Cuba, Part 2

As mentioned in the previous post, we got clarity that Cuba is a closed door at this point.  We can’t get a long term visa still; there isn’t a team for us to join with down there; and they don’t need what we have to offer in the form of teaching English and possibly business.  They primarily wanted more pastoral training and curriculum to train more pastors, neither of which my wife or I have studied to do in the past.

I’m so glad we went down there though.  What I learned about the business climate is that business is really tough down there.  There weren’t many stores down there and the ones that were down there were closed most of the time.  The reason is because no one has any money.  Cubans are only given $20 a month salary to live off of.  To my American ears that sounds just crazy, right?  They manage somehow though.  A friend told us that many Cubans just steal; it’s a part of their culture since everyone only makes $20 a month.  Along with that there is no real incentive to work hard; you make $20 no matter how hard you work.  How are you supposed to support your family on $20 per month?  I can’t even imagine.

The Cubans we met with were a praying people.  It was so encouraging to meet with people in 2 different cities and see the main common thread was prayer.  I mean, they prayed all the time.  It reminded me of my own need for prayer and how often I neglect that.  I pray on a regular basis but I don’t hold a candle to Cubans and the amount they pray.  They have such a strong and evident connection to God; it was really uplifting to see that.

As far as personal space we were short on that.  I laughed with Steffani on the way home that we had spent a full week within about 3 feet of one another.  Thankfully we got along the whole trip which I believe stands as a testimony to the strength of our marriage.  For some reason we both tend to thrive overseas; it’s almost like we were built for it somehow.

Where does this leave us now that Cuba is a closed door?  We’re thinking possibly Spain now.  We Skyped with a couple who said they need help teaching English and that’s right up our alley so it sounds like an open door to us right now.  We’re planning on heading there in early March so hopefully that will work out for us.

It’s so hard to give up my dream of living and working in Cuba.  I had been dead set on it for a year now and to have to give that up is extremely difficult.  Apparently God has different plans for Steffani and me though, so we’re just going to follow Him and keep going down paths until it’s a closed door like Cuba was.  I told my friend it was like I had to let my dream of opening an entrepreneurship school die; it was like losing something I held very dear to my heart.  I’m moving on though; it certainly helps that I have Spain as a possibility to look forward to.  We’d appreciate your prayers as we move forward with Spain as an idea.