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Report: Canadian REC Mission Work in Cuba |
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Havana My beloved brother Bishop Charles: We greet you and Claudia in the love of Christ our Lord. Your recent pastoral visit has been without doubt full of God's blessing. It has given legitimacy to the church in Cuba and her growing clergy. Your ministry, laying on of hands, confirmations, ordinations, appointments, licensing, sermons, counseling, pastoral help and fellowship have been a welcome gift of the Lord. Also the work of our sister Claudia and her administrative meetings and her sessions with our women. All has been very enriching for us and the mission of the church. Blessed be the Lord for having given us a Bishop who is so charismatic, missionary minded, and persevering. We evaluate this apostolic visit as a total success strengthening of the missionary work of these six years. Here we continue to work very hard. Each and every congregation, their councils and government and ministries have maintained this energy in their activities and functions. All continue in the same good will and enthusiasm. All feel happy and strengthened as a result of your recent Episcopal visit. In Moa, the Reverend Raul William continues an organized and responsible pastoral work like the great rectory in the parish of San Marcos. They also have done several sessions of community recreation in the rivers and fresh waters of the river Cayonguan that you will remember and have blessed with your presence. The Rev. William and brother Lay Reader Milton Matos visited the congregation of San Pablo of Holguin, supporting and assisting Rev. Walter in his work and the local council and the treasurer sister Maira, the administration, registry, and financial controls. They also shared the preaching, Holy Communion, and the communion of the saints of that congregation. Starting the 13th of this month, Brother William, together with brother evangelist Ireneo, will conduct an evangelistic campaign that we hope will contribute to building/ edifying this church. There will be a campaign on the days August 25, 26, 27 in San Juan Evangelista, Ciego de Avila, and on the 28th to the 30th of August they will visit with brother Juan Ezequiel in San Juan Apostle of Las Margaritas, Florida, Camaguey. They will be fulfilling the agreement of the last meeting of clergy and it will be under the control of the archdeacon. In Holguin they have obtained two bicycles. Brother Walter and brother Ramiro are very happy with their new method of travel. Sister Maite continues helping and cooperating, but she is not ready to be baptized. Thank God for the charismatic ministry sister Claudia had in her growth. We continue to pray her conversion will be complete. In Las Margaritas, Florida the congregation of San Juan Apostol grows and continues to be happy to have been chosen by our Diocese to have been visited and confirmed by our Bishop. The Reverend Reinaldo is supporting Brother Juan Ezequiel in performing the office/ministry for this congregation the first Sunday of each month. He has been received very well in this interchange. Brother Juan Ezequiel continues his good plan and commitment. In Ciego de Avila, Reverend Reinaldo, his family and the parish of San Juan Evangelista continue with their excellent spirit. Brother Lay Reader Israel has gone to Mexico for two months to teach in a university there. We hope for good economic results for his family. Brother Milton, moved by a missionary spirit, also visited Ciego de Avila and shared a happy, warm time with Reverend Reinaldo and his congregation. In Havana, in the neighbourhood of Aposento Alto, they work hard and endlessly during times of civil/social reconstruction, ending each day exhausted. I feel physically tired and a little frustrated by my financial and economic inexperience to calculate and oversee objectively the real cost of this investment, and our own difficulties due to economic and social conditions. How wise of our Bishop when he corrected me, warning me that this construction would take more time and resources than I was thinking! Without a doubt he has more experience, more vision, and is a better planner. I should value more his observations and ask forgiveness for my shortcomings. Herein is a detailed report of what we did in the church house of Havana. We have done the work that was assigned for this time for the first level of this house as we have overspent and still are far from getting the necessary supplies to complete this stage of the work. After the steel work for the outside covering, they will take out the old concrete that covered the wall of the first and second levels and will redo them with new mortar on all the walls and ceiling. They have finished the following: the stair-well, antechamber, and the committee room. Yet to be finished are the dining room and kitchen. Still pending are the office and two closets. They have built a new floor on the first level. They finished the bathroom on this level. They finished the plumbing and the bathroom plumbing. To be done: electrical, painting, carpentry, the two bathrooms of the second level, the kitchen, the pump for the water storage, and the two large water storage tanks, the water heater. Concerning the Concordia Seminary, we have begun the classes in Moa, Holguin and Ciego de Avila. The first and second week of September, I will be with Dalvis for a missionary tour to all the congregations of the national District, meeting of the Executive and clergy of the Finance Commission. In family matters, Lilibet will be married by the church next September 19th. We hope she will be very happy with the blessing of our Lord. Our furniture and personal belongings are still in Moa in the house of Larisa. It has not been possible to move them to Havana. We are still in the house of Matilde. The pastoral and evangelistic work of William and Ireneo in Holguin finished with success. God did great things there. Twenty-one new converts to the faith have been added to the San Juan Ciego de Avila congregation, healings both spiritual and physical, idols broken down, families reconciled and all the members happy and renewed. Walter is happy and jubilant. He will meet with William and Ireneo in a campaign in Ciego de Avila and Las Margaritas starting the 25th. For those who would like to correspond with us, our addresses are as follows:
The Ven. Ramon D.
Torrente Batista,
The Rev'd.
Raul William Mendez Suarez Well, beloved pastor and bishop, we send you and Claudia a very warm greeting from your church in Cuba and my family and from me personally. Your servant in Christ, Ramon |
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