Dear Everybody:

When I last wrote I had just arrived in Jamaica as hurricane Isadore went past. Since then, hurricane Lily went through too causing only a few deaths in Jamaica but lots of rain and flooding. My flight to Cuba was the day after regular flights resumed.

After first arriving in Jamaica from Haiti, I had no energy and I was chilly most of the time. I attributed it to the hurricane related rains that never stopped. Upon arrival in Cuba, however, I just seemed to get more tired and nauseous, too. Because Cuba is swarming with doctors, a couple of them came to see me including a specialist in endemic diseases like malaria (which has been eradicated from Cuba for a long time). They did a bunch of blood tests and gave me a two week course of two different kinds of medication, one to kill the adult parasite, and one to kill the nasty little malaria eggs living in my liver. Over the next few weeks I slowly felt better. Their help was all free, thanks to Fidel's communists. I had almost forgotten what it was like to feel well. 

I failed to learn Spanish during the three weeks I was in Cuba. Apparently it takes longer than that. However, I learned a lot more about Cuba that I did not learn on my previous trip. One thing I like about Cuba is that there are policemen and transportation officials who make the 50s model American trucks stop to pick up hitchhikers. Unfortunately, foreigners are only supposed to use tourist transportation so a lot of the time I had to remain silent as we traveled and I tried to look Hispanic. I traveled to many different places with Pastor Perez, hitchhiking. We visited people and house churches in a number of different towns. Most encouraging to me was an old man I met in Chaparra. He was 92 years old. He explained that he has been a communist for 91 years and he had written Das Kapitalbut now he is a Christian and has allowed his home to be used as a house church. 

Pastor Perez restarted the Berean (reformed) Baptist church in Cuba. Originally Americans had come and started that church in Cuba but they all left after the revolution. Saddened by the loss of this church in Cuba, Pastor Perez decided to restart it. Unfortunately, the Cuban government refuses to recognize any religious organizations started after 1990 so the Berean church is an illegal church. It makes things very hard but nonetheless it had grown to a movement of 20 house churches and more than a dozen pastors along with a small bible school. I was very impressed with all the folks I met in the churches because it can be unpleasant to align oneself against the communist party. The church has had a number of buildings confiscated by the government, and members are occasionally called in for questioning by the police. While I was there the communists announced that they were going to confiscate a building used by the church that is adjacent to the Perez home and everybody was very upset about it. 

I flew in and out of Santiago on this trip. Santiago is also known as hero city because it is the place where the revolution started and is still where communism is strongest. It is also where Santaria is most widely practiced. Santaria is the Cuban equivalent of Haitian Voodoo. I didnt get the chance to learn much about Santaria, but its followers often dress all in white with colorful beaded necklaces. The art and symbology is similar to Voodoo with catholic saints being given a twist, and skeletons holding crosses and that sort of thing. I came to realize that Santaria is very closely tied to communism. Walking through Santiago I came upon a dance or ceremony or something where the art on the walls included a lot of Santaria stuff along with a framed portrait of Castro and another of Che Guivera. 

In Santiago (as in all of Cuba) it was perfectly safe for me to wander around any part of the city at any time of day or night because policemen swarm around even more thickly than doctors. The police also questioned me in great detail and looked through the files in my laptop computer, which I didn't appreciate at all. Cuba stands in stark contrast to Haiti, where the police wont come at all if they think they might get hurt, and any foreigner can come into the country and do whatever they want. When went to stay the night at the pastors brothers apartment in Santiago the pastor spoke incomprehensible Spanish to me as we walked to the building out of fear that the authorities would place his brother under suspicion for housing an American. I developed a new appreciation for the freedoms that I take for granted. 

I greatly enjoyed my trip to Cuba and only wished I spoke Spanish and could contribute more. 

Now that I'm back in Jamaica and healthy again I have been volunteering at a children's home close to the YWAM base. There are 25 kids aged 0-5 and I have been fixing stuff, painting stuff, and killing and feathering chickens but mostly I have been spending time with the kids. I really enjoy it but it can be very tiring. When you pick up one kid, all the rest of the attention-starved children want to be picked up as well. 

I am flying back into Portland on November 14, and I am really looking forward to it. I really appreciate everyone's continued support as I try to figure out what I am doing. However, I ask that you don't send me any money after I get back for the duration of the time I am back home. I don't feel comfortable taking money when I'm not working. I don't anticipate a problem with money. 

Unfortunately, I still haven't decided where to go or what to do after the new year but I'm thinking about it. 

Blessings, Chris