song. Emma B., Michelle, Kat, and Emma S. sang while Ben played bass, Joshua kept us together on the drums, Emma S. was on the keys, and I played acoustic guitar. We played Goodness of God in both English and Spanish and it was a blessing to hear all the voices raised in their native language.
The Pastor spoke out of John 17 as he talked about Holy Week and the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalfā¦which is the inspiration for weeks like we have shared together. Elizabeth and Josiah both shared a testimony of how the Lord had used our time in Cuba to help them grow in Christ. Emma B. presented a gift to the pastors of both churches from our group as an investment in their ongoing projects as well as the ministries of mercy and compassion they have in their communities. The pastors prayed over our group in a special time of blessing.
We closed out our time together with another 45 minutes of just praising the Lord through sng and dance. We all agreed that tonight was just a glimpse of what heaven will be likeā¦conga line and all. The Lord is gracious and kind to have given us this precious time with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Limonar and Collacera.
The goodbyes tonight were hard. Lots of pictures and also some tearsā¦tears of joy and sadness to say goodbye. Also, lots of touching cheeks and air kisses as is the customā¦our kids have been amazing at that! In Christ, we know that a goodbye is truly a āsee you laterā.
When we returned back to the guesthouse, we shared again specific stories of where we had seen God at work today and there were such a variety of responses! Josiah led us in a devotion from Proverbs 1 reminding us to tremble in awe and wonder at the presence and Word of God. He specifically pointed to Proverbs 1:7 and 1:23 and charged us āObeying God means that God will provide you with knowledge, wisdom, and insight.ā Josiah talked about the fact that Godās word has been such an encouragement to him as he has walked through hard things. God has been faithful and He wants us to have joy in following Him.
The last item from tonight is always a special one. Tonight is when we gave the team your letters from home. A trip like this is a milestoneā¦a stone of remembrance (ask the people of Israel about those)ā¦and it was a blessing to see the way your words impacted our team. It was an emotional and encouraging time. To God be the glory! Great things he has done!
Iāll leave you with some thoughts below from two of our junior girls as well as a reflection from one of our team leaders, Mr. Michael Humphrey. Mr. Humphrey graduated from NCCS in 2012, graduated from Auburn, and now works diligently in our technology office keeping us all organized and on top of the latest innovations. Heās also a very key piece of chapels and in the Spring Term process on many levels and we are so blessed he agreed to join our crazy crew! He and I first Spring Termed together in 2010, his sophomore year and the first year of NCCS Spring Term!
Live Sent!
Megan Strange
Thoughts on the Cuba Trip:
- Itās been so wonderful to create relationships with people, especially with people who canāt speak the same language.
- Our translators have been absolutely wonderful and so joy filled.
- Itās amazing to see the faith of these people who have very little, Iāve realized how much I take for granted in the US.
- Iāve built friendships I would never had without this trip. The food has been SO GOOD!!!!! Lowen Gwinn, 11th grade
Thoughts:
- Seeing people so passionate and faithful to the Lord truly inspired me
- Meeting with the children was very fun and even though we had to improvise, we made it workā>seeing their smiles made my day
- Every one here is so welcoming and kind that it makes me feel right at home
- The food is always such a blessing; everything Iāve hade on this trip has been delicious
- Being able to hear peopleās testimonies and how they kept their faith in the Lord was very powerful and also so inspiring for not just me but for others to hear
- Although the language barrier has been a problem; we have been able to overcome this obstacle – Xadie Collier, 11th grade
Back in August Mrs. Strange asked me to join her team to Cuba for Spring Term. I only knew about Cuba from Mrs. Clarkās History Class back in high school and the movies. I will be honest I was a little nervous. But after spending 5 days in Cuba, everyone we have come into contact with has their heart on fire for Jesus. Just sitting here writing this during their Sunday Worship Rehearsal shows this. It doesnāt really matter to the members of the Cuban church as long as they worship God. From Coliseo as basically a home church to the church in Limonar which has been around for 3 decades.
I was lucky enough to spend at least a day at each group and seeing the two communities interact with their local church from having Sunday Worship all the way to hosting a VBS, from hosting our very delicious meals to us hanging out as a team. It really shows that the church in Cuba isnāt all that different than the church back in the US. Just the signage.
Now each church of course has different projects. I feel like each group was a perfect fit from painting to sifting dirt. Each group bonded with each other asking Mrs. Strange to not mix up the group every day. It was quite hilarious. I wouldnāt trade anyone from this Spring Term trip.
As a staff member in technology, I see the names of high schoolers new and old run across my desk each summer for various items. It has been wonderful to put a face and personality to each name. Also some hidden talents apparently.
I am grateful that Mrs. Strange has given me this opportunity to serve with her. A little history is that I was just a student back during the 1st Spring Term trip in 2010 to Baltimore and on the Italy Trip during Spring Term 2012. I am grateful that I have gone full circle serving with her as a staff member during the final March edition of Spring Term. (Spring Term moves to January in 2025)
Michael Humphrey,
NCCS Class of 2012
NCCS Systems Administrator + Production Director
THURSDAY, MARCH 28 šØšŗ | Happy Thursday from Cuba! The crew was pumped to get some extra rest since breakfast wasnāt until 9:00. Our team appreciated the extra rest after an action packed day yesterday!
After breakfast, we loaded the bus to head to Varadero beach. We enjoyed a few hours on the beach before lunch. We ate lunch at a restaurant a short walk from the beach. Most of us ordered burgersā¦and some of our guys even conquered the Monster Burger! From there we did a bit of souvenir shoppingā¦we are terrible at bartering in case you wondered. The shop owners were thrilled to see the Americans! After a quick stop for coffee and ice cream, we headed back to the beach for another hour or so. The wind had really kicked up, so we enjoyed watching the kite surfers who were working hard to impress our students!
We all changed clothes at a place that had a public pool that was about to close. The man who worked there (government employee) must be an entrepreneur. He was willing to offer our team a ālow costā to use the shower and change clothes. I paid him $15USD for all 30 of us meaning he easily pocketed an average monthās salary for a Cuban when he was actually already on government time. He stayed about 15 minutes after heād have normally gotten off work. I think he was very amused by our crew!
Dinner looked like it was headed for a shady location when the bus pulled down an alley overgrown with vegetation. And thenā¦out of nowhere, the most incredible restaurant was hidden around the corner. The restaurant is called La Fiesta del Carbonā¦ The Cookout Partyā¦and it smelled INCREDIBLE!
Just as we had done at lunch, we all gathered around a few Spanish menus, asked a bunch of questions, and ordered. We had a feast! We tried plantain chips, tastadas, pizza, pasta, chicken fajitas, and paella. Everyone ate well! We were at the restaurant almost 3 hours, but it was certainly a memorable final Cuban dinner and we were so grateful for the opportunity. Eating both dinner and lunch in Varadero proved to be a very fun experience.
We returned to the guesthouse fairly late, but we still had our team time and spent this last night revealing our prayer partners. Each of us was given a name on a post of note a couple of weeks ago and asked to pray for that person. The team was asked to go above and beyond and notice things about their prayer partner that they would share as a word of encouragement on the last night of the trip. They did a remarkable job with this!
We went around the group and shared what we noticed about a person over the course of this trip and how we saw God use themā¦and then shared their name. Itās always one of my favorite parts of a mission trip. We all go to school together everyday and some folks in this group were already close, but God used this exercise in a special way and we hope our team remembers that moment as another milestone of Godās blessing on them.
I closed our time reading Philippians 1:3-11 over the group. Just as Paul charged the Philippians, we charged our team to remember what God has shown us in this week together and to use it as encouragement to continue to live lives that advance the gospel. We also thanked our amazing guides for the tripā¦they have served us so well and I know those will be hard goodbyes tomorrow. The kids have so enjoyed learning about their lives and ministry here in Cuba.
After a few instructions about packing and loading in the morning, everyone headed for their rooms for the night. This will be our last post as we will make o it way homeward tomorrow and canāt wait to see all of you and share what God has done.
We will have breakfast here, load the bus, and head for Havana. There is a park near the center of Havana that gives a clear view of the bay, the downtown area, and some cool sights. We will eat lunch near there and then head to the airport.
Thank you for your prayers this week! Thank you for praying us home as well. In particular, please pray that all goes smoothly with immigration in Miami as we have a fairly tight connection.
We will be landing at the DOMESTIC terminal in Atlanta and look forward to seeing all of you at the top of the escalators right around 10. Since we are not checking any bags and will already have cleared customs, we hope to exit quickly. Please remember that Easter and Spring Break traffic will have started and leave yourself plenty of time to get to the airport. We will need to see you in person to release your child. If your child is riding home with someone else, please send me an email and we will get them to the right place.
On behalf of Mr. Bitner, Mrs. Carr, and Mr. Humphrey, we want you to say thank you for sharing your kids with us this week. It has been an absolute joy to watch them grow in so many ways. Most of all, we appreciate your courage and intentionality in giving them an opportunity like this to serve the Lord and to grow in His grace and righteousness. All of us know that we will never be the same as a result of the way God moved this week.
We have chatted with the team about what is appropriate to post on social media in light of being sensitive to the protection of our ministry partners here in Cuba. We canāt post locations or direct pictures of the Cubansā¦but we have a TON of stories to share and everyone can show all of their pictures to other people in person. Weāve got some precious pictures on our phones, but more importantlyā¦in our minds of what God has done.
We served this week because of what happened on Easter Sunday. Because Jesus rose from the graveā¦defeating sin, hell, and death on our behalf, we have a story of rescue and hope to share with those around us. We have to remind ourselves daily of the gospel as we are charged to share the gospel with others. We hope your family is planning to be in church for Easter to celebrate our Risen Savior in fellowship with other believers.
To God be the glory! Live Sent!
Megan Strange