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