Questions and Answers

Here are some common questions and their respective answers. Enjoy!

1. Describe a typical day in your lives.

Our typical day varies greatly, so I'll just explain our day yesterday. We woke up around 8. I straightened up the house, swept and did the dishes while Jimmie studied. Around 9, our friend Danis came over for our Spanish class. His brother came, too, to cook lunch for us. We had Spanish class until about 11:30. Juan came over during the class and watched a DVD on our computer that teaches him English. After class, I helped Danis’ brother cook lunch. We ate around 12:30 or so. After lunch, Juan did the dishes (praise God!) and I dried them. I swept the floor again and mopped. After Danis and his brother left, Ava took a nap, Jimmie studied, and I practiced a song for church last night. At about 3:30, we all got dressed for church.

Bro. Barizonte picked us up around 4 to go to one of the local churches. We got there a little before 5. Service was awesome! I sang in Spanish for the first time. Jimmie preached about expectancy. We had an awesome altar service. The power of God moved greatly and Juan told us several people received the Holy Ghost! After church (around 7) they had cake for us and we visited with the church members. We got home arond 8. I made some dinner and we all ate together. After dinner, Juan taught Jimmie a song on guitar while I cleaned up. We watched some video from FAC for awhile. Juan left about 10:30 and we went to bed (exhausted) around 11:30.

2. Have you had any issues with the government on your present stay?

We can't really discuss this, but we can say we were thrilled that the government approved our visas for the entire 3 month stay. A miracle!

3. Is Ava picking up Spanish pretty well?

Ava is picking up and using phrases here and there. She understands quite a bit. It's really funny because she answers "si" to any question anyone asks her in Spanish.

4. Have more people received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and/or been
baptized in Jesus Name?

Yes! Last night several received the Holy Ghost and we are having a baptism service in a church in the area the 15th of March!

5. What is the most exciting thing that has happened on during your
present stay?

Service last night was a highlight. The church we visited last night is pretty far, so they never get visitors. They were so happy we were there and so receptive to the moving of God's Spirit. It was great to see God pour His Spirit out in such a powerful way.

6. What do you miss most about being in the United States?

I miss my family and being able to sit down and talk with my friends. I also miss the music at FAC a lot.

7. What has been the most difficult adjustment?

The hardest part is only having Jimmie to talk to (in English). I miss having normal conversations. It has also been difficult at times when Ava has difficulty adjusting and misses everyone from home.

8. Have you made any Cuban dishes of your own yet?

Yes! When the only food available is "Cuban”, learning how to cook Cuban-style is vital for survival. Juan helps us greatly with this. I'm now pretty good with black beans (not canned), fried plantains, and Cuban-style ham. I've also learned how to make coconut and papaya desserts (with queso... delicious!). Jimmie makes great arroz con pollo.

9. In USD, how much does a gallon of gasoline cost?

Gas prices are about $2.60 per gallon. Many people here us diesel, which is much cheaper.

10.How much do they charge you to go online?

About $7 per hour.

11. If you were to call the United States, how much would they charge
you?

Outrageous! It's about $2.50 per minute, but it's free to receive calls from the US.

12. Has anything frightening happened to any of you during your present
stay?

We were nervous when our visas hadn't been approved 2 days before our old ones expired. Nothing else scary... we feel safe and secure here.

13. Do you have any funny stories you would like to share?

Funny stories.... let's see... one day it was pouring down rain. I was crossing a very busy street. Juan yelled, "Run!!" and before I realized it, my shoe had come off in the middle of the street. I kept running…barefoot and he ran back for it... somehow, without getting killed. Everyone was laughing at me, including myself.

One day I thought I saw a roach in the house. I started spraying it with insecticide and yelled for Jimmie... who ran to me, only to tell me I had just sprayed a cricket to death! One night about 3 in the morning we heard our indoor wind chimes. All the windows were closed, so we were very concerned. A frog was jumping from one wall to the other…back and forth. It must have liked the sound it made. Our first night here it rained…hard...and the windshield wipers in Bro. Barizonte's car weren't working. Juan had his head stuck out the window telling him where to go... it was dark and a couple times we ended up in the grass. It took us close to 2 hours to get home.

Our first public transportation story is hilarious... imagine us crammed onto a bus with HUNDREDS of people. We were literally hanging out the door. If only we had a camera. I won't even go into the funny stories about words we've misused or misunderstood in Spanish. These kinds of stories keep us laughing.

Dear Friends and Family,

Praise the Lord! I hope this report finds you all doing well and busy with the work of God. We can feel your prayers, and are so grateful for your support.

Our visas were approved for the entire three month stay! Praise God! This is a miracle and we know it is a direct answer to prayers. We have been visiting various churches, preaching and teaching. Next week we will start specific training seminars for leaders and church workers at all the various churches. We will focus on one church each week. We are anxious to get started, and believe God will do great things.

We have also started extensive Spanish training. Bro. Danis Raul is teaching us Spanish. Of course, just living in Cuba is the best Spanish course we can have!

We are staying in a house on the outskirts of Havana. It is beautiful... out in the middle of nowhere, but very peaceful. It is plenty big for the three of us. It's very close to our friend Bro. Juan, and he has been a tremendous support, help, and encouragement to us. He stops by every day to see how we are doing, often bringing food. He is extremely gifted musically and is teaching me lots of his songs in Spanish. This is great practice for me, and I will start singing them soon at the various churches.

It is amazing how we adapt as humans. We wake up to roosters almost every morning. We have lizards running freely in our house. We rarely use the air conditioner... the weather is so beautiful. We're eating foods that are very new to us.... and the same foods over and over. Everything is different, yet I find myself very content. It goes to show that when you're in the will of God, he takes care of you. I'm thankful that He is our very present help in every situation.

We will be returning sometime mid-April. Please continue to pray for us, but don't worry about us. We are happy to be right where God wants us, and know that He is taking care of our every need. This is a special time in the History of the Kingdom of God, and none of us want to miss the chance to be part of something so special. We love you all and ask that you keep Cuba in your prayers.

Lots of love,

Rachael, Jimmie, and Ava