Cuba - Sunday and Monday

Sunday began with morning worship back in Perserverancia. We got there early and had some time to walk around and take in all the details of the space in the daylight. 

These two little guys decided to watch some cartoons (in Spanish) before church! 

Worship was very moving. I got to give my testimony in the service with Elsa translating and Daryl and I got to help with serving communion.

At the end of the service, Pastor Javier had our whole team from Florida come up and he prayed for us.

And then everyone went outside for a great group photo to bring back to Community! 

When all the goodbyes were done, the kids played and the grownups sorted through all the supplies we had brought in the suitcases. And then it was time for a wonderful lunch!

Then folks hung out and talked and some people decided to get in their siesta!!! 

In the afternoon, Pastor Javier walked the group around the town. 

The town's elementary school. 

The school's playground. 

This sugar cane mill has been abandoned since the Soviets pulled out, but in recent years work has been done on the buildings and the vehicles behind the gates. 

An abandoned theater

A small state-owned grocery store. 

We were back in Aguada for dinner and then for the evening worship service, where Daryl was preaching and giving his testimony. This was the group of folks participating in the service doing their pre-service prayer in the courtyard.

We brought these ministerial robes for Pastor Javier and Pastor Luis and they used them to serve communion. 

This was his fourth worship service in three days. He'd already sat through six hours of worship before the evening started. Davis didn't last long before he fell asleep. He sweat so hard during this service, he left a puddle on the pew when we woke him up! 

Monday morning we were up at eating breakfast by 5:30am in the Fellowship Hall and leaving on the bus by 6am to get to the airport in Havana. We arrived with no issues and had no problems with customs and immigration.

The boys got to do a little bit of souvenir shopping in the airport, and then we had a second breakfast/ early lunch before boarding the plane - Cuban sandwiches!!!! They were awesome - definitely rivaling our experiences back home in Ybor City. 

Heading home - a few last pictures of Havana from the plane!