If I could use three words to describe Cuba, it would be Chevrolets, ice cream and pizza. Chevrolets, because 90% of the cars in Cuba are old, vintage Chevy's driving up and down the colourful streets, giving it a 60's vibe with golden oldies playing on the radios of these vintage vehicles. Ice cream, because every 10 meters down the street there’s an ice cream parlour selling ice cream for 1 Peso, which is 50c in SA. Same sell scoops and others soft serve, nevertheless it’s cheap and a life saver on those hot, Cuban summer days. And pizza, because everywhere pizza ovens are to be found selling pizzas with ham, bacon and cheese for R6.
But there’s more to Cuba than it’s affordable calories. There’s people. The two main origins of the Cubans are the Spanish and African slaves. I found that the people are really open for truth and freedom in Christ, because of their suppressed circumstances caused by the communistic regime of the government. The Cuban dream is to get to American soil, because as soon as they set foot on American territory, they have the right to American citizenship. Cubans live on grants from the government which is calculated on the amount of family members living in the same house. Each house would get its portion of rice, sugar, coffee and bread. Education and medical assistance are free of charge for all citizens and almost every profession gets paid the same amount of money- weather a doctor or a street sweeper. That’s why they are so hungry for a saviour and someone who can carry their burdens.
I met wonderful Cuban people who formed a missions-based group, Gladios, based in Santiago, Cuba. Their mission is to reach out, support and help those in need while sharing the love of God. We merged with them for the 3 weeks we had in Cuba and served at different ministry points such as building a church, doing kids ministry, helping out in doing some office work, doing gardening and painting churches. We had a great time with Gladios and had moments that I won’t ever forget. For example, we went to climb one of the highest mountains in Cuba, called the Gran Piedra, which is 14km up with a steep road and the final kilometre climbing steps up to the top. Then we had to walk down again- 14 km! We walked about 34km in total that day!
Cuba is a country I would recommend to everyone. Despite the heat, it’s such a great place to be and to experience the atmosphere in the streets of a rich culture with instrumental music in your ears and salsa dancers on the sidewalks.
