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 The two spoke as one |
 Prayer before Preaching |
 When language isn't necessary |
I Would Do It for One
June 17 2012 / ShareHim in Cuba A, Apr. 20 - May. 5 '12 #551by Ron Joch
Campaign Site Narrative from Jaguey Grande, Jaguey Grande in Cuba A. The speaker assigned to this site was Ron Joch.
LLocation: Jaguey Grande, Matanzas, Cuba
Average Church member attendance: 59
Average Visitor attendance: 29.5
Average/night decisions: 13
Baptisms: 9
Studying for baptism: 40
Jaguey Grande is a small city of about 10,000 people in Matanzas province about 50 kilometers north of the Bay of Pigs located in the midst of large orange and mango orchards. This is a clean and tidy city, quiet and orderly except when their provincial baseball team advances to the next level of the national playoffs.
This city, where I was to preach, served as the hub from which Pastor Gary Potter, our mentor, and Mark Frog Harris went out to the surrounding communities of Colon and Pedro Bettancourt respectively.
The church in Jaguey under Pastor Williams Elias Martinez is an active and effusive congregation which took me into its arms as one of their own. The family of God is an amazing organism.
The Cuban greeting of a kiss on the right cheek meant that I ended up kissing and being kissed more times than in my entire life: the blessing of the kiss of Christian fellowship cannot be understated.
My translator, Yanet, was a petite, fiery, dynamo with a passion for preaching the gospel. This was her third ShareHim campaign and she was a real pleasure to work with. We made a good team. Her husband, Rafael, stepped in her twice.
Our daily routine consisted of devotions, debriefing and an overview of that evening’s presentation at Pastor Gary’s B&B. Then it was back to our rooms to edit and practice and pray. Lunch was served at Pastor Williams’ small apartment and prepared by his wife. I also took supper in their home.
Each evenings preaching began around eight and ended between 9:30 and 10.
For me the greatest spiritual blessing was not the numbers that came out to the meetings but the realization that God had heard the prayers of individuals for individuals and used me as his tool to bring them into closer relationship with himself. It made me realize in practice what I had always been taught, that God places no cost on answering the prayer of a sincere petitioner. It was a deeply humbling and powerful experience to be used this way by God. All I can say is, “God, use me again.”
Average Church member attendance: 59
Average Visitor attendance: 29.5
Average/night decisions: 13
Baptisms: 9
Studying for baptism: 40
Jaguey Grande is a small city of about 10,000 people in Matanzas province about 50 kilometers north of the Bay of Pigs located in the midst of large orange and mango orchards. This is a clean and tidy city, quiet and orderly except when their provincial baseball team advances to the next level of the national playoffs.
This city, where I was to preach, served as the hub from which Pastor Gary Potter, our mentor, and Mark Frog Harris went out to the surrounding communities of Colon and Pedro Bettancourt respectively.
The church in Jaguey under Pastor Williams Elias Martinez is an active and effusive congregation which took me into its arms as one of their own. The family of God is an amazing organism.
The Cuban greeting of a kiss on the right cheek meant that I ended up kissing and being kissed more times than in my entire life: the blessing of the kiss of Christian fellowship cannot be understated.
My translator, Yanet, was a petite, fiery, dynamo with a passion for preaching the gospel. This was her third ShareHim campaign and she was a real pleasure to work with. We made a good team. Her husband, Rafael, stepped in her twice.
Our daily routine consisted of devotions, debriefing and an overview of that evening’s presentation at Pastor Gary’s B&B. Then it was back to our rooms to edit and practice and pray. Lunch was served at Pastor Williams’ small apartment and prepared by his wife. I also took supper in their home.
Each evenings preaching began around eight and ended between 9:30 and 10.
For me the greatest spiritual blessing was not the numbers that came out to the meetings but the realization that God had heard the prayers of individuals for individuals and used me as his tool to bring them into closer relationship with himself. It made me realize in practice what I had always been taught, that God places no cost on answering the prayer of a sincere petitioner. It was a deeply humbling and powerful experience to be used this way by God. All I can say is, “God, use me again.”