Cuba
Mission 2013
A team of four from the Anglican Network in Canada just returned from Cuba
where we
were thrilled to witness God's work in growing and multiplying
faithful Anglican congregations, the hunger for the Word, and the opportunities
for us in ANiC to play a vital part. What a
privilege! Bishop Trevor Walters and Hungry
for Life Team Leader, Edith Watt led a Vision Trip to Cuba from May 21st
to June 1st. They were joined
by Kristina Nilsson from St. John’s, Vancouver, Ines Gonzales from St.
Matthew’s, Abbotsford, and The Rev. Barclay Mayo from Mountain Valley Mission,
Squamish. The purpose of the trip was to begin the process of developing sister
parish relationships between ANiC congregations and the growing REC Cuban
churches.
This first trip concentrated on the
Eastern region between Ciego de Avila and Moa.
We were unable to obtain religious visas, but were still able to visit a
new church plant in Florida (pronounced Floreda), a congregation and their
surrounding house churches in Hoguin and Archdeacon William Suarez’s
congregation in Moa. We joined up with
Bishop Charles and Claudia Dorrington who had already been hard at it for three
weeks. The Rev. Walter Gonzalez from the
Hoguin parish and Ines Gonzales acted as our interpreters. Because were restricted from doing anything
religious all of the gatherings we attended were parties or meals, the first of
which was Bishop’s Charlie’s birthday
celebration at San Pablo, Hoguin. There
was an amazing display of talent and committed faith and we were treated to
song, drama, fervent prayer and refreshments.
Mountain Valley Mission has agreed to become the San Pablo parish’s
sister church.
Our next visit was with The Rev.
Alexei Gonzales Rodrigues at San Paublo de Florida. This family welcomed us to their very clean,
but crowded and basic home. Their needs
are great, but the primary one is for clean water. The wells are polluted by surrounding
outhouses and livestock and both the children and their father have health
issues as a result. This is a common
issue in Cuba and one that would do with some attention as we develop these
relationships.
We
spent a couple of days in Moa visiting with Archdeacon William’s congregation
at San Marco. His wife Rena and a team
of the church’s women hosted and prepared all our lunch and supper meals. We were well looked after! This is an industrial city that very few
visitors get to see; a nickle mine and smelter town with all of the pollution
and health issues that usually brings. However,
here is where the most exciting event of our trip occurred.
One element of Reformed Episcopal Church’s five
year plan is to help each of the larger central churches become self-sufficient
through the purchase of a farm that can be run to provide both food and income
for the parish and its families. The
first of these projects was instituted while we were visiting in Moa. A farm was purchased and enough funding had
been donated to complete the first season’s development as well as equipment,
fencing, and livestock purchase.
The
whole process was an amazing and miraculous story, much too long to tell
here. Let it suffice to say that the
Holy Spirit showed up and opened doors to see God’s purposes come to
fruition!
Much of the population struggles to make do with
whatever they can muster. The average monthly family income is $21, less than a
dollar a day! They grow what they can,
reuse everything, make parts they can't buy and are very, very resourceful. There is, however a great need and just a
little effort on the part of Canadian ANiC churches could make a huge difference.
Bishop Trevor has asked me (Barclay) to coordinate
recruiting ANiC pastors and congregations who might be interested in partnering
with the REC to help developing Cuban congregations to become more self-sufficient
and to plant additional churches. He has also asked Hungry for Life to help
ANiC and REC administer those partnerships.
It is our hope to bring representatives from three more parishes to Cuba
in January of 2014. If this is something
that would interest you and your congregations please contact me at barclay@mountainvalleymission.ca
or by phone at (604) 815-8309.
Barclay+
