This spring break in Havana, Cuba, was a benchmark evangelistic experience for nearly 30 students and staff of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University and six pastors from Pioneer Memorial Church. Fernando Ortiz, DMin, director of the Master of Divinity program at the Seminary, has led these Care for Cuba evangelistic missions for over a decade, but this first trip after the pandemic proved to be the most fruitful of all.
Hosting the Care for Cuba team for the ten days and nights of the mission were the faculty, staff, and students of the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary near Havana. They welcomed the team with typical Cuban warmth and hospitality. In addition to those from Andrews, there were many on-the-ground pastors, Bible workers, and volunteers who really did the heavy lifting before the team even arrived. Factor in the fearless leader and gifted administrator, Fernando Ortiz, and the team was truly blessed with a Spirit-anointed collection of workers.
Oh yes, power outages and water stoppage are staples of Cuban life these days, but the people of that island (the largest in the Caribbean) resiliently live above such Western annoyances. And the Andrews team brought back a heart full of memories made with their new Cuban friends.
It felt like a non-stop, wall-to-wall, full-court press (to mix similes). They left for Cuba at 2 a.m. on Thursday, March 16, 2023, and arrived back home at 4 a.m. on Monday, March 27, exhausted but exhilarated (if you can combine those two realities) with heaven’s abundant blessings during those ten days of mission.
And the numbers? The team is praising God for the 311 baptisms during these evangelistic meetings, including that of a Pentecostal pastor and his family, as well as a former mafia member, on the final Sabbath. They also praise God for the 755 children that crowded into the children’s meetings around Havana each evening. These numbers established a new benchmark for Care for Cuba’s evangelistic mission. The Holy Spirit certainly responded to the army of prayer partners back at the home campus and congregation.
While it’s true that the best is yet to come, what has already come is proof enough of the veracity of Jesus’ promise to Paul regarding Corinth, another seaport city: “One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid … because I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9–10, NIV). Indeed, He does in Havana, too, which is reason enough for everyone to keep praying for the continuing work of Christ’s Spirit there.
The original version of this story was posted on the Andrews University website.