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Listen. Learn. Love.

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by Amanda Kwak Amanda served as the EM Summer Staff member helping lead mission trips in Cuba this past summer. This is one of her mid-summer reflections.

On Mondays, we visit the homes of pastors of casa culto ("house church") in the Cuban town where most of the ministry is based. We hear the testimonies of pastors about how each person got to the place where God placed them. We hear testimonies that resonate of God’s provision when His people clamor for his help. We learn that it is not easy for these servants of God to stand against the enemy who attacks in various ways, one of his ways being through witchcraft/ Santeria, a Cuban religion that stems from an African religion brought by slaves to the island which later got mixed with Catholicism.

Today, as we were praying over the ministry of this one particular pastor who had recently celebrated the one year anniversary of his new casa culto building, a member of the missions trip team brought us to realization that the enemy despises when servants of God further the kingdom of God, and therefore he attacks the pastor and his wife who are the first line of defense. When the shepherd is struck down, it’s easy for the devil to scatter his sheep.

So even though Mondays might seem like just a "visitation day" for mission trip teams, I am starting to see that it’s as equally important as other ministry days they get to be a part of, if not the most important. Empowering the local churches and their leaders is far more important and long-lasting than material goods that give temporary satisfaction. Being present at the homes of the pastors and hearing their stories, interacting with the leaders of the churches and sincerely caring for their ministry, encouraging them to fight the battle and to find peace and comfort in God’s care, and most importantly equipping these leaders with prayers are all amazing ways to bless and be real with these shepherds.

Today, I saw an immense joy and radiating smiles from the pastors’ faces as the team left the church building. Today, I saw loving relationships being formed between the visiting team and the local pastors because of the over-arching care and love, and, most importantly, the unity of our God present among us.

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Casa Culto
The government's limitation on building new church buildings has not stopped our Cuban brothers and sisters from worshipping the evermore powerful God from their pastor's backyard
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God's Blue Roses
This group of amazing women are standing up against cultural norms in Cuba. They have taken on the amazingly difficult task of taking care of their high-needs children, many of them without help from anyone.
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