Prayer Request -CJ George

Please pray for the healing of CJ George (10 years old) whose family is part of the Church home group that Claudia and I lead. He has been diagnosed with Precursor B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. Stage 3 and over the past few weeks has undergone more tests, scans and treatments than most will in their entire lifetimes. Please keep praying for CJ and take some time to read the George’s blog at: http://georgefamilybreakthemold.blogspot.com

There was God, by CJ George

There was God....God created the Universe. Inside that universe was a solar system; inside that solar system was a planet, inside that planet was a continent, inside that continent was a country; inside that country was a state; inside that state was a city; inside that city was a county; inside that county was house; inside that house was a boy; inside that boy was a heart; inside that heart.........There was God.

Cuba Damage Video

Updates from Cuban Pastors

I received the following e-mails over the weekend and wanted to pass them on. Please keep these pastors in your prayers as they minister to those around them with a joy and dedication that comes directly from the Lord.

Brother, thank you for your prayers.

I want to tell you that although Ike was devastating in the Eastern part and Central Cuba as well as in Pinar del Rio and the Isla de Juventud, where we live there was not too much damage and we only had to go three days without electricity which is noting in comparison to other parts of the country where they will go months without light.

The Hurricane that passed over Camolote resulted in disaster there as well. The only homes that have roofs left are those made of concrete. The home of sister (xxxxx) survived but everything inside was damaged.

Love to all and may the Lord bless each of you.
Your brother; “Ernesto”

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Brother Kevin;

Thank you so much for your concern and prayers. We thank the Lord that we are fine. As I have explained to you previously I live and pastor in the city of Pinar del Rio (head municipality of the province of the same name). The two hurricanes (Gustav and Ike) passed through our city but thankfully not with the same intensity as in other regions of our province which were terribly impacted and practically devastated by their force. Right now we have many evacuated families taking refuge in the educational building of our church, the majority of whom are not Christians but neighbors that had their homes destroyed or left uninhabitable. There are various children with them and it has been a blessing to be able to serve them. Tomorrow we intend to visit the missions [church plants] and small churches within our region with the hopes of assisting them with any of their immediate needs. Truly there are many people suffering and much need.

Again, thank you for your concern for this difficult situation that our country is experiencing at this time.

In the love of Jesus Christ;
“Bernebé”

Preliminary Assessment of the Impact of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike

An Information Service of the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies, University of Miami

Excerps from: Issue 101 - September 12, 2008 - Staff Report

Cuba was hit in the past few weeks by two major hurricanes that have caused widespread destruction and human misery. This is perhaps the worst natural disaster in the past half-century.



Damage Reports:
Over 320,000 houses were damaged by the hurricanes. (1)

50% of houses in Holguin have been irreparably damaged (2),

80% of houses in Banes have been destroyed. (3)

In Nuevitas, Camaguey, at least 15% of the hotels were damaged. (4)

70% of the agricultural production in Villa Clara was destroyed. (5)

Over 2 million Cubans have been displaced by the storms. (6)

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported estimates of damage between $3-$4 billion USD. (7)

Cuba’s health care infrastructure is severely damaged: in Isla de la Juventud, the general hospital, “Héroes de Baire,” which serves 87,000 people, is not functional. “Comandante Pinares,” a hospital in the municipality of San Cristobal, serving 200,000 people, has been severely damaged. (8)

In Isla de la Juventud, “4,500 posts are reported down, 530 transformers damaged, 5,000 street lights destroyed and 38,700 electrical isolators and 800 tons worth of conductors are beyond repair.” (9)

In Pinar del Rio, 55 km of the primary and secondary electrical network were severely damaged. (10)

In Pinar del Rio, over 25,900 metric tons of agricultural crops were lost, and another 1,184 damaged. 13,070 hectares of root vegetables, 2,931 hectares of grains, and 543 hectares of fruits and 3,306 tobacco houses have been destroyed. (11)

Outlook:
The next few weeks are critical for the Cuban government as to how it is going to react to meet the basic food, shelter and health needs of the Cuban people. It is also the first real test of General Raul Castro’s administration in a crisis situation. Raul has not apeared in public, delegating the role of spokespersons to first Vice President Ramon Machado Ventura and second Vice President Carlos Lage.

The intermediate term outlook for economic recovery is dismal. The highly centralized nature of Cuba’s decision making process, together with the lack of resources, present formidable barriers to effective recovery efforts. Major reconstruction efforts will take a long time...

In the short term, Cuba’s productive capabilities have been severely affected including significant damage in some key sectors (e.g., agriculture, tobacco, and tourism) further limiting the country’s purchasing power in international markets. In particular, tourism may suffer as foreign visitors curtail their travel plans given Cuba's uncertain situation...
_________________________________________________
Notes
1. Hernandez, Marta. “Más de 320,000 casas dañadas,” Granma, September 11, 2008.
2. “Holguín: Más del 50% de las viviendas ha sufrido graves daños,” Cuba Encuentro, September 10, 2008.
3. “Prepararnos para la Recuperación,” Granma, September 9, 2008.
4. Robles, Frances. “Rising waters threaten Hurricane Ike-ravaged Cuba,” Miami Herald, September 10, 2008.
5. Robles, Frances. “Rising waters threaten Hurricane Ike-ravaged Cuba,” Miami Herald, September 10, 2008.
6. Williams, Carol J. “Ike Moves into Gulf to Regain Strength,” Los Angeles Times, September 10, 2008.
7. “Los Daños de Ike y Gustav podrían sumar 4.000 millones de dólares,” Cuba Encuentro, September 10, 2008.
8. PAHO (Pan American Health Organization). “2008 Hurricane Season, Cuba Situation Report.”http://www.paho.org/english/dd/ped/hurricanes2008.htm September 10, 2008.
9. “Cuba: Hurricane Season 2008 Emergency Appeal No. MDRCU001” ReliefWeb.
10. “Cuba: Hurricane Season 2008 Emergency Appeal No. MDRCU001” ReliefWeb.
11. “La agricultura, víctima de Gustav en Pinar del Río,” Granma, September 2, 2008.

Prayer Request for Pastor's Conference

Many of you have been praying as well as donating towards the Pastor’s Conference we are working on for this coming November (see website for details). We are excited to have confirmed 9 key ministry leaders representing four denominations that cover the entire country of Cuba, but there is a lot of ground to cover between now and November, so please pray for wisdom, discernment and simply that all goes well with the project.

Just yesterday we received confirmation that the Cuban embassy in the host country will finally produce the necessary paperwork to invite the Cuban pastors, something we were working on for over a month before finally getting a positive answer. Thank the Lord!

Still the Cuban exit visa can be an erratic process with no guarantees until the travelers are literally flying to their destination. Please continue to pray for favor with the Cuban authorities and that there would be no unpleasant surprises between now and November. Thank you for your partnership in this and we value your prayers highly.

If you would like to know more about the details of this project or how to “adopt a pastor” for the training conference, please visit: Seminary for Cuban Pastors on our website.

Two Major Hurricanes in Ten Days

Nearly EVERY part of Cuba has been drastically impacted by two deadly hurricanes that ripped through the island in the period of one week. Gustav has all but destroyed the Isla of Pinos / Isla de la Juventud in Western Cuba as it hit just short of a Category 5 Hurricane (highest level possible) with 140 mph winds with gusts measured at 212 mph! This was followed by Ike slamming into the Eastern Coast of Holguin province as a category 3 hurricane pushing a storm surge with waves that literally crashed over 5 story buildings! (see video). Ike worked it’s way through he center of Cuba and is currently assaulting the already devastated Western portion. Here in Miami (over 300 miles away) we are feeling the wind and rain effects of Ike’s outer bands.

Over the years Claudia and I have enjoyed the hospitality of numerous pastors throughout the island and specifically in the province of Holguin, the majority of whose homes were little more than tin shacks with no window or door closures whatsoever. I can only imagine the devastation to what little they possess.

Before losing communication during Ike’s onslaught I received a few e-mails from some of the pastors we work with:

Dear Brother Kevin, may the Lord richly bless you;

I want to inform you that here in Cuba we are going through a very difficult time. In less than 8 days we have been punished by two very large hurricanes, first Gustav and right now Ike is pounding on our churches and homes. This latest hurricane is attacking the center of the island with devastating effects through the Eastern provinces like Baracoa, Maisí, Holguin, Moa, Tunas, Camaguey and now continuing West. In these Eastern provinces we have around 115 Baptist Churches that attend the over 9,600 members. I am praying that God would guard each of their lives.

At this point we do not have any official news as to the losses as the storm is still full force, and many of the provinces have lost all communication. Government officials in the office that attends to religious matters have simply communicated to us that the situation is “very delicate”. Ike has already covered some 750 KM (466 miles) as it continues advancing Westward through the center of the country with winds now slowing to 155 km/hr (96 mph) from the category 3 (130 mph winds) that first came onshore. In the province of Santiago where we live the rain has not yet done excessive damage, but I am starting to receive reports that many of our churches in the outlying regions have been very badly damaged.

I continue praying for the Biblical seminar, and at this time we count on your prayers for us as well. Our people are in great need of God’s mercy. We will be in contact whenever possible.

In Christ; Reverend “Alex”

Please keep these brothers and sisters in your prayers as they confront natural disasters without the resources or infrastructure we enjoy here in the US, and please keep our ministry in your prayers as we seek to assist the Cuban church through our ongoing programs as well as along side of other partner ministries responding to the urgent needs they now face.


If you would like to make donations to any of these programs please do so through our website. If you would like to specifically designate gifts to hurricane relief please contact me as we are still assessing the damage and the best way to do so considering US and Cuban laws.

For Links to Ongoing Programs:

Cuban Pastor's Conference
Cuban Pastoral Resources

For more hurricane pictures see:
Cuba Hurricane Images.