January Trip... Coming Up!

Happy Holidays! I hope you are all enjoying this Christmas season. As the year comes to a close, our extended trip is coming up! We will be leaving for Cuba on January 20th and will be staying for approximately three months. We are ready to go, but are extremely busy with preparations! We are thrilled to announce that the ALJC is helping us raise funds for our own house in Cuba, and for the use of our own van! Praise God! If you are interested in contributing to this cause, please let us know right away.

Bro. Barizonte and Bro. Barbaro are currently traveling with Bro. Roca to various churches, spreading the word about Revival in Cuba! They will be here with us next Tuesday, and will be speaking at Faith Apostolic Church next Wednesday night, December 19th. We are excited about their visit with us.

We are so thankful to the churches who have recently had us come and share our vision and burden for Cuba:

1. South Gibson Apostolic Chapel - Pastor J.D. Mullins
2. Medora Pentecostal Church - Pastor Tim Gill
3. Victory Life Center - Pastor Randy Adams

We enjoyed being with you in your service and are grateful for your kindness and hospitality.

Many of you have asked that we relay our upcoming expenses. We are working with the ALJC Foreign Mission's department to raise part of this money, but WE NEED YOUR HELP! We have to raise a lot of money in a short time, but we know that God will provide! We are especially seeking monthly sponsorship. If you would like to partner with us on a monthly basis, please contact us to let us know, with an amount in mind. This will help us know how far we have to go in reaching our monthly budget. Even the smallest monthly support makes a big difference. Our prayer is that God bless our partners greatly for their support and sacrificial giving.

Upcoming trip costs:

1. House - $15,000

2. Car - 5,000

3. Flights - 1,650

4. Food - 1,350

5.House needs-2,000

6. Insurance - 1,500

7. Projects - 1,500

8. Water - 150

9. Exit tax - 75

10. Visas - 270

11. Gas - 600

12. Internet - 150

13. Phone cards- 75

Total: $29,320

While this figure is overwhelming, keep in mind that our costs will be fairly low once the house and van have been purchased, and the house is furnished. Thank you to those of you who have already pledged generous amounts toward the purchase of the house. God bless you abundantly!

I don't like for these blogs to be about money, but hopefully this will give you an idea the kinds of funds necessary for us to accomplish this work. Can we put a price on what God has already done in Cuba? I don't believe we can, and I'm believing what has happened is only the beginning. If you would like to know more about donating to Cuba for Christ, please contact us at info@cubaforchrist.net or use the link to your right to donate online. God Bless!

Cuba for Christ - October 2007 National Conference...

Click to Play

This is a short video depicting the events that happened during a trip to Cuba in October 2007. During this trip we held a Nation Conference for 'La Iglesia Apostolica de Jesucristo'. Our connection with this local organization has been amazing and we are glad and humbled to be a part of this revival!

Over 100 people received the baptism of the Holy Ghost during the conference and subsequent days of ministry!

As many of you now know, we are in fund raising mode! We have a visit to Cuba coming up in early January 2008 for three months! During this time we'll be holding training seminars and pastoral training as well as preparing for another crusade. If you would like to help by contributing monthly to the ALJC Foreign Missions budget, please do so by sending in your pledge forms using Cuba - Rennard as the ministry! You can also contribute online at Faith Apostolic Church's Website! God bless!

It's Official!

Happy Holidays!

Our family, church family,and Cuban family at Thanksgiving

I hope you are all having a great start to your holiday season. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we are so thankful for a network of caring, supportive people backing us in our endeavor. Thank you to all of the new people who have signed up to receive our e-newsletter. I hope you find it informative and inspiring. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.

Bro. & Sis. Roca, Bro. Barbaro, Bro. Barizonte, Bro. Josh, Sis. Shelly, Myself and Jimmie at Thanksgiving Dinner

Last week we attended National Youth Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. We are so happy to report that we were appointed as official missionaries with the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ! I was moved to tears knowing that we had the support of a room full of godly men on the Foreign Mission's Board. I was especially moved during one of the services looking out at thousands of people who I knew would be supporting us and praying for us. When God calls you for a purpose, you act. Obedience is necessary whether you have the support of others or not, but what a tremendous blessing when your calling is backed up by thousands. We hope and pray that we will always be a good representation first and foremost of God, but also of Faith Apostolic Church, our families and friends, and of the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ. We will do our best!

Mindy, Jodie, Sis. Ball, myself, and Shelly Wednesday night at NYC

It looks like God has opened a door in regard to our living arrangements! I can't go into detail right now, but please help us pray that it works out according to God's plan. If this door opens, it will truly be a miracle and another confirmation that we are right where God wants us.



Bro. Barizonte and Bro. Barbaro made it here safely and were able to attend NYC. They met many pastors, talked with so many people, and even made a presentation to the Foreign Mission's board about God's work in Cuba. They are truly a blessing to be around, and bring so much joy to our lives. They are with the Rocas right now, but will be in Indiana with us sometime next week.

James, Bro. Roca, Bro. Barizonte, and Bro. Barbaro Thanksgiving Day

Baruch, Bro. Barbaro, and Nathaniel - it was a happy reunion!
We are truly looking forward to the next few months, spending time with these Cuban leaders, traveling, preparing for our trip, and spending time with family and friends. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. God Bless!

National Youth Convention and Cuban Pastors' Visit

What an exciting time to be doing the work of God! We've been home for a few weeks now and are so thrilled to share with you all the great things God is doing. We have had unprecedented revival at home here in Carmel, with over 60 people receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit since Father's Day! It is always a little sad leaving Cuba, but it makes it so much easier to come home to an awesome church that is hungry for more of God. Thanks to Bro. Robert Tisdale who has been our guest evangelist for months now. You have made such an impact on our ministries and have had a huge part in building our faith.

We want to publicly acknowledge our pastor and brother, Matthew Ball. We would not be where we are today without a pastor who is constantly pushing us to grow in God, while still supporting us and correcting us when we need it. You are the best pastor/brother combo we could ask for.

Next week we are heading to National Youth Convention in Nashville. As many of you know, we have a meeting with the ALJC Foreign Mission's Board. Please pray that God's will is done concerning this matter. We would love to be appointed and represent the ALJC in Cuba, but we are trusting that God will lead us where we need to go.

We are also excited to announce that Bro. Barizonte, the president of the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Cuba and Bro. Barbaro, the secretary of the organization, are coming to visit next week! They will arrive in time for NYC and will stay until mid-January. They will spend the first part of their visit in Georgia with the Rocas, and will head to Indiana in early December. I will update our blog letting you know when they will be speaking in Carmel in case any of you would like to come and hear/meet them.

Bro. Barbaro(left) and Bro. Barizonte at a baptism service in February.

I want to end this blog with a personal testimony. Two days before we left Cuba, we were driving around the city with our translator, Danis, looking for apartments to rent. We decided to stop at a small food-court near a nearby hotel for lunch. We sat and talked for a long time, and as we were leaving we discovered our camera bag had been stolen. Two brand new cameras were in our bag, a HDD camcorder and our digital camera, a combined value of nearly $1000. All of the video footage of "Cuban Pentecost" was on the camera in the bag. Several minutes later, much to my dismay, Jimmie told me he had put our passports in the bag that morning. I began to panic and pray at the same time. We talked to employees, security guards, hotel employees... everyone we could think of. At one point, Ava and I were in the van alone. I explained to her what had happened and told her we needed to pray. With tears streaming down my face, I prayed a very specific prayer. I prayed that whoever took our camera would watch the video footage and feel conviction for taking the camera. I prayed that they would return it to the nearby hotel reception desk.

The next few hours are a blur. We finally ended up at the U.S. Interest Section (really like our embassy in Cuba), where we found out that they could replace our passports at a cost of $300, but we would have to wait until the next Monday. It was a very intimidating situation. They told us to file a police report with the Cuban police. Ava was exhausted by this point, so Jimmie and Danis dropped us off at the house and headed to the police station. They filed a police report and headed to the scene of the crime in a Cuban police car. When they walked into the restaurant, there was a couple there talking to a store employee. They claimed to have "accidentally taken our camera bag." It had been 4-5 hours since it was stolen. They had taken the bag to the reception desk at the nearby hotel. Pastor Danis called me with the news. For me, it was one of those amazing moments that I realized God knew exactly where I was.... and He was watching out for me. I knew the couple had stolen the camera bag. I knew God answered my prayer in the exact way I prayed for it to be answered. I knew at that moment that our lives were in His hands, and it brought tremendous comfort.

Thanks to all of you who are giving us your prayers and support. We love you and pray that God will bless you for your sacrifice. Please click on the link below to see a photo album of our October trip. God Bless!

http://picasaweb.google.com/Cuba4Christ/OctoberCubaTrip

Cuban Pentecost

Thank you for all of your prayers while we were gone. We have arrived home safely and with awesome reports of what God is doing in Cuba.

The initial purpose of our trip was to attend the Cuban National Convention. About 500 people packed in to a very hot facility for six services over the course of two days. God truly did a tremendous work. The Cuban leadership has been praying for years for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Many pastors, national leaders, and church members had not been filled with the Holy Ghost. In this convention, they are estimating 100 people received the Holy Spirit. They said this is an unprecedented occurance in Apostolic history in Cuba. Praise God!

In one particular service, my husband preached a simple message about faith. He asked for anyone who needed a miracle from God to come forward. To our surprise, hundreds came forward. There was no way to get to all of them to pray with them. Bro. Troy Shurte had the idea to do a prayer line. All the Cuban pastors, along with our group from the U.S. lined up and for about 2 hours, we prayed for people as they came through the line. I've never witnessed anything like it. I would estimate that at least half of those 100 who received the Holy Ghost received it in the prayer line or outside the door of the church where they were directed after prayer.

During all of this, a large group of Nazarenes were having service nearby. They heard the commotion and came to see what was happening. Many of them went through the prayer line. Some received the Holy Ghost and some have now started attending Apostolic churches. In Cuba, the pastors and leadership are referring to this Convention as the beginning of Cuban Pentecost. Praise God for honoring their prayers and pouring His Spirit out. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter proclaims the words of the prophet Joel:

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh." (Acts 2:17)

After the Convention, we saw a similar outpouring at every church we visited. In one church alone, about 15 people were baptized! One particular Methodist church recently re-baptized their entire congregation in the Name of Jesus! We saw God do awesome things at a service there! God is doing a great work, and we are so thankful to be a part of it.

If you live around Indianapolis, and would like more details about our trip, please visit our church this Wednesday night. We will be giving a presentation with detailed information, photos, and video footage of our trip. We would love to see you there. The church is located at 1212 E. 116th Street in Carmel. Jimmie will be updating our blog with more detailed information about our trip. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at anytime. Thank you to those of you who are investing in us with your prayers and/or with your finances. Take a moment to rejoice in your part in Cuban revival. Cuba for Christ!!!

Leaving Tomorrow!

I hope this post finds you all well and busy with the work of God. I apologize for not having a new post for a couple of weeks. Everything seems like a blur. We've been so busy traveling, having revival, and getting ready for this trip. Things probably aren't going to slow down anytime soon!

First, I want to say thank you to Faith Apostolic Church. Our family is so blessed to be part of such a loving, giving and supportive church family. Thank you for all of your prayers and financial support. Many of you know how long we've wanted to be involved with mission's work. Believe it or not, it is very hard to say goodbye, even for three weeks, to such an incredible church. We will miss you all. We wouldn't be where we are today without your love, support and guidance. I want to thank God for this incredible revival! Over 30 people have received the Holy Spirit since June - it's been amazing week after week. We're anxious to hear all that happens when we get back. While we're saying our "thank yous," we can't fail to thank our families. You mean so much to us and have had a huge part in making us who we are today. We love you very much.

Last night at church, a young girl came up to me with a home-made card and an envelope. This girl raises pigs for 4H, and when the money came in for her pig, she told her parents that she didn't want any of the money for herself - she wanted to donate it all to Cuba missions. I was so moved by her sacrificial giving. It is people like Annaka who are believing in God's revival in Cuba who are making this all possible for us. Thank you to all of you - you know who you are.

A big thank you to The Early Childhood Center, too! Last week was my last week working at the daycare. They showered me with beautiful cards, hugs, lunch and well wishes. It was such a blessing. They are a wonderful group of women (and John!), and I will truly miss them. Check out the adorable sign they made for me!

We were able to visit Grandma and Grandpa Ball last Friday. They told us stories about their time as missionaries in Cuba. It was such a blessing to hear accounts of the work they started, knowing that we are going to have a part in the future of that same work. What a blessing to have grandparents who were obedient to God's direction and call for their lives.

We are leaving tomorrow for three weeks! We're so grateful to Bro. Troy Shurte for giving us the opportunity to present our mission at his church in Orlando Wednesday night! We'll be visiting with our friend Pat for a couple of days, too. On Thursday we drive to Miami, and our flight leaves Friday morning for Havana. Please pray for our group. We are having a Caribbean Conference and we're expecting many to receive the Holy Spirit. As always, we need prayer for protection and for direction. We're trying to come up with our budget, which means we need to find a place to live, means of transportation, and totals for other miscellaneous costs for our extended stay next year. Your prayers in this matter are invaluable. Finally, please pray that God will continue to open doors for us in Cuba and that we will continue to make divine spiritual connections.

If you have any questions or comment, please feel free to contact us via e-mail or by phone. After this Friday, we won't be able to answer e-mail or return phone calls, but we're looking forward to giving an awesome report of all God does on this trip. God Bless You!

Rachael Rennard

Recent News, Travels, and Updates!

Greetings!

First, thank you all for your prayers and support! We've truly been blessed and though we do not have everything, God is providing day by day!

We have some great news! Our friend and partner, Armando Roca just returned a few weeks ago from a trip to Cuba! During this trip they held a youth camp and 10 people were filled with the Holy Ghost! Revival is happening in Cuba! It is amazing!

We are thankful for Rev. Roca and believe in him and are glad to be a partner with him in the revival in Cuba!

We've recently been traveling on weekends to churches that have heard about Cuba and have asked us to visit. We'd like to thank all of the pastors and churches that have had us come and share our burden for the nation of Cuba. We are very grateful for your prayers and support!

Rev. Joe David Wampler - Monticello, IN
Rev. Todd Woods - LaPorte, IN
Rev. Mason - Central City, KY
Rev. Clement - Henderson, KY
Rev. Frederick - Madisonville, KY
Rev. Davis - Evansville, IN

Thank you again, we pray that God will bless you and all of your efforts!

Keep on praying for us, our October trip is coming up quickly and we are still in need of some key items for documenting and preparing for greater revival in Cuba! If you have questions about our ministry or would like to partner with us, please feel free to e-mail us at info@cubaforchrist.net!

God bless!

James, Rachael, and Ava

Upcoming Trip Costs

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support. It has been wonderful to have an outpouring of support from people who we care about so much.

I just received great news! The two Cuban pastors, Bro. Barizonte and Bro. Barbaro, are approved to visit the US in November! Praise the Lord! Thank you to all of you who have been praying for God to open this door. It is not an simple undertaking to try to gain permission for Cubans to travel to the US, and I know God had a hand in it happening.

Many of you have asked about specific financial needs we have right now. I want everyone to know exactly what we are raising money for, and where all of the money is going. So, here are some specific financial needs:

October Trip:
1. Flights $2100
2. Lodging $500
3. Food $600
4. Transportation $300
5. Misc. $400

This is a total of $3900! (a little overwhelming!)

Other people have asked about any items that we may need. We have quite a few expenses coming up associated with a large display we need to have and misc. travel necessities. These include:

1. 2 large, heavy duty suitcases for Jimmie and Ava (both need wheels)
2. Display board $350
3. HDD camcorder (30 GB hard drive or greater)
4. LCD screen for display $300
5. Printing costs for display $250
6. Misc. printing costs $400
7. Around $100 for calling cards
8. Giftcards for travel items

As you can see, the need is great, but we're trusting in God. We know He is sending us and that He will provide. Please help us pray that these needs will be met. If any of you are interested in contributing to Cuba missions through Faith Apostolic Church, you can donate online at http://www.faithapostolic.us/ (make sure you select "Cuba-Rennard family) or you can send checks to Faith Apostolic Church (Cuba-Rennard in memo) at PO Box 235, Carmel IN 46082.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact us at any time! We welcome your feedback!

God Bless.

Prayer Requests

I hope this blog finds you all well and busy with the work of God. I think God is preparing us for the weather in Cuba with an extra hot summer! I keep track of the weather in Indiana and in Cuba, and many days in the past few weeks it has been hotter here! Right now we are tied - 88 degrees in Indianapolis and Havana.

I'm happy to report that Bro. Armando Roca made it back from his 3 week trip to Cuba safe and sound. He has great reports of exciting things God is doing in his church in Havana. I will have further reports of his trip as I learn more details.

I am thankful for your prayers, interest and support in all that our family is doing. It's such a blessing to be surrounded by people who are sharing this burden with us and uplifting us every day. We are anxiously anticipating our trip in October. It looks like we will be leaving around October 3rd and returning around October 22nd. We are excited to see what awesome things God will do at the Caribbean Conference. Please be in prayer for the safety of our group, and please pray that God will pour out His Spirit at this Conference.

For those of you who praying for our family and helping us pray for revival in Cuba, we have some specific needs. If you would like a card with these prayer requests for your Bible, please contact me and I will mail you a copy.

1.Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Cuba - many are being baptized, but few are receiving the Holy Spirit.
2. Unity in vision and doctrine among Cuban pastors - we are praying that God will give all the pastors a vision of great revival in Cuba and that they will be unified in preaching Apostolic doctrine
3. Financial provision for Cuban pastors - if they are blessed financially, they will be free to focus all their efforts on growing their churches.
4. Open door for Cuban pastors to travel to the U.S. We are working on the arrangements for two pastors to visit for two months at the end of the year. It is a very difficult process, so please pray that everything goes smoothly.
5. US embargo to be lifted. Right now the US has an embargo against Cuba. It is very difficult to travel freely to the country, and it is very difficult to offer assistance to our Cuban brothers and sisters. We believe God can move in our government and cause them to lift the embargo.
6. Financial support for the Rennards. We are trusting in God to provide the finances necessary for our upcoming trips and living expenses.
7. God's will with the ALJC foreign mission's department. We have a meeting with the foreign mission's board at NYC. We would love to be official ALJC missionaries, and are praying that God will direct our steps in this process.
8. Protection and smooth transition for Ava. This is a huge change in her young life. We need God to help.
9. Protection and health for Rennards. We all need to stay healthy, as we will not have health benefits in Cuba. We need God's hand of safety on our lives.
10. Living arrangements for Rennards. We are going to try to work out all the details of our living arrangements in October. We need God's direction.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to e-mail me at: raquelpelota@yahoo.com

God Bless.

Rachael Rennard

Cuba Apostolic Conference and Training Center!

Hello again! I just posted, but forgot to mention an important aspect of what God is doing in Cuba! I believe we have mentioned this before, but I wanted to provide a little more information so you can pray and seek God for what He is doing in Cuba!

The Cuban church has an awesome vision for Cuba. They feel that with the help of God they can plant 100 new churches every year! Local Cuban churches are normally held in neighborhoods since travel is difficult. So, they plan on having multiple churches in every neighborhood, serving 20-40 people in each church! It is an amazing plan!

For this to happen though, they are in need of training facilities and a central headquarters. Whenever the leadership wants to hold a conference or have all of the Cuban pastors come for training they have to find various places for them to stay and often have to rent facilities, which is a high cost.

During our last two trips we made plans to help them build a conference/training center at a central location. This center will be three stories tall and will have enough space to house many ministers' families, training rooms, a sanctuary, and all the amenities needed for long-term training seminars. This facility would be an amazing blessing for them as well as for us! We would be able to stay there and hold trainings as needed!

The cost of this building is staggering for Cubans, but overall costs are approximately $80,000.

They have already had the design and blueprints drafted by an architect and are currently working on obtaining the appropriate licensing and permits to begin construction. This would be a tremendous blessing, so please agree with us and pray that God will provide the funding and that the process for building will be quick and unhindered!

We'll post more about this as we get updates and news!

James

Upcoming Trip - Preparations and Updates!

Greetings! This is James posting today!

We've had a few weeks of breaks from news and updates for you, but are pleased to provide some new information about what God is doing in Cuba and the status of our ventures there!

As many of you know, we will be taking our whole family, Ava included, to Cuba in October for an extended stay. This will be Ava's first time for a lot of things, first time on an airplane, first time on foreign soil, first time in a non-English speaking area. So, please be praying for her and that she adapts and has a great experience!

In October our friends in Cuba will be hosting a Caribbean conference! The conference will be attended by many Apostolic ministers throughout the Caribbean and will be a great time of fellowship and communion with fellow laborers in Christ. We are anticipating a great move of the spirit of God and expect many to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost!

Because of our connection with the Cuban Apostolic church, our brother and pastor, Matthew Ball will be one of the premier ministers at the conference. Along with Pastor Ball, many others from the States will be attending the conference, including our niece Chelsea and the Foreign Missions Director of the ALJC, Rev. M.L. Walls.

This is an exciting time for the Cuban church as well as for us. We'll be staying for around a month and the group from the US will be coming for about a week for the conference.

During our stay we will be making preparations for our three month stay in January as well as teaching about the receiving of the Holy Ghost and just encouraging the pastors and ministers in Cuba. We've already made some great friends, so we are looking forward to returning and spending time with them as well.

We know that God is in control of all situations and that He wants to do a great work in Cuba, please pray for all the Cuban pastors and ministers and the leadership as well as for the many other people throughout the nation. God has a lot planned for Cuba, we are glad to be servants and are glad to be a part of what God is doing.

Though we know He is in charge, we also know that we have to do our part in preparing ourselves for His purpose. For this reason, we've started visiting churches to raise awareness of what God is doing in Cuba as well as to raise funds for our trips and expenses in doing God's work.

We were greatly blessed by Apostolic Tabernacle in South Bend, IN earlier this month. They truly have a heart for missions and their outpouring of prayers and financial support was an amazing answer to prayer. So, we'd like to thank them for all that they are doing in supporting God's work locally and abroad.

If you would like to help out in any way, whether it be through prayer support or financial support, please contact us and let us know. Just so you are aware, all financial support will be channeled through Faith Apostolic Church, our local church. We want to make sure that all financial support is accounted for and appropriately distributed and will make financial accountability a top priority.

We want to make options for donating to God's purpose in Cuba simple. You can safely and securely contribute online at http://www.faithapostolicofcarmel.org/ by clicking on the Donate banner at the bottom of the page. This will allow one-time contributions or weekly, monthly, or quarterly recurring contributions from your checking account or debit/credit card. Just be sure to select Cuba - Rennard Family from the donation list when you make your contribution.

If you would prefer to mail a check or contribution, please mail it to...

PO Box 235
Carmel, IN 46082

and make the check payable to Faith Apostolic Church - Cuba Missions.

More than anything though, we need and appreciate your prayers and encouragement.

In the coming months we'll have a website setup where you can sign-up to be a Partner in Missions and gain access to further information about Cuba and what God is doing!

This is an exciting time, thank you for being a part of Cuba and a part of our lives!

James

President Osvaldo Barizonte

Bro. Barizonte with his wife, Melba

Bro. Barizonte is the President of the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Cuba. He was recently elected, and has already made great strides in their organization. No ministers had been licensed in ten years in their organization. When we visited in February, around 15 ministers were licensed! This gives them the freedom to preach and teach legally in Cuba.

Bro. Barizonte is extremely organized in the carrying out of the vision for his organization. He has a set number of church plants they would like to accomplish in a year. He oversees a monthly meeting with all 18 pastors in Havana. He is involved with leadership training and carrying out new ideas in church structure.

Rachael, Jimmie, Bro. Barizonte, Melba, Estrella, and Bro. Barbaro under a tree by the beach

Bro. Matthew Ball and Bro. Barizonte

Rachael with the Barizontes. They treat us like family.

Bro. Barizonte and Bro. Barbaro inside the Office they are building. This will facilitate communication with the Apostolic Church in the US. They hope to have a phone line and e-mail access on site.

I belive God has ordained Bro. Barizonte as the leader of their organization "for such a time as this." He is passionate about spreading the gospel to the island of Cuba. He is a committed and selfless leader. Please pray that he will have wisdom and direction from God in all the decisions he makes. Also pray that God will work out the details for him to visit the ALJC National Youth Convention. I am thankful to be connected with the great leader of their great organizaion. May God Bless all their efforts.

July Update

I hope that everyone reading this has had a blessed week! I'm so thankful for your generosity in prayers, encouragement, and support for God's Church in Cuba. It means so much to us to have so many great people backing everything we do.

We have a lot of exciting news! Jimmie quit his job this week. We are going to spend the next 3-4 months preparing spiritually for our role in Cuba (praying, studying, etc.) With that said, we still have to pay our bills, so please pray that God sends web design and graphic design work Jimmie's way! Last week we met with Bro. M.L. Walls to discuss the possibility of becoming officially appointed missionaries to Cuba with the Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am thankful that he is interested and excited about what God is doing in Cuba! We will be officially applying and having our interview at National Youth Convention this year, so please keep us in your prayers, that God's will will be done in this situation.

The Cuban pastors were not able to attend General Conference due to complications with passports and visas. We hope and believe that instead they will be coming for National Youth Convention in November. Please be praying that God opens this door for them to travel to the U.S. A group from our church, along with the Rocas and a group from Bro. Logue's church will be visiting Cuba in October for a Caribbean Conference. Brandon Mocas, Jimmie, Ava and I will be staying for an extended trip (3-4 weeks.) I believe that God is going to pour His Spirit out on many people during this time. Please pray with us that we will see many come to know and serve God.

I will be posting more blogs soon introducing you to more of the Cuban pastors and church officials. If you would like the name of one of these pastors to include in your daily prayer time, please e-mail me to let me know. I have 18 names of pastors and churches who could use your prayers.

God Bless.

Rachael

26 Baptisms!

In my 26 years of life, I've never witnessed 26 baptisms. I've seem multiple baptisms here at Faith Apostolic Church. I've heard of hundreds being baptized at crusades. When we arrived in Cuba in May, they told us they had over 20 baptisms planned for a special baptism service that Sunday. The weekend before they had baptized 22, and the weekend after we left, they already had 17 wanting to be baptized. It was such an honor to be part of this special baptism service. I don't want to be redundant, but I'm going to include a picture of each person who was baptized, as each person represents another soul who is dedicating their life to God. We have pictures of 24 out of 26. Please pray for these people, that God will fill them with His Spirit. For those of you who are supporting the Cuban church, rejoice that this is what your money is going toward!

This was Pastor Capote's grandson!


This man had been an alcoholic before he became a Christian!

This is Bro. Barbaro's wife's father!


This was Pastor Capote's daughter!

This is National Secretary Barbaro's neice!

Meet Pastor Lorenzo and Zulema

On our first visit to Cuba, we had the priveledge of visiting the church of Pastor Lorenzo and his wife Zulema. In this picture they are standing in their church which is located on their property. The church consisted of four wooden posts, a tin roof, and makeshift benches. Our spirits connected with theirs immediately. Their hunger and desire for God was evident without even speaking to them.

Zulema noticed Lorenzo as a teenager in their Baptist church. God let her know that Lorenzo was for her. They married when Zulema was only 16 and Lorenzo was 21. Now Zulema is 29, Lorenzo is 34 and they have four kids! They thank God that a minister from Jamaica ministered to them and presented the truth of the oneness of God and baptism in Jesus' name. They joined up with the Apostolic church in Cuba and are pastoring a church on the outskirts of Havana.

They own a decent amount of land in the Cuban country. They raise pigs and various other produce. Their living conditions are meager, but they place no value on material posessions. Their priority is on serving God with all their hearts. They trust that God will provide all their needs.

I stay in touch with Zulema on a weekly basis through e-mail. I am thankful to have such a special connection from God with such a special family. Part of the money we raise for the pastors goes to this wonderful family. Our last day in Cuba in May was spent with this precious family. I felt more at home at their house, sitting under the trees in fellowship than I felt anywhere in Cuba. They are truly special people.

Sitting in their church, right next to their house.

Jimmie helping Lorenzo with his computer - he can't escape IT life.

Zulema sings as part of a worship team in Cuba. They write all their own music and even have a CD! She also plays keyboard.

Their daughter, Sarai. She's three. We took a little Dora doll of Ava's for her. She was thrilled and carried it around all day. They don't really have toys to play with.

Zulema made us a delicious lunch. I'm sure it was a sacrifice for them to feed us so much food, but they did it gladly. It was a special meal.

Pastor Lorenzo

Saying our goodbyes. It was hard, but we know we will see them again soon. We also know that God has united us in His Spirit, and nothing can break that bond.