While in Cuba last month, Adventures Staff Colby Gardner saw God’s power in every single detail – big and small.
This adventure in Cuba started in customs. I got interrogated again but I told the truth and yet again we passed without trouble.
On the other side, one of our men passed through with a bag of nine Books. After half an hour of searching and questioning, he was released. His daughter was stopped, also with more Books. The lady checking her bags noticed what kind of Books she had, quickly looked over each shoulder, then told her, “God bless you. Go quickly.”
We visited Old Havana, ate dinner, then took our long trek on the pot-hole tainted road to our destination, Santa Clara. After our gathering the next day, I met a lady who just had a stroke and asked to pray for her. Upon “Amen”, I noticed a large group had gathered to ask for prayer. Gabe and I began asking them questions and praying as the Spirit led.
All of a sudden I noticed a woman, Lucilla, with wide eyes calling out her friends by name and hitting the jackpot on the “How many fingers am I holding up?” game.
Evidently she had cataracts a few minutes prior, but the Lord delivered her and she could see!
In my unbelieving heart, I kept playing games with her to test her vision, but she eventually got tired of it and said, “You keep saying do this or do that; I can see!”
After lunch, we returned to our hostels for a nap. Gabe and I were browsing the 4 Cuban channels available when our translators knocked on the door. They were translating a Kari Jobe song and wanted to make sure they were correct. This quickly turned into a worship session and some very good Spirit-led conversation where Gabe and I got to minister to one of them for a while. It was way beyond us, the topic, but the Lord delivered. That evening at the church service, the translator had made an important decision and freedom birthed in his eyes.
These are the times I live for.
As the week ensued and many more of these conversations came up with our participants and the Cubans, it began to hit me – if we operate in the Spirit, life is birthed and fruitful relationships are built, and we must learn to be real and trust one another to do so.
The spiritual gifts you read of in Ephesians 4 are meant to build up the Bride. Without them, we are dwindling away, tossed by the wind, and slowly decreasing in spiritual fortitude, when the Lord wants His Bride healthy, whole, diverse, and full of vibrant life.
On the last night of the trip, Gabe and I only got one and a half hours of sleep because we got to sit with, listen to, share our lives, and encourage a couple with us. It’s always such a joy to share in the crappy times together too. This is a picture of the Kingdom being forged.
Even the owner of our hostel knew we were “pastors” (that is both of our most dominant gift), and no one told her.
On our way to the airport on April 1st in 50 degree weather, we broke down for two hours. But we learned a valuable lesson or two, and the Lord still got us on that plane.
Do you feel called to share the Gospel in Cuba? Click here to find out how you can go this summer!
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