FACTBOX-Reforms by Raul Castro in Cuba

April 8 (Reuters) - In the six weeks since he succeeded his ailing brother Fidel Castro, new Cuban President Raul Castro has introduced a series of reforms to raise food output and end what he called "excessive prohibitions" in communist Cuba.

The following are some of the reforms undertaken so far:

• Decentralized agriculture to allow private farmers more leeway to decide how to use their land, what crops to plant and what supplies to buy. Farmers granted leases to unused land.
• Lifted ban on Cubans buying consumer goods such as computers, DVD players, microwave ovens and other electronic appliances previously prohibited due to energy crisis.
• Cubans can now stay at hotels at beach resorts previously reserved for foreigners only, ending a "tourism apartheid" that was a source of resentment.
• As of April 14, Cubans will be allowed to freely buy and use cellular telephones, a service that only government officials and foreign companies had access to until now.
• Reduced bureaucracy for filling medical prescriptions and began revamping family doctor program in response to public complaints it was understaffed.

For special coverage from Reuters on the changes in Cuba, see: http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/cuba

Change! (Could you spare some?)

There’s a lot of talk about change in Cuba these days, and it’s true, exciting things are afoot. But what does it all really add up to? For the first time, Cubans are “allowed” (as in: it was illegal before) to purchase things like pressure cookers, rechargeable electric bicycles and in a few weeks, cell phones! They have even been granted the “right” to stay in the “tourist only” hotels that they have been bard from for so many years. All this is pretty big, and must be embraced as steps in the right direction, but even in the US we are familiar with the difference between being “allowed” to do something and “able” to do something. Consider that our own, all American Disneyworld is open to everyone. Everyone that is, who can afford the $71 per person to get in (Walt must be spinning in his grave!). For a family of four that would be about 1/10 of our monthly income, making it occasionally possible with lots of prior planning. But what about actual daily needs in relation to an average Cuban salary? Imagine that the tube of toothpaste you squeezed this morning cost 1/8 of your monthly salary. To begin with you’d squeeze quite a bit less on your toothbrush. Now bump it up a bit, how about a small “pressure cooker” that costs four times your monthly household income (and that’s a bargain price), or one night in a tourist hotel that costs more than what you (and all other average citizens) make all year? You get the picture. Even though you may be allowed to do something, it doesn’t mean you can.

Two years ago when the US dollar was the main “hard currency” in Cuba, my Cuban friends would accompany me to the “dollar stores” where imported goods and produce were sold for good old American “greenbacks” which Cubans had to purchase with their salaries that were paid in pesos. At first I found it humorous that they referred to these stores as “museums” but I soon realized how this pet name demonstrated the irony in being “allowed” to look but never even hope to buy one of the high priced items on display, like a pop up toaster. Not to sound cynical but today my friends have the freedom and right to visit even more “museums” and see even more high priced items than ever before! (OK, maybe just a hint of cynicism there).

Still, I do believe these are truly good and worthwhile steps to take, but these changes will only become relevant to the average Cuban when they are “able” (even with sacrifice) to obtain what they are now “allowed”.

…It’s so tempting to end there. Sounds like a neat and clean wrap up encapsulating my current thoughts on a nicely packaged presentation. But my conscience won’t let me do that, trust me, I tried. It’s messier in my mind than the words let on. Economic or political commentaries don’t mean a thing to my friends in Pinar del Rio suffering with giardia and dengue fever. There’s more in the mix. There’s the body of Christ, the Word of God, His divine providence for Cuba, the World at large and my respectively tiny, quiet, nebulous current job description of “serving the Cuban Church”. The bottom line question I have to ask is: “How does the Gospel of Jesus Christ inform the way I approach this (or any other) problem?” What hope does Calvary bring to the Caribbean and the Church in Cuba? If I’m not willing to apply the Gospel to the problems of Cuba, be they political, social, economic or otherwise, then I’m ignoring God’s one and only answer to the very foundational problem that Cuba faces…sin. Which ironically is the very same problem the United States as a whole, and I as an individual face. We just put different names on what God simply and clearly calls “sin”. So as I go about my work I find myself repeating the plea of a father asking the Lord to heal his son in Mark 9, “Lord I believe! Help my unbelief!”

Lord; I do believe you gave your final and definitive answer to suffering, death and sin in Christ’s sacrifice, -help my unbelief as I encourage my friend who sees no other way to feed his family but though the black market.

Lord, I do believe and hope in things unseen, in Your Kingdom come, -help my unbelief as I see husbands and wives, parents and children torn apart by earthly kingdoms.

Lord I do believe You have conquered sin, -help my unbelief as I proclaim that truth over my own angry, spiteful, unforgiving heart.

Lord, Your Grace is amazing! Let it amaze me as I look at how You continuously love and care for me and my family, and how You love and care for Your Bride, the Church in Cuba…

Amen.

Lessons We’ve Learned from our Kids

Lessons #7

1. When a 4 year old says "I can do it by myself", beware! Especially if it has anything to do with the toilet or breakable items.
2. Baby wipes do not work for cleaning computer screens or eyeglasses.
3. Clorox wipes are NOT substitutable for baby wipes.
4. It’s important for children to know who their parents are: Claudia asked Jeremy: “What is daddy’s name?" Jeremy: “Mr. Kevin Abegg”. Claudia: “Good! What’s Mommy’s name?” Jeremy: “Mommy Mr. Kevin Abegg!”
5. When you're impressed by the job you did in the bathroom, the whole world, including strangers at the supermarket, need to know about it.
6. After explaining to Jeremy that it takes money to buy toys, and that money comes from working at a job, Jeremy concluded: “Then I need to find a job for Nicholas”.
7. The ponderings of Boys and Men are often the same. A few weeks ago Jeremy asked: “Mommy, are girls human?” (He's promised to let daddy know if he ever finds an answer.)
8. God's love and joy can be heard in the laughter of little boys.
9. Further Ponderings: Jeremy exclaims: "Look! I've got hair on my leg!" Daddy asks: "Are you turning into a monkey?" Jeremy: "No! I'm turning into a daddy!"
10. If you give a hundred monkeys (or two little boys) a camera...

If you would like to see more of the boy's "artwork", click: Jeremy’s Photo Album (With Guest Photographer…Nicholas)

Click here for the entire list of "Lessons We've Learned from our Kids"

What a story!

I heard a report on my way to work yesterday about a baby Jesus that was stolen from one of the displays at a local shopping establishment. Following the report, one of the radio personalities commented: “Whoever steals a baby Jesus at Christmas is in for some really bad Karma!”.

Every Christmas I ask the Lord to impress upon me a new aspect of what celebrating our Savior's birth means to this world, my family and my own life. Following the “kidnapped Jesus” news report I found myself reflecting on the Gospel storyline, and how it’s packed with drama, intrigue, harrowing escapes, betrayal, dirty politics, supernatural events and dazzling ghost like appearances. It has all the makings of today’s best sellers or a blockbuster movie, yet we are (or at least I am) so VERY familiar with “that baby in the stable” that the event loses the crushing impact that it truly deserves. If the reality shattering power of what Almighty God did through an event that literally defines all prior and succeeding history can be so easily lost for someone like myself that was raised in the Church, it’s no wonder that the world sees little more than a plastic light up baby and good or bad karma during the Christmas season!

So what does Christmas mean for me as I dig through e-mails, respond to phone calls or converse with pastors regarding Cuba ministry? This year I am especially drawn to the name of “Emmanuel” or “God is with us”. The name that the Angel gave Mary for the baby she would give birth to (see Matthew 1). His name exemplified the unthinkable idea that the All Powerful-Creator God would literally be with us in a new, very tangible, and eternally significant way.

I have always been moved by Old Testament passages where God shows Himself to “be with” his people. I think of uncompromising Daniel as he is thrown into a cave filled with lions (Daniel 6); of David as a boy standing before a battle hardened, giant warrior with nothing but a few small stones (1 Samuel 17); of Gideon and a few ill equipped men before a mighty and experienced army (Judges 6-8); of Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego seconds before being hurled into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3); and of Abraham ready to sacrifice his only beloved son –the miracle child that God had finally given him in his old age (Genesis 22). God was with each of them in the midst of unimaginable fear and uncertainty. They couldn't know how things would turn out, and by human standards could only anticipate unimaginable pain, suffering and death. But He was there, exemplified in undeniable movements of His mighty hand. Still, all those things -in fact all of history itself, lead up to that precise moment when God took on the very form of His own creation and was physically “with us” for the specific purpose of salvation in the definitive, ultimate and final sacrifice of His Own Blood.

May the Lord impress upon your heart a new, fresh understanding of what Christmas means and an overwhelming joy of what we have to celebrate in our Lord's birth.

Cuba Pastors Book Project

The average Cuban pastor that we work with will have at his disposal a Spanish Language Bible equating to the English King James version, and a basic Bible Commentary (which can be for the better or worse depending on the author). In the past we have found that shipping materials from the U.S. is very complicated given the state of affairs between our two countries. Nearly any literature arriving to Cuba from the U.S. is seen as highly suspect, often resulting in confiscation or “disappearance” en route.

Thankfully though, our ministry has hundreds of “associate ministry” partnerships throughout Central and South America including various publishing companies that are willing to assist in our goal of providing literature to those pastors who don’t have access to the materials they need.

As we get this new project off the ground we are seeking donors who would like to help offset the cost of printing the materials and mailing them directly to these pastors. If you are interested in hearing more about this project, praying for it or becoming a financial partner, please do not hesitate to contact us or make a donation (see Missionary Support & Financial Gift Links at upper right of page).

Here Comes Christmas!

Just the other day our two year old Nicholas walked into the living room where I was struggling to get the Abegg Christmas tree into its proper corner. As he gazed at the lights, he began to smile from ear to ear and exclaimed: “Daddy, that’s a lot of Christmas!” Both Nico and older brother Jeremy are excited about Christmas, especially the gifts…food…gifts…lights and of coarse…gifts. Claudia and I hope that this year will bring a deeper understanding and wonder of the true meaning of Christmas for the both of them. We do realize that we have to be very intentional to balance out the things they see in the stores or while watching TV with the Historical and Biblical reality of what Christmas means today.

We have found the testimonies of those we serve in our ministry to the Cuban Churches to help in giving our boys a better perspective on Christmas. It was only 10 years ago that any celebration of Christmas was illegal. When Claudia and I first visited the island in December of 1999, only a few lights or ornaments were visible in homes, yet there was an almost tangible sense of awe that permeated the churches as they anticipated celebrating our Savior’s arrival. Today, more lights and decorations can be seen, but still no post-Thanksgiving “black Friday” rush on the poorly stocked stores, no traffic jams around the non-existent shopping malls and no internet access means no online purchases for the perfect gift, even if a $14/month salary could afford them.

As a Cuban pastor once told me: “For us, Christmas isn’t in a box with ribbons, we just can’t do that. It’s found in a simple, dirty manger that shepherds and angels once visited”. –This is a good reminder for my own family as we enjoy the abundant blessings we have this Christmas.

With the year coming to a close, we want to thank those of you who partner with us for your faith and trust in the Lord and what He is doing in the Cuban Church. Thank you again for your support and your encouraging friendship and we hope you have a very profound and merry Christmas

Lessons We've Learned From Our Kids

12-2-07 Lessons #6

1. Fish tanks and cell phones don’t mix. Neither do fish tanks and puzzles, keyless remotes or battery operated toys.
   
2. Unexplained hair loss in a 2 year old does not necessarily mean a disease, just that his older brother is now tall enough to reach the scissors.
3. At the most inconvenient times a small child can have a very long memory and a very loud voice.
4. "Teachable moments" are more like "teachable milliseconds" with three year olds.
5. In the hands of a four year old, a yo-yo holds a strong resemblance in appearance and practice to a certain medieval weapon known as a "mace".
6. Think long and hard before teaching kids how to: -Juggle: they will not necessarily choose soft items (as grandpa Abegg found out); -Fish: when a lake isn’t available, the fish tank is very tempting; -Use volume controls: clock radios become early AM time bombs; -Use flashlights: they will never be there when you need them; -Turn off a garden hose: they are smart enough to turn it on again when you aren’t around.
7. If you want to use the bathroom in private, hold it until the kids are in bed for the night…but even then there are no guarantees!
8. God can, and will speak through toddlers when He so desires, and the faith of a child that Jesus spoke of in Mark 18 is a very real and powerful thing.

For all of our previous "lessons" plus pix please visit our "Lessons from Kids" page.