Spring 2012
“May the Lord reward you for your deed (work). May you receive a rich reward from the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you’ve come to seek refuge.” Ruth 2:12 Common English Bible (CEB)
It is fitting to begin this letter to you with those words from Ruth’s story in the Bible, not only because it is my prayer for you personally, but because this verse is also the theme for our trip back to Cuba this week. It’s such a joy to travel again to Cuba with my sister Celeste Peters, as we minister to the women of the Buenas Nuevas (Good News) Churches at their island-wide annual conference. Julie Adamo will minister with Celeste to several hundred Cuban ladies at the conference, and Steve Taylor will help me gather stories of how God is working in individual lives.
Please pray with me for the church in Cuba. 
Cuba is in the news again recently, have you noticed? The Pope is visiting the island and it is significant because this visit will bring fresh attention to the plight of all Cubans. My dad was in Cuba 14 years ago during Pope John Paul II’s visit and that event marked a big change for Cuban believers. What will this new attention on Cuba and its people bring? We don’t know the future, but we know that we can pray and that God will “…show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).
GRM continues to be a blessing to the church in Cuba, and it wouldn’t be possible without your involvement, your work with us—your prayer, financial support and… patience! Why do I say patience? Well, sometimes we make mistakes. In my last letter I included an Internet link to a video along with my email address—both of those were difficult or impossible to access. My apologies.
The GRM website is at long last being upgraded and it will soon be ready with current information, photos, and stories of lives that are directly blessed by your involvement with GRM. I’ll be writing again soon to let you know when it’s ready.
In the meantime, if you prefer to receive the GRM news via email, just send me a note from your email account; use either info@gospelrelief.org or john@gospelrelief.org. We did check both of those addresses this time. If you don’t use the Internet or email, not to worry, we are happy to stay in touch by U.S. Mail.
Thank you for praying, sending, and encouraging us, and the believers in Cuba and Mexico who we serve together.
May the Lord reward you!
John Northrup
It was a great trip where we experienced the love the pastors have for the people in their communities and the deep passion for Christ that exists in the church. I’m praying that the footage we gathered will help spread the message of how God is working through GRM in Cuba and Mexico.
Dios te Bendiga!
Steve