Cuba (MNN) — A team working with
Vision Beyond Borders will be traveling to Cuba next month.
In a typical month in Cuba, a
ration book will provide one person with 5 pounds of rice, 5 pounds of sugar, 1
pound of black beans, 1 pound of cooking oil, 1 half of a chicken leg, 5 eggs, 1
bar of soap for bathing, 1 pack of matches, 1 dinner roll per day, and 1 roll of toilet paper.
These meager supplies mean a black-market
is thriving in Cuba. An average couple
in a city makes about $20 per month, which makes "extras" for ministry hard to
come by.
"Extras" include simple things
like underwear. Many of the pastors' wives have had to use the supplies
brought for men because there was nothing else, and purchasing anything specifically for women was out of
the question.
As a result, the VBB team is
collecting used laptop computers, basic medical supplies, Communion cups,
simple musical instruments as well as new undergarments in all sizes for both
men and women.
As far as resources go, there's good news. In a huge answer to prayer, a Christian
School and their Spanish program recently donated Spanish Bibles for Cuba. The team will carry them to Cuba in October.
VBB's history is a long one in
Cuba. The ministry supports 150 Cuban
pastors through a sponsorship program, which gives them the freedom to share
the Gospel.
$25 a month supports a Cuban pastor
for an entire month. Meeting those needs
means the offering collected in his church can be used for other things such as
purchasing ministry tools and helping the poor. Monthly
financial support of a pastor frees him to have more time to focus on ministry, and
increases his effectiveness in spreading God's Word as his need for secular
employment is reduced.
Pray for continued open doors for
the team as they visit, and for encouragement for the pastors they connect
with. Click here if you want to help.
