Arrival in Cuba – Our plane finally took off from the Toronto airport almost exactly 12 hours after the scheduled departure. As a result, we arrived at our hotel with very little sleep, but still smiling, around 1:00 am. This necessitated a slight change to plans for today in order to have students and chaperones who would be capable of functioning effectively. Consequently, we had a late start and a restful afternoon, but as you will hear from Shannan and Lily, our evening was full and exciting.

Waking up in Cuba was a great start to an even greater day. We were supposed to work on a farm in the morning, but as we were told, our middle name is flexible, and that didn’t happen. We weren’t able to make it for the morning because of our late night yesterday, and they weren’t in need of help in the afternoon. So, we got a beach day. Some of us caught more sun than we probably needed. *cough cough Shannan*

Lily – After our time at the beach, we took a bus to a local church where we attended a youth service. It was intimidating at first, but soon we felt right at home. The interactive worship had us all jumping… literally. Although, the service was in Spanish, and it was difficult to follow the translator, we all got something out of the experience. Shannan and I are very excited to go back tomorrow, to get more involved, and to dance more with the Cuban youth.

Shannan – During our time at the youth event, I learned a lot more about Cuban culture. Dancing and worshipping until we were drenched with sweat sent us back to the hotel not feeling tired in the slightest. Even though I got sunburnt, it did not distract me from learning. The worship really brought a presence of joy and the presence of God. All in all, it was the best day I’ve ever had

PRAYER REQUEST: The changes in our travel from Toronto to Cuba have had a few ripple effects in our schedule here in Cuba. This coming Monday, we have been asked to travel to two churches near Havana to participate in a youth group assembly and a baseball ministry. This is a trip of 3 hours each direction and will cost more than we had anticipated. However, Pastor Lewis who is a district church leader explained that these churches are anticipating fellowshipping with us. We believe that God is calling us to respond to this opportunity to encourage his church here in Cuba. Approximately $1000 is necessary to cover the bus rental and accommodations for this ministry. If you would like to assist with this need, please contact the school office for information.