One of the most important things to know when you are working with people is the culture around you, but it is not always easy to understand. We can often overlook things that are right in front of us or even ignore facts that are obvious because they are difficult or dealing with them might be risky.
Cuba is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, but the most beautiful part really is the people. Understanding the setting is much different than where I live is important.
James 1:5 NLT
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
We need God’s help to understand all things around us and even to understand ourselves. He knows all because He is the creator as well as the keeper of life and the giver of purpose. I really want to see people through His eyes.
Cuba is a very different culture from where I live. Let me put some of my thoughts together, and my hope is that this will help you pray for the sports ministry that I have been talking about the last several weeks.
It is a country of great poverty and one that works in far different ways than most are used to. There are very few people of means or wealth. Yet I have found the ones I know to be content and grateful to rely on God for what they have. There is little room for change economically.
Coming out of covid has changed many things as well. Food is in big shortage. Prices of all materials and almost everything is much higher. The median income for a family is below $50 a month. When I started going to Cuba in 2019, things were hard to get, but now some things are next to impossible to find. And during covid there has been ample opportunity to share needed items such as food and medicine. The sports ministry has done much of this.
It is legal to share the Gospel, and the churches and ministries are free to serve and share. The main religion is Catholic but really is more cultural than practiced.
The people are kind and willing to help their neighbors. I find them not only open to others but interested in making a difference. They love sports, especially soccer and baseball.
That is enough for the differences, but one thing that connects us all is our need for Jesus. What connects me to these great people and their work is the common desire to meet needs to to share Jesus with others.
We have to understand the culture around us whether in our backyard or across the world. One of my mentors said to me years ago, “the light that shines farthest must necessarily shine brightest at home.” That means that we should not be going other places to do what we are not willing to do at home. That is why this ministry continues to have my heart.
Ephesians 3:18 NLT
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
I am grateful to be part of a work making a great difference in the lives of people in a place like Virginia and in Cuba.
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