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