As my husband and I stepped on the plane that was bound for Cuba I realized that someone had kindly already used up all my overhead storage so the only place left for my luggage was square in my lap. I tried to do the “Christian thing” and have a joyful giving heart, but it didn’t work- inside I was grumbling against the person who made me uncomfortable for a whole 45 minutes.

After about one hour of waiting to pick up our luggage from the Havana airport, we finally asked one of the airport workers where our things were, “Oh it will take another 3 or 4 hours. The luggage was sent in another plane” she said without apology before walking away. This left me fuming and uncomfortable again but this time for another 4 hours. It was then that I began to understand the daily struggles of the Cuban people.

It was through the Center of Restoration Ministry in Havana that God deeply convicted me. As we walked around we noticed that “comfort” was a foreign word. Many of the Cubans living in the ministry had previously been homeless, residing in the sewer or the street. There were 7 or 8 people to a room that would usually fit one person here in the States. The “beds” were just simple slabs of wood, many without a pillow or even a cover. The floors were manufactured by the Pastor in order to make more room for the people who lived there. The ministry was forced to make the flooring themselves because “we have tried to wait and be patient with the government to supply our needs, but I refuse to turn anyone away for lack of room. So I built more room for God’s children, the best way I could”. Looking down from the third floor I saw all the way to the first floor. The flooring was made of thin pieces of wood and scrap materials but unfortunately the homemade flooring did not cover the entire space. There were holes strewn throughout the floor and we had to use caution with our steps so that we would not fall through.

And here is where the Lord turned the knife already in my heart; amidst all the struggles the people were facing they had longsuffering, peace and joy. While I got frustrated when someone encroached on my space in the airplane, this Pastor was cutting out of his own space to make room for others. While I was annoyed that my luggage would take a few more hours, this ministry has been waiting for years in order to get a few more wooden beds in place so that each person could have their own sleeping space.

To put it simply, God put my whining in perspective. And through this humbling experience He changed me, every time I go to sleep at night in my warm comfortable bed I am grateful and I remember to pray for my brothers and sisters in Cuba for whom comfort is not an option.

by: Jessica E. Pineda