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Potrerillo Odyssey
January 1 2008 / ShareHim in Cuba, Feb. 23 - Mar. 10 '07 #238by Sue Kennedy
Personal Testimony of Sue Kennedy.
The trip to Cuba was the most amazing experience of my life1 When we got to Cancun and got on Mexicana Airlines, my computer case would not fit into the overhead compartment. So the attendant put my computer in the hold of the aircraft and gave me a ticket to claim it upon landing in Havana. Needless to say, I was a bit worried that my computer would not actually be there when we landed, but I should have known that God would look out for it.
That ticket sure came in handy as we were taking in about 1,000 crafts for the children of the churches we would be participating at. At the Havana airport, as I was going through customs, the agent was checking tag numbers. When we had landed, we all just grabbed a black bag that had crafts in it regardless of whose it was. So when the agent said my numbers did not match, I pulled out the ticket that was given to me on the plane for my computer and handed it to him. He motioned me and everyone else in our group with the same type bag through without checking them. What a blessing that was because the people at my church in Potrerillo could not believe that we got all those crafts into the country without any problems.
The people of Potrerillo are so loving. The town is in the country, and they are so poor but so giving. Every night Emma Brown (my associate from the Cottonwood Church), my interpreter, Katerine, Manuel, our driver, and I were treated to a wonderful meal prepared by different families. Our Pastor, Bernaldo Sanches, and his wife Danelis and their little daughter "Betty" hosted the dinner, and we had so much fun. My Spanish was very rusty, but by the end of two weeks, I was able to speak a little better Spanish than when I first arrived.
We had on average a 110 people come every night. That included between 20 - 30 children every night. My interpreter was of the Pentecostal faith, but on the last night, she and another interpreter gave their stand for Christ and the Adventist message. Katerine was concerned about how she was going to tell her mother about her decision, but God intervened on her behalf. I had given Katerine a book called "The Ten Commandments Twice Removed." Her mother read the book and said they were going to the Adventist Church in Cueto where they lived. You see, Katerine lived with Pastor Sanchez and his family while she interpreted for me, leaving her seven-year-old son and her mother at home in Cueto while she came to Potrerillo. She loves the Lord that much.
We had only three baptisms while I was there, another three were baptized the following week, and another ten were preparing for baptism in August.
I have kept in touch with Pastor Sanchez, whom I've unofficially adopted as my son, by email. He can't email very often, but he does keep in touch whenever he can. I've also kept in touch with several others by email. I would love to go back to Potrerillo in the future. I've been asked by Pastor Sanchez to come again soon. Emma Brown and I were voted in as "honorary members of the Potrerillo Church" the last night we were there.
This is the greatest experience I have ever had! I cannot wait to go back to Cuba. God willing, I will.
That ticket sure came in handy as we were taking in about 1,000 crafts for the children of the churches we would be participating at. At the Havana airport, as I was going through customs, the agent was checking tag numbers. When we had landed, we all just grabbed a black bag that had crafts in it regardless of whose it was. So when the agent said my numbers did not match, I pulled out the ticket that was given to me on the plane for my computer and handed it to him. He motioned me and everyone else in our group with the same type bag through without checking them. What a blessing that was because the people at my church in Potrerillo could not believe that we got all those crafts into the country without any problems.
The people of Potrerillo are so loving. The town is in the country, and they are so poor but so giving. Every night Emma Brown (my associate from the Cottonwood Church), my interpreter, Katerine, Manuel, our driver, and I were treated to a wonderful meal prepared by different families. Our Pastor, Bernaldo Sanches, and his wife Danelis and their little daughter "Betty" hosted the dinner, and we had so much fun. My Spanish was very rusty, but by the end of two weeks, I was able to speak a little better Spanish than when I first arrived.
We had on average a 110 people come every night. That included between 20 - 30 children every night. My interpreter was of the Pentecostal faith, but on the last night, she and another interpreter gave their stand for Christ and the Adventist message. Katerine was concerned about how she was going to tell her mother about her decision, but God intervened on her behalf. I had given Katerine a book called "The Ten Commandments Twice Removed." Her mother read the book and said they were going to the Adventist Church in Cueto where they lived. You see, Katerine lived with Pastor Sanchez and his family while she interpreted for me, leaving her seven-year-old son and her mother at home in Cueto while she came to Potrerillo. She loves the Lord that much.
We had only three baptisms while I was there, another three were baptized the following week, and another ten were preparing for baptism in August.
I have kept in touch with Pastor Sanchez, whom I've unofficially adopted as my son, by email. He can't email very often, but he does keep in touch whenever he can. I've also kept in touch with several others by email. I would love to go back to Potrerillo in the future. I've been asked by Pastor Sanchez to come again soon. Emma Brown and I were voted in as "honorary members of the Potrerillo Church" the last night we were there.
This is the greatest experience I have ever had! I cannot wait to go back to Cuba. God willing, I will.