She stood about 4’ 10”, just a tiny little thing with beautiful, should-length silver hair and a smile that lit up her small bungalow, nestled on a quiet street on the outskirts of Havana. Ninety years-old, Maria had been married 61 years to her well-known artist husband, a crotchety old Cuban painter who felt the world was against him. Contentment blanketed her aged but pretty face and you could sense that suffering throughout life had produced something extraordinary. She might have been small in stature but she was strong in spirit.
Our little Cuba tour had visited their home, where we were told ahead of time Maria’s husband would share his story of enduring the revolution, persevering in severe economic times, and struggling to make it as an artist. And he did, lamenting how unfair life had been, at least from his perspective.
At a small reception after his talk, I kept hearing “Alleluia, Alleluia” coming from behind a thin curtain that separated the kitchen from the bedroom. I peered in and there was Maria speaking in broken English, declaring her love for God. Raised a Catholic, she had experienced a radical conversion to Christ and now attended a Pentecostal Church just down the street. We talked. We shared Christ. We blessed each other. Joy poured out of her as she lifted her heart up toward heaven.
“Do you have a happy marriage,” I asked before I left, wondering as her husband had been so negative. “Oh, it’s difficult,” she said. “He’s very moody.” “What do you do?” I asked. “I pay no attention,” she replied.
Maria was one of the highlights of the trip to Cuba that Nikki and I just took. My impression of Cuba. A really beautiful island but sparsely populated. Loved the people and loved the culture, brimming over with great music, fantastic dancing and some of the best art I have ever seen. But a totalitarian regime dominates this Communist country with 90 percent of the people working for the government. A surgeon makes the same money a laborer makes – less than a hundred dollars a month. Despite this, I would go back in a second.
Prayer Focus This Week
- The men’s retreat this weekend in Idyllwild. That our men might connect with one another and meet God in a special and meaningful way.
- 6thgrade overnighter this Friday. That these kids would find friendship and discover more of God
- Pray for two new women’s Bible Studies just starting up – Wednesday, 11:30-1:00 pm Alison Hecht facilitates the Gospel of John while Chris Lins oversees a Beth Moore study, Friday morning (9 am), entitled “When Godly People Do Ungodly Things.”
- Pastor Toby needs a 1st-3rdgrade teacher for the second service on Sundays
- Marriages that at one time seemed hopeless, but now there is a glimmer of new hope to resurrect them
- A number of those in our church experiencing sleep difficulties
- The family of Monica Prado whose dad is right at the door of passing
- That 1stand 2nd Thessalonians might be very significant books for our church
Country of the Week to Pray Over:
The Republic of Congo is one of the world’s poorest countries with most of its residents living on less than $1 a day. Please pray for spiritual and economic renewal.
Welcome: To a number of new folks who are receiving this devotional/prayer letter for the first time. Every fall I put out a call for new signups in the church. And if there is anyone who is now not interested in receiving it anymore let me know.
Scripture This Week: Ephesians 6:10-18, an exhortation to guard our spiritual lives
From Elisabeth Elliot: “God has promised to supply all our needs. What we don’t have now, we don’t need now.”
May the grace of God be present throughout your week.
Pastor Jay