Cuba
Population: 11 million
Member union: CBCOCC (Convencion Bautista de Cuba Occidental)
Projects in these areas of work:
Children at risk
Church development
Capacity building
Relief work
Cuba: Aurelias Journey from Doubt to Faith
In Cuba, we support house churches, Bible clubs and sports programs. In addition, women and men are trained to plant churches. All of these initiatives share the Good News and invite people to believe in Jesus Christ. In economically challenging times, neighbors receive practical support and emotional support. Aurelia (not her real name) also found a supportive community.
Her parents are blind, so they didn't see their daughter being baptized. But they heard the joy in her voice as she professed her faith and felt the splashing of water from the inflatable paddling pool as she emerged jubilantly. The church in Zaldo, a district of Havana, celebrated with them.
This joy over a new and hopeful life is hardly fitting for everyday life in Cuba, where the economy has collapsed. A package of eggs costs more than the monthly minimum wage, and over 700,000 people have left the country in the last year. Those who remain are mostly the poor and the elderly.
Practical help and the Good News for Cuba
The community in Zaldo offers a variety of assistance: health counseling, medication, breakfast for seniors and clothing for children. Women do the hair of senior citizens and offer manicures. Aurelia is one of these volunteers.
The young woman herself grew up atheistic, her family occasionally practiced the Yoruba religion. A schoolmate gave her a Bible, but after graduation she lost contact with him. She often felt fear and anger and had no sense of belonging anywhere. The fact that her parents were blind and she had to take care of many things as a sighted person was an additional burden.
Ten years later, she met her husband, most of whose family members were Christians. Aurelia began attending church services and eventually found the church in Zaldo. There she understood the gospel better and was baptized.
Aurelia felt her fears recede, her self-confidence grow and her friendships become stronger. Today she no longer feels like a stranger, but has found a home in the church and in her faith. Her parents now also attend the service.
