A Return to Cuba in
April, 2016
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| The People of St. Francis, Cardenas |
In early April 14 travelers from New Hampshire spent one
week in Cuba. For some in the group, it was a second and even third visit in
three years to the island nation. Christ Church in Exeter is a companion parish
of St. Francis of Assisi church in Cardenas.
St. John’s in Portsmouth sent four of its parishioners on this latest
trip and has been wonderful partners in this ministry.
What draws us to Cuba and keeps us returning is the clear
sense that we learn something new each time about the faith and resilience of
the people we meet. The worship
experiences in Cardenas are uplifting and inspiring. We have come to see one another as
family. The Episcopal Church in Cuba is
currently working to find a canonical way to return to being a part of the
Episcopal Church again (it was made autonomous, not of its choosing, in the
mid-1960’s as the two nations grew further apart politically and economically).
Our trip came only days after President Obama made his
historical visit to the island, signally an end the Cold War time warp that so
characterized the last five decades. By
chance and good fortune our group ate at the same small restaurant in Old
Havana as did the President with his family. The question on many Cubans’ minds
was apparent: will life really change in any noticeable way from closer ties to
the U.S.? Will the sense of hope in the
air be dashed yet again, as Cuba’s own leaders fail to respond to the new opening
and make meaningful changes in the economy and human rights that improve peoples’
lives?
We encountered many Americans trying to get to Cuba before
the flood gates of tourists open up and spoil and change what so many have been
captivated with but unable to see up close: the frozen in time look of today’s Cuba
looking like the 1960’s with fleets of classic American filling the
streets. It is clear that Cuba is not
capable of handling the quantity of tourists ready to come ashore.
One change from our visit in 2015 was the sight of public Wi-Fi
spaces springing up in the center of cities and towns. Smart phones, brought in
by visiting relatives or purchased with hard-earned convertible Cuban pesos,
lit up the evenings as adults, teens and even children chatted with friends and
did what many seek to have the freedom and right to: waste their time and money
online! Cubans, like youthful
populations around the world, are an aspirational people who want to be connected,
to eat out in a restaurant, to listen to music and to be lifted out from even a
few hours from their very mundane and ordinary lives.
Our mission purpose was to continue our ongoing project of
bringing and installing water purification systems. Clean drinking water is of
key concern for many in Cuba as the infrastructure has been neglected and water-born
illnesses continue to grow. This year we
worked collaboratively with Rotary International, especially the Exeter Rotary
Club, to purchase and transport seven systems – a group of ten Rotarians
arrived in Cuba as we departed. Rotary raised over $9000 for the project. We
successfully navigated the systems safely through customs and Rotary was able to
install three systems and sent the others to the interior region of the country
where few groups are able to visit. It
will be our responsibility to provide a supply of replacement parts and new
filters to the systems until the time comes when trade and commerce open
between the U.S. and Cuba.
One breakthrough and highlight of the trip was the openness
of a government-owned clinic in the small town on Limonar in Matanzas province
to receive a water system and the large donation of medical supplies. The local
Episcopal church worked with a representative of the Communist Party and clinic
officials to make the project possible.
From my 30 years experience in Cuba, this kind of contact would not have
been successful even a few years ago.
We pray and hope that our relationship with Cuba will grow
and flourish for years to come.
Mark B. Pendleton
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| Meeting staff of Clinic in Limonar where system would be installed |
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