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We arrived at camp in a hurried pace. Welcome from old friends, meeting new ones, getting settled in rooms, giving gifts. Dinner. Off to Pedro Betancourt. A small town about an hour and a half via bad roads and old minivan.
We were all a bit tired. The heat takes the energy out of you and no siesta was had today.
But when we arrived on the steps of this little church and the place was packed and waiting for us, I felt like a rock star. Suddenly I wasnt tired anymore. People in the streets waiting for us, the church was full of excitement. All on a Monday night. We arrived a bit late and apologized. The service got underway. It was apparent that our visit had caused a stir in the town.
The church had prepared a special service for us. Leroy spoke from the pulpit and then I took the kids upstairs for a magic show. Very cool. The roof was partially finished and there was no lighting on the roof. The church had 3-4 battery powered lights they used.

Over 50 kids came that night to be a part of this American visit. I was able to perform and share the gospel with all these kids. Very exciting.

Notice that Miguel, a doctor and part time interpreter, is holding one of the battery powered lights.

Notice in the pic that the boys are seated on the cement roof and the metal benches are reserved for the young ladies. Latin Americans teach chivalry at a young age. How cool is that.
The kids were great. All very interested and eager to participate. Hard to imagine it was nearly 10:00 pm and the kids had school the next day at 8:00 a.m. What a great energy.
After the show we were invited to the pastors home. It like most pastor’s homes is attached to the church. They were very gracious and eager to show us the church and what they are doing in thier community. It was here that I learned that church growth in Cuba is happenening in home churches. Fidel doesnt allow churches to build on or add space. So the church has to grow outside of its main building. Each pastor we talked to would measure success in how many “casa iglesias” they had. Raising up leaders and teachers for the house churches was and is a priority for these pastors.
Around 11…we headed back to camp. Another long day. What a great week we have ahead of us.