Story from Two sides
At the beginning of July, I received a phone call from Martin who said that he was just getting over six weeks in the hospital and had almost died from Covid. He was returning to work as a nurse and wanted to take his wife and two daughters to Cuba for a week of holidays together. They wanted to take some supplies to help a church in Cuba and had found our mission after an internet search. I arranged for them to meet with Pastor Jorge in Holguin. Here is the story from both sides.
From London, Ontario, Canada, Martin Petrov writes:
We are a family of four who live in London, Ontario, Canada. We moved from Mississauga a year and a half ago, two months before the lockdown. This year, we decided to go on our first vacation to Cuba since the restrictions came into place. As we were planning our trip, I felt in my heart that it would be great if we could take some provisions to Cuban churches. We knew that they were always in need of a variety of things for their basic needs, so we wanted to help with whatever we could.
On June 22nd I searched online to see if there were any missionaries located here in London who would be interested in sending supplies to Cuba; so I typed “London Ontario missionaries Cuba” in the search field on Google, and this is how I found Douglas Springer and the Christian Missions Resource Centre.
I told him that we were going to Cuba in a week, and that we could bring one extra suitcase with us. He was going out of town, so we decided to touch base when he returned. In the meantime, we assembled some supplies as well. We met the day before our departure, and Douglas gave me the suitcase with supplies and provisions. Only God can bring complete strangers to help people in need. It felt as if God was answering someone’s prayer because of how unplanned and easy everything was. We had read in the news that there were a lot of problems with people’s luggage being misplaced or lost, but we arrived in Cuba without any issues whatsoever.
We met with Pastor Jorge on Saturday at 11 am at our resort in Cuba. My wife and I waited for him in the lobby of the hotel. He recognized us and we gave him the suitcase. He was with another pastor and they used a motorcycle to get back home. I was worried about them because they had to ride for about 40 minutes with this luggage. I prayed with them that Jesus Christ would protect them and take them home safely. They didn’t seem to be worried. I asked them to send me a picture once they got home safe and sound. They sent me this picture and I was relieved. They were very happy and appreciative of our help; they told me that we were a blessing for them. It helped me to remember that we are here to serve and that God can use anyone to do His will.
Martin Petrov
Ontario
From the eastern province of Holguín, Cuba, Pastor Jorge Luis Avalo Ferras writes:
Please receive our special greeting. As a family, we want to thank God because you have made it possible for us to receive what you sent.
I am praising the Lord because I have had the privilege of meeting brother Martin from Canada and his beautiful family. I had to travel on my motorcycle 45 minutes to the resort where they were staying. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were rejoicing in joy and Christian harmony the moment we met each other.
A funny moment was when Martin told me he brought 25 kilos in his suitcase and asked “how will you take it?” I told him “here, on my motorcycle!” He said “that’s not possible, it’s crazy!” Martin said “I will be waiting to hear from you when you arrive safely home.” As soon as we arrived home, I called and told him.
Thank you for all the resources that you sent. We were able to help many families who received these resources. We had the privilege to serve in the Pediatric Hospital in the city of Holguin and detect cases of Covid-19 with the Covid Tests you sent. We discovered several young children infected with Covid-19. The director was grateful because they did not have any test like the tests you sent. We thank you for your efforts to bring these and share them with us.
The church is grateful for such a great gesture of being able to enjoy so many blessings. Thank you brother Martin and family for bringing the resources to Cuba and being a great blessing. God has blessed our whole community, and without your help, it would not have been possible.
Pastor Jorge Luis Ávalos Ferras.
Holguin, Cuba
Prayer Points
- Pray for the pastors and their families in Cuba. At this time the government shuts off the electricity for 12 hours each day in most of the country. There are no fans to keep mosquitos and other bugs away and to keep cooler for sleeping. Food continues to be scarce and Covid is still a problem. Pray for donations so we can continue to help these pastors and their families.
- Pray for our associate Karen in Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon as she mentors the young ladies in our Education Program.
- Pray for our planning for the team going to Peru in January 2023. We still need a few more people to go. For more details, please email Doug Springer at info@cmrc.ca
- Pray for our work with the indigenous community in Bogota Colombia. Plans are in the works for a new and exciting project. Pray for wisdom in our planning.
- Pray for financial support for CMRC as we continue to help those in need.
