March, 2008 Trip
A group of 10 people from our vocal and handbell choirs traveled to Cuba in to visit our sister Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Las Margaritas. We were privileged to lead the worship service at our sister church as well as their mother church in Havana. As always we took away much more than we brought. Read Jan Guthrie's and David Mellnik's reflections on their relationship with the people in Las Margaritas and how it has changed their lives and why it is important to our church to continue this relationship.
Use Google Earth for a bird's eye view of Las Margaritas and paste this location in the search text box: 22 56' 48.25" N, 82 29' 14.06" W.
David Mellnik's Reflections
Are you middle class? Are you impoverished? Are you wealthy? How do you see yourself? How do others see you?
In Las Margaritas we had several interesting conversations, and many of them seemed to me to relate to these questions—but first let me describe a little of what we saw:
- The entire church has the rough square footage of 2/3 of our Fellowship Hall. This includes the living quarters for the Pastor, Zenaida, and her husband.
- Each day there are 40-50 boys who show up to play baseball. Almost all are barefoot. They own one pair of shoes, and they aren’t for baseball.
- The average home in Las Margaritas I would estimate to be 500-700 square feet. This includes the living room, 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and the bathroom.
- Much of the transportation is either by horse and buggy, converted tractor which dates from the 1950’s, or occasionally a car. On the first day we were there the driver of the van which carried us back and forth from Havana to Las Margaritas had to borrow duct tape from us to repair the radiator.
Jan Guthrie's Reflections
There is no denying God's work in Las Margaritas. The experience was remarkable, incredible, amazing, spiritual. We arrived in Las Margaritas Thurs. afternoon, and my inital thought was, what poverty! How can these people live like this?! Over the next 3 days, I saw just how they manage. And they are not poor at all.
One person who deeply impacted my experience is an older man named Juan. He lives across the street from the church. He told me many stories from the past--all about the farming he did, harvesting sugar cane. He described the landscape of Cuba in great detail, and we talked at length about the weather, the seasons, the mountains and beaches. Juan knows the Bible like no one else I know. He has memorized all of the books of Psalms and Proverbs.
November, 2007 Trip
A group of 6 people traveled to Cuba in November to visit our sister Church, Ebenezer Baptist Church in Las Margaritas. Read Dan Owen's and Helen Gibbs' reflections on their relationship with the people in Las Margaritas and how it has changed their lives and why it is important to our church to continue this relationship.
Dan Owen's Reflections
When I was first approached in 2003 to help interpret for a group that was headed to Cuba all I could think about was how cool it would be to go some place my government said I couldn’t. Little did I know that first trip would be the beginning of a relationship that has changed who I am and who I will be. I can only hope that my brothers and sisters in Las Margaritas would say the same.
On the second trip to Cuba in 2006 we were allowed to stay in the homes of the church members and spent time visiting with families in other towns where the reach of the Ebenezer Baptist church is busy, to this day, spreading love through the messages our Lord has given. My ability to speak Spanish allows me to really get to know the people and hear their stories. Those stories are tales of miracles and proof that a solution will always be reached if we just hand our problems over to God.
Helen Lewis Gibbs' Reflections
As we sat around a table in Cary, NC discussing our plans for this tiny cement block church in Las Margaritas, Cuba I thought about my first trip to the village, and how it was a pivotal point in my walk with God. As I got out of our van and smelled the sewage flowing in the open sewer at my feet, I wondered how this island lifestyle could be so different than that of America, a mere 90 miles north. We met Zenaida, the pastor of the church and proceeded to take a tour of the village with her. The houses are mostly one story, square, cinderblock buildings. The homes are brightly painted but sparsely furnished. Children played next the sewer, most wearing only a diaper or shorts and tank tops. Most people stopped to stare, having not seen a group of Americans walking through their village before. The children stare, but then shyly smile as we take pictures. Their faces lit up as they saw themselves in digital photos. While they did not speak English and we did not speak Spanish, we were able to communicate through gestures, smiles and nods.