Hope for Orphans has visited and served in North Korea, Haiti, China, Thailand, South Korea, Ukraine, Guatemala, Honduras and Canada, but nothing has quite been like what we have seen in Cuba.
Over the last year and half, HFO has had the privilege to get to know churches and Christians in Cuba. The biggest thing we’ve noticed about believers in Cuba is their joy. It’s not based in money or possessions. It’s not even based in their families’ security. It’s based in a much deeper security—the reality and power of the Gospel.
The Church in Cuba
When you compare the church in Cuba with the American church, the differences are arresting. The church in Cuba isn’t divided over territory or minor theological differences. Their goals don’t focus on numbers and Facebook likes. When you live in a country where the average person makes $22 per month and the government owns almost everything, you have a lot less opportunity for ego. In other words, living in this environment has forced Cuban Christians to see what truly matters much more clearly.
But it is also true that orphans have been almost the exclusive responsibility of the state for nearly 50 years. Most pastors in Cuba have never visited an orphanage or intentionally ministered to abandoned or fatherless kids.
Our Opportunity
Hope for Orphans wants to take what we have learned over the last 15 years of supporting the local church in America and support communities of faith in Cuba in caring for the disabled, the fatherless, and the struggling. We want to learn how to serve the local church in the Cuban way to make a difference for the most vulnerable there.
As we’ve spoken to Cuban churches about this kind of ministry, we’ve seen excitement and energy for this vision. They are eager to bring the love of Christ to the children of Cuba, but they still need resources and support.
Over the next year, we want to introduce American believers and churches to how they can serve and support the Cuban people and the needy children there. We believe that this type of work is not only a means of meeting needs—it also becomes a priceless opportunity to experience the spectacular reality of God.
These are people who have found ways to keep 50-year-old cars not only running but looking gorgeous. These are people who have struggled in the daily lives of family with the impact of an embargo the existed before they were born. Yet these are people who still believe that God has not forgotten Cuba and that God still has good plans for them.
Three ways you can join us in this opportunity:
- Pray. Please join us in praying for the orphans and the churches of Cuba, and please pray for HFO as we seek to serve them.
- Give. We rely on your giving to meet with and serve Cuban pastors and churches, and we are so grateful from the support we’ve already received. You can click here to give towards our work in Cuba—please specify in the comments that you would like this gift to go towards our work in Cuba.
- Get connected. If your church is interested in supporting a church in Cuba in mercy ministries, please let us know by emailing us at hopefororphans@hopefororphans.com