Cuba Trip, Tuesday, March 5

Holguin Airport

Prayer partner: Sam Medvene

Inside the airport

This morning, as I was packing up my belongings, I found this note on my iPad:

Gracias amiga por tu visita, espero vuelvas para poder hacer mas cosas interesantes juntas, saludos a tu esposo y familia, Alberto y Maria

Roughly translated it says: "Thank you, friend, for your visit. I hope you return soon so we can do many more interesting things. Greetings to your husband and family."

Alberto and Maria, and indeed the entire church community, have quite possibly been the best hosts I have had on a Living Waters trip. Yes, I may say that about many! Their hearts, the kindness and care they have for the surrounding community, and the passion with which they serve is awe-inspiring and brings many tears to my eyes. As we handed over money and other items to Alberto last night, we were all overwhelmed with gratitude and truly understood what this project meant to each of us. How lucky we are to have connected this amazing relationship by the grace of God.

Arnie & Bunny always have fun, no matter where they are!

Maria, Alberto, Carlos, Kary and I held hands for one last prayer before Alberto took us to the airport. He was so precious to us, stood in line while we received our tickets, and walked us as far as he could before we finally said goodbye at customs. What amazing hosts they have been.

It has been so long since I have felt this relaxed and stress-free. I know there will be a million emails and phone calls awaiting me, but I will enjoy this time of being happy and carefree. God has certainly blessed my life with this trip and a new family in Cuba. How lucky am I to be living this life?

Cuba Trip, Monday, March 4

Prayer Partner: Carla Barnard

A Covenant Relationship is Born!

Have I mentioned how cold it is? While "cold" may not be the most appropriate word, it is certainly cooler than the advertised 90+ degrees on weather.com! I have been very thankful for pants and my one pullover sweater I happened to wear the day I traveled from Vegas! Last night I had two blankets on my bed and still woke up in a curled ball!

This morning Hector and Tania, our wonderful translators, returned. We split into teams, knowing we only had them for one hour. Tania, Maria & I met to finalize the covenant and answer any logistical questions, while Hector, Alberto & Kary met to discuss technical designs. Pastor Candio, from Banez (who was in the van with us on day one), also stopped by during our chat to say hello!

After lunch, we went out on the town with Alberto & Maria to price supplies and see if we could find 300 gallon tanks and any kind of PVC piping. Interestingly, we found fittings for 1" PVC, but no 1" PVC. Have I mentioned how bad my Spanish is and how much I missed Tania & Hector as we walked around town? :)

With Tania, Maria, Alberto, & Hector

Alberto & Maria invited us to their home for a while to enjoy Cuban coffee and ice cream... (They really are my new best friends!!) And now it is time to wind down and enjoy the last evening with our hosts before packing up to return to the USA. I wonder how many emails, texts, and phone messages I have awaiting me?! Do I even want to know? While we've been certainly cut off from the world, after the first couple of days of withdrawal, it has been wonderfully relaxing and nice. We have truly lived in the moment, enjoyed every minute of the time with our hosts and become immersed in the culture. There has been time for relationship building and we will leave knowing we have made a lasting connection.

And so, I bid you farewell this evening, as Cuba will play China tonight in the World Baseball Classic, and of course, baseball is second only to God in this province!

Cuba Trip, Sunday, March 3

A bonus view from Gibara yesterday

Prayer partner: Dana Jo Abraham Monk

Amazing gifts displayed by the young adults

Sundays have always been my favorite day! Whether it is attending church with my family, presiding over a service in Haiti, or simply listening to the Word in another language, Sundays are a day to basque in the glory of the Son and relax in the fellowship of companions. Today was no different. Alberto sat with us during breakfast and explained the Cuban rationing coupons. There were coupons for food, toiletries, other goods, and medical supplies. Each category is divided up into months, and based on the number of people in your family, you are allowed so many items of each. I was in awe.

Church worship began soon after breakfast. I was so excited to attend a Quaker meeting for worship, as it has been quite some time since I did so. The Meeting had many young adults, all of whom led the singing with passion and joy. An 18-year old girl, who has been through theater training, created and performed a 30-minute puppet show geared for the children, but equally enjoyed by the adults. Following the show, many of the older members applauded the gifts of the young woman by commending her with words of affirmation. Maria gave a long sermon on the Transfiguration of Christ, and we dismissed by passing the peace of Christ. The Yearly Meeting clerk, Odaleis, was present and so happy to greet us. Everyone was excited to hear a clean water system would soon be coming to Holguin Friends Meeting!

From the top of
Loma De La Cruce

The afternoon was rather lazy! Kary & I walked the around town, and of course I found ice cream. We found the bottom of the stairs to the "Loma De La Cruce" and still didn't walk up all 458 stairs! :) After watching Real Madrid beat Barcelona and round two of the World Baseball Classic (who knew baseball was so big in Cuba!), Maria and Alberto picked me up for another Quaker worship service. Maria preached once again, and it was a beautiful time of communion in the midst of Christ and fellow servants. A small group, but a lovely group.

Early to bed tonight! It's quiet now and tomorrow will be the final day to wrap up, and with a translator finally answer all of the questions accumulated from the week...when we didn't have a sufficient translator! (Have I mentioned how bad my Spanish is??) Good night, friends. Peace of Christ be with you all!

Cuba Trip, Saturday, March 2

La Loma de la Cruce

Prayer partner: Mary Kate Barnett

Kary & hardness testing

Hector & hardness testing

I may have slept eleven hours last night! After not sleeping at all first few nights, my body crashed! We had a lovely breakfast of pineapple & bananas, and soon after, little Hector and his friend came by to help us with the water testing. Two mischievous little boys made for a great morning of dropping chemicals into the hardness test and flinging a whirl pak! Pastor Maria and translator Tania (Hector's wife) came to discuss the final preparations for the upcoming clean water system installation. And just when we thought we were to leave for Gibara, Maria surprised us with fresh ice cream!

Today was a day to soak up as much information and as many of the sights as I possibly could. I felt like a sponge! Ramon Gonzalez arrived. He was once the Superintendent of Cuba Yearly Meeting. Now he works full-time for Friends World Committee(FWCC) and the Cuban Quaker Institute of Peace. He took us to Gibara, which is about 45 minutes from Hogluin. The drive was on a road adjacent to the ocean and would have even more beautiful had it not been cloudy and rainy. We arrived at the Quaker Conference Center. There are beds for 120 (60 on each floor, plus bathrooms). They have a dining room and full kitchen, and they host groups from all over Cuba for various events and camps. It was beautiful with a great view.

With Ramon & his wife

After we sat with Ramon & his wife for a while, we tested the water at their house, as the idea would be to install a clean water system at the Center following the installation in Holguin. God is working wonders to create meaningful, life-giving partnerships between our Living Waters teams and the Cuban Quakers. During our conversation, Ramon & I also talked about me coming back to Cuba to teach Quaker Studies classes at the Institute of Peace!

Seafood restaurant 

Ramon took us to a beautiful restaurant for plates full of fish! As I have discovered, Cubans will feed you until you burst! They have also caught on quickly to my ice cream and chocolate addiction...and are serving one or both with each meal! After a tour around Gibara, and another stop for ice cream, we drove a wee bit past Hogluin, past the Don Quixote monument, to the top of the mountain. "Loma de la Cruce" shoulders up to the north side of the city and provides a great panoramic view of the Holguin province. One can attempt to climb the 458-step staircase, or ascend by car. We chose the latter, as it was freezing cold and raining! The cross was erected by the Catholics on May 3, 1790 ... And every year they process thru town and up the stairs to commemorate the anniversary.

Don Quixote Monument

Today has been a good, productive day full of hospitality from our Cuban Friends. Though my Spanish may be worsening, it is providing for laughter and amusement amongst the group. My random observation for the day -- There appear to be three modes of transportation in Cuba (other than buses and planes). First, families/individuals may own a car. If they do, it is 1950's American made or an old-school Russian 4-seaters. Also of note, the license plate color denotes the typer of person who owns the car (private, religious, government, etc), and the first letter indicates which province of Cuba the owner is from. Second, individuals may have a horse and buggy. It could be a two-seater or have a cart attached to the back. Finally, everyone else owns a bicycle! Like motorcycles in Haiti, bicycles fill the roads and cars must be careful not to run into a bicyclist!

And thus you have deep thoughts from Ashley. With a belly full of chocolate ice cream, I bid you a good night! Peace be with you, friends!

Cuba Trip, Friday, March 1

Holguin Friends Meeting House

Prayer partner: Becky Memmelaar

The first meeting with Alberto, Hector, Maria, & Tania

Did I mention we had warm showers yesterday? Yea, not so much today! I was feeling rather spoiled, and now it's back to reality! Carlos served us a nice breakfast of eggs and pineapple and wonderful coffee. Today was the day to begin the great talks. This is what brought us to Cuba in the first place! We are in Holguin, and staying on site at the Quaker meeting house. Pastor Maria Yi, and her husband Alberto, are wonderful hosts. They, along with a man named Hector and his wife sat with me & Kary to begin making plans and complete the survey. (Hector is a great translator, and I was so thankful for him!!)

Kary did a phenomenal job of explaining the purpose of Living Waters For The World, where we came from, how we were trained, and how the process works. He discussed each step of the plan, complete with an overview of the system components & how the system works. We went through the covenant, discussed the health and hygiene class, and the time frame of the installation. Because this process is based on relationships and forming bonds across the countries and cultures, we spent much time showing pictures of families and churches, and sharing stories of adventures. What a blessed time of truly living the concept of "loving your neighbors."

Catholic Church in the Holguin town square

Today we also found the value of iphones and ipads. We used the iphones for metric conversions, and for all of those who have teased me for taking so many pictures during installations, the pictures were vital today to explain the system, the tanks, the pumps, and more! Being able to see various projects instead of trying to describe through a translator was fantastic.

Four hours later, we finished our discussion. Later in the afternoon, Alberto took us on the roof to take measurements and get an idea of where the system will be located and how it should be designed. The only problem was that Hector was long gone, and I was the sole translator. Oh yes, that went well! Pastor Maria rescued us and showed us many promotional videos the church had created. They are advertising their church's mission projects on television! For a small congregation, they are out in the community constantly and serving with passion.

So many beautiful buildings around town.

Tonight we watched a bit of baseball, Cuba's national pastime! Other than scoping out the hardware stores and visiting two other sites, we have completed our purpose...with a few days to spare. Tomorrow we will visit another community, and Sunday will be a day of worship near and far. One thing that struck me tonight... Though we may speak different languages, though we may live in culturally diverse worlds, we are all united by God in serving and loving our neighbors. It's an awesome realization to know we are truly the family of God, which knows no borders or limits. Good night, friends.

Cuba Trip, Thursday, February 28

The Labyrinth at the Seminary in Matanzas

(Written throughout the day)

Prayer Partner: Sean Devolites

My pal, Pedro

Last night at dinner we sat with a newly engaged couple. The gal as from Jamaica, the fellow a Quaker from Holguin! How fortuitous it was to be near them and how thankful I especially yet another Quaker! They gave us the insiders view of Holguin and the details of the Quaker areas. They told us who we would be meeting, and a working knowledge of who Quakers are in Cuba. It was delightful to say the least!

This morning we were joined by a couple from Santa Fe, NM who were here to teach a pastoral counseling class. Carlos, a student from panama, and another gal from Holguin also sat with us. I am amazed by the proficient levels of English everyone speaks! Thank goodness!

We are much at a loss for what this morning will bring. It's dark and cloudy, and no one has met with us yet. Thankfully, a lady just came by to tell us the administrator for the school would be by at 10:45, and I read on the schedule there is a chapel service at 9:45. (Can you tell my American type A, polychromatic time schedule hasn't relaxed yet?)

Travel Buddy, Kary, as we
awaited a new van to Havana

(Lunchtime....)
Since there is no Internet and not many folks to chat with, the blog will get a detailed report of this trip! The chapel service was extraordinary. The couple we sat with at dinner last night led the service, and she was the most dynamic preacher I may have ever heard. Following we met with the rector, Reinerio Valentin, the LWW in-country coordinator, Moraima, and the administrator, Ricardo Farfan, who is a technical wizard. They were so informative, so educated, and so enthusiastic. I am in awe and a wee jealous of my American counterparts, Jerry and Verniece! In fact, I begged Moraima to come to Haiti! We feel so good now about our trip to Holguin later today.

(Night)

Bienvenidos a Holguin

We finally had a similarity to a Haiti trip! On our way to the airport, our van broke down on the side of the road! It was June 2012 all over again! We were picked up by our driver from yesterday, and delivered safely to the airport, where we happened upon a cooler of ice cream! Yes, the day was good. Instead of the four seater prop plane I assumed we'd be taking, we were on a regular airline charter. Upon arrival in Holguin, and weeding through the crowd to find our bags, Alberto, the pastor's husband collected us. His accent is less difficult to understand, and it's allowing for great conversation! Little by little my spanish improves. Tonight we pray for a good day with our hosts tomorrow, as we are meeting at 9 to discuss the potential water systems! Praise be to God for an irreplaceable day!

Cuba Trip, Wednesday, February 27

When the sun goes down...

Prayer Partner: Barbara Shaffer

Bye, Bye, Miami!

This morning I woke up so excited I could barely contain myself! Though I travel nearly constantly, Cuba is a new place filled with mystery and excitement! While I have heard stories about how great it is from past participants, I couldn't wait to experience it firsthand!

Our flight was scheduled to leave Miami at 11:00am, but they had told us to be there by 7:30. Since it was my first trip to Cuba, I abided by the rules. Sure enough, we used every bit of the prep time. From documents checks, to waiting in line to check bags, to security checkpoints, we were at our gate with only time to grab a quick cup of coffee and enjoy the last USA toilet! The flight was uneventful, and no sooner had I shut my eyes than I heard the announcement we would be landing in Havana. I had prepared myself for Haiti-like experiences - chaos, multitudes of people, and poverty. Upon arrival, we were nicely greeted by a lady from the airline, who took us to retrieve our visas and escorted us through customs. (Note to self....don't lose the green card in my passport!)

Taxi!!!

After customs, we went through a security checkpoint to xray our bags and each got a nice pat down. Then we handed in more forms to agents before entering baggage claim. Kary's bag was one of the last to come off, and then the nice lady from the airline escorted us through the final checkpoint to hand in the last forms, and kindly stood outside with us until we found our hosts. The crowd outside was jovial and celebratory, not the "scary" scene one may find outside the Port Au Prince airport. We remembered to change money to Cuban Pesos before leaving, and then set off for Matanzas.

My first impression of the outside areas of Havana was very positive. There was light traffic and the streets were cleaned and pretty well paved. (You must understand by now that I compare everything to Haiti!) The cars we did pass were straight out of Detroit, 1950s style! (See picture..) I thought at times I had entered onto the scene of Happy Days!

The Seminary at Matanzas

Midway, we picked up a man to bring to Matanzas. Wouldn't you know, he was a Quaker Pastor! We had a lot to talk about! The drive was a couple of hours on a good road, and the scenery along the coastline was gorgeous. Vegetation filled the roadsides, and we hit the 100 km/h many times!

As it is with many trips, the folks we were to meet with at the seminary in Matanzas were not here. We did have one man stop by who said he was supposed to meet with us today, but instead had to attend a funeral. He'll be back in the morning. So this comes to you live from Cuba, under the shade of many trees, with a magnificent breeze. Music is playing in the background, and it reminds me of a lazy Sunday afternoon. Where's the rocking chair? Can someone bring me a lemonade?

Peace, friends!