Plaza de la Revolución, Havana

Just last week in Cuba a pastor told me, “Juan, we are seeing a hunger for God and an openness to the Bible in every area of our society; even government officials are giving their lives to Christ!”

UNCERTAIN TIMES

So much has happened in Cuba in the last few weeks, it’s hard to keep track of it all. The revolutionary leader Fidel Castro died in November, followed by a state-imposed period of mourning where even the churches were not allowed to use their own sound systems. Then in January the outgoing U.S. president ended the 1966 policy that uniquely allowed Cubans a fast track to citizenship upon stepping foot on U.S. soil.

This was an unexpected jolt after more than a year of U.S.-Cuban announcements and actions that had raised the hopes and spirits of most Cubans. Still, many of them had already decided to try and make a new life in the U.S. Right now thousands of Cubans are stuck in immigration limbo on the U.S.-Mexico border and in other countries around the world; their future is uncertain at best.


With their past, present and future shifting under them like a massive earthquake, it’s understandable that Cuba as a nation is looking for something true and solid.


As the true saying goes, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”

High School students from Asheville Christian Academy working at the Buenas Nuevas church in Santana, Cuba (near Ciego de Avila)

God is good, he is faithful, and his timing is always perfect! We don’t typically take tour groups to visit Cuba and I had never taken a group of High School students. But this enthusiastic group from Asheville Christian Academy was just what our Cuban friends needed. They dove right in to work projects, enjoyed fun and games with kids from the Cuban churches, and learned a lot about Cuban-U.S. history. Words cannot express how good it felt to play a role in a simple act of friendship that meant the world to our family in Cuba, reminding them that they are not abandoned nor forgotten.

Because of your support of GRM, this is one effective way that Jesus is made tangible in the lives of Cuban believers and those who are seeking Him. Thank you for making this possible!

¡Dios te bendiga

God bless you!

John Northrup