First Stop…Miami
A few months ago, I felt the Lord nudging me to go down to Miami, where Yaili is staying with her family receiving medical treatment for a pituitary tumor, to encourage her and take her some money that had been given specifically for her medical treatment. When I told Jeff, I was kind of expecting some push back because I didn’t think he’d be ok with me going to Miami without him, but all he said was, “Take Glenda with you.” Glenda Escobar is a good friend who has been to Cuba with us many times and is a great translator. Awesome…me and Glenda take on Miami. Then Catheryn Collins, another friend who has been to Cuba several times, told me she’d been looking at flights to Miami to go encourage Yaili. The Lord put together a team and a mission. Jeff said, “Well, as long as we’re that close to Havana, I’ll meet up with you guys and we’ll make a supply run.”
Pictured above left to right: Sonja, Yaili, Glenda, Catheryn, and me.
We headed out for Miami with a soft agenda. I knew I’d like to connect Yaili with Glenda’s aunt Sonja, who is an absolute walking miracle and a strong prayer warrior. I also wanted to see about connecting Yaili with a church in the area. One of Yaili’s struggles while in Miami has been the lack of Christian friendships. The other thing I needed to do was to give her some money for the many co-pays she has. Like I said, this was all a very soft agenda, I was really curious how the Lord would lead us…and HE NEVER DISAPPOINTS!
We were so glad to find out after we arrived that Yaili had connected with some friends from Havana, who had arrived in Miami about 12 years ago. They had invited Yaili to church with them. On Sunday, we went to her church and met the pastor, Juan Luis. He and a team from his church were planning on a trip to Cuba to take in much needed supplies. I knew Jeff needed to meet him, and arranged a meeting the next day when Jeff arrived. After meeting with him we have committed to helping them in their efforts and they are excited about helping us! I guess we’re TRECing in Miami now!
At lunch that afternoon, Yaili’s friends were talking about a place they heard about outside of Havana that was like a Costco. Now, not for one minute did I believe there was such a place, but they insisted so I told Yaili that we’d try to find it. Now, on to Havana!
Next Stop…Havana
It turns out (oh me of little faith) there actually is something like a Costco outside of Havana! It took us several hours to find it by first going to the general area and then stopping and asking many people and exploring many sketchy places that looked like abandoned industrial parks…but our persistence paid off! It’s as close to a Costco that I’ve ever seen, and they had a fully stocked warehouse of all the things we’ve been lugging over to help our friends. So, now we will be making purchases online, and they will be able to pick up the order there. It was such a great blessing to find this resource. Thank all of you who were faithful to go to our Amazon wish list (https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/22X0PIUPR7SFA?ref_=wl_share) and purchase beans, rice, and other items for us to take. I’ll be revising that list so we can take in the items we aren’t able to get there. I need to say, we still haven’t made the first trial run purchase, but we’re trusting the Lord that it will all go smoothly!
I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name. Isaiah 45:3
One other quick story. One night we were at Yunior’s house eating dinner with the family and Yunior brought out a loaf of bread he had made. It was beautiful!! He told us that the bread maker that we brought them has saved their lives. Now, I thought that was a little dramatic and said something to that effect. Yunior looked me straight in my eyes, and said, “No, sister it has literally saved our lives.” I told him that when that bread machine had belonged to me it never produced a single edible loaf of bread. It was a piece of junk at my house. The Lord told me to take it to them, and I was a little embarrassed because I knew it wasn’t that good. But, in Yunior’s hands, it has been a lifesaver. We were happy to find a 50 lb bag of flour at Cuba Costco, so there will be many more loaves of bread for Yunior to make. If you have a bread machine you no longer use, I would be happy to pack it in my suitcase so we can help another family.
We are so privileged to be able to work with you to share the Gospel around the world and tell you about how the Lord is moving and answering prayers. You have been a constant in so many people’s lives, and I don’t think that you will ever know this side of heaven what a difference you are truly making. THANK YOU! You are making a difference in our lives, too. Thank you for loving and supporting us as we TREC together.
Jeff & Trudy
Don't Forget!
The Annual TREC International-Stan Sherlin Memorial Golf Tournament is coming up on October 16th. You will find the registration forms on the website…just follow the link. We know it will be a great day, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone.
