March pictures

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

We're here!

We're here! The weather is beautiful. We're trying to get adjusted to our new life here. So far, so good. Our house is not ready yet, so we are renting a very nice house with Bro. Roca. It is lovely... although I would say it's in the middle of the jungle. (Maybe an exaggeration... maybe not). My only adjustment are the lizards and frogs in the house... and all the mosquito bites!

Tonight we are going to El Cano for church. We're very happy about this. Our good friend Juan is a short walk away from our house, so it's been wonderful to see him a lot. Tonight we will also receive the schedule for the next 3 months. We will let you know more about that as we learn it ourselves.

Please pray that we get into our house very soon. We did not budget for rent for three months, and we need to move in as soon as possible. We know God can work a miracle in this situation.

We miss you and love you very much. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

God Bless

We're Off!

Everything has finally come together! We're headed to Cuba tomorrow morning. We've had a busy couple of months. We truly enjoyed having Pastors Barizonte and Barbaro with us for three weeks in December. We celebrated Christmas and New Year's with them. It wasn't too hard saying goodbye, knowing we'd be seeing them in a few weeks. They were a truly a blessing to our church. The first night they spoke at our church, my Grandpa Ball was there, along with my Aunt Charlotte. It was really a blessing to have people who were involved with God's work in Cuba in the past, the present, and the future.

We can't leave without thanking some very important people. We couldn't do it without you: Pastor Ball, for your unending support, encouragement, and fund-raising abilities. Faith Apostolic Church, for being the best church family we could ask for. Our wonderful families, who make it difficult to say goodbye (Rennards, Rawlings, Balls, Newburns, Turners, etc). The Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ Foreign Mission's Department, for putting your confidence in us. Jodie, for taking care of our finances while we're gone. Leah, for taking care of our blog updates while we're gone. The Cuba Prayer Team, for holding us up in your prayers. Mom & David, for the great vacation and for buying so many things we need. Our friends, you know who you are and we love you. The families who have given sacrificially to help us realize this dream. Pastor Shurte and Pastor Logue, for offering a helping hand every step of the way. All the churches and pastors who have allowed us to share our vision and aided us financially. Everyone else who has offered friendship, prayers, support and encouragement. We truly wouldn't be on this path without you. Our prayer is that God bless you greatly for your sacrifice.

Many of you have asked what we will be doing while in Cuba. We will be doing doctrinal/leadership training 2-3 days a week, and preaching and teaching at weeknight and weekend services. Our plan is to visit all 15 or so churches while we are there. As you can imagine, this will be a very demanding schedule. We will also have intensive language trainging twice a week. Finally, we will be organizing a Training Conference and Crusade for the end of March. Please pray that God will equip us and be with us in every endeavor.

Our access to Internet in Cuba will be somewhat limited. We will try to send updates twice a month through Leah Newby. If you ever want to get in touch with us, contact Leah at Faith Apostolic Church (http://www.faithapostolic.us/) for our contact information.

I can't pass the opportunity to congratulate my brother Michael and his wife Marty on their beautiful new baby girl. We're very disappointed that we won't be able to see her until April, but are saving up lots of attention and affection to give her then. This is little Sophia Jane. Could she be any more gorgeous?

God Bless!

-Rachael, James and Ava Rennard

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!