In the study of biblical history and modern global missions, few concepts appear as contradictory as the coexistence of severe affliction and an abundance of joy, or extreme poverty and a wealth of generosity. These descriptions were famously used by the Apostle Paul to characterize the churches of Macedonia during his ministry, yet today, we see this exact “unfolding grace of God” manifesting within the nation of Cuba. While Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables depicted the struggles of 19th-century France, a contemporary translation of that title could easily be applied to the current state of the Cuban people, who are living in an island of abject misery and affliction. However, in the midst of this darkness, the church is thriving with a resplendent grace that brings immense glory to God.
The Landscape of Abject Misery
To understand the glory currently unfolding in Cuba, one must first comprehend the depth of the physical misery that defines daily life on the island. For those accustomed to the “color” of life in the United States, the immediate impression of Cuba is often one of a “black and white” reality, characterized by decay and a lack of basic resources. Today, Cuba is facing dire straits that are unparalleled in recent memory. The island is currently gripped by a severe energy crisis, resulting in blackouts that often exceed 18 hours a day across the entire nation.
This lack of electricity triggers a cascading failure of essential services. Without power, the pumps for running water fail to function, meaning that many people go for weeks without a proper shower or the ability to flush a toilet. The refrigeration of food becomes impossible, leading to further hunger in a land already struggling with food shortages. Furthermore, the nation is suffering from a total lack of medicine. The healthcare situation has become so horrific that individuals scheduled for surgery are often told they must provide their own sutures to the hospital. Compounding this systemic decay is the recent impact of a Category 3 hurricane that tore through Santiago, totally demolishing homes and leaving many families homeless.
A Decade of Life-Affirming Presence
Despite this visceral sense of living miserably, the church in Cuba has proven to be remarkably alive, happy, and hopeful. PassionLife’s direct connection to this island began in 2016 in a small beach town in Santiago. Over the past decade, this presence has expanded from one end of the island to the other through approximately 50 to 60 individual trips, fostering a network of believers dedicated to the sanctity of human life. What began as a single training session has grown into a movement that encompasses 23 different pregnancy help centers and ministries for women in crisis throughout the entire island.
This growth is especially significant given that the United States accounts for only 3% of the abortions that occur globally each year, leaving the remaining 97% of the crisis as a primary world missions challenge. We believe in rescuing the most vulnerable exactly where abortion is most concentrated, and in Cuba, this work is being led not by wealthy outsiders, but by local Christians who are using their own meager resources to reach mothers in need. This is the very definition of the “grace of God”: a severe test of affliction being matched by an abundance of joy and extreme poverty overflowing into a wealth of generosity.
The Joy of the Lord as Strength
One of the most breathtaking sights in modern Cuba is the spiritual resilience of the local church. In many congregations, the worship band continues to play and the people continue to praise the Lord even when the electricity cuts out and the room is plunged into darkness. In January of this year, a gathering of women was captured in a photograph—they were smiling and celebrating life despite 18-hour blackouts and a lack of food. Their joy is not a denial of their circumstances but is their actual strength, found in the fellowship of what the Lord is doing in their lives.
This spiritual vitality is personified by leaders like Pastor Javier and his wife, Elisa, whose home and church are filled with babies they have personally rescued from abortion. Similarly, in the town of Soney, Dr. Jordelis and his wife, Eelis, exemplify this dedication. They recently assisted a family with seven children who had become homeless after their house was demolished by the hurricane. Through the providential generosity of the church, including support filtered through PassionLife, these believers were able to buy a hut for this family, providing them with a roof and a kitchen. This rescue work, which begins in the womb, naturally expands into all kinds of directions to care for those in need.
The Miracle of Baby Moses
The glory of God in Cuba is perhaps best illustrated through individual stories of life-saving intervention, such as the case of “Baby Moses”. Born in 2022, Moses was the fourth child in his family. During the pregnancy, medical scans revealed that the child’s heart was reversed, and many voices urged the mother to pursue an abortion, as they did not want to be responsible for such a child. However, the local PassionLife volunteers and staff, including medical director Anna, refused to abandon the mother.
They brought her into Havana, where God provided the necessary surgeons and equipment to save the boy’s life. Today, Moses is a healthy four-year-old whose smile brings joy to his entire family. He stands as a living testament to a life that God predestined to be on this earth. This is just one of countless stories where the church has stepped into the gap to save lives that society had deemed disposable.
The Logistics of Relief and Networking
The practical expansion of this ministry across Cuba is due in large part to the networking of servant leaders like Sandy Canino in Havana. Sandy “grabbed the torch” after the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing the “four questions” training to coordinate volunteers and pastors across major cities like Bayamo. He has been instrumental in showing that even in a climate of severe affliction, a national life-saving ministry is doable.
Sandy serves as a vital link for the distribution of much-needed prenatal vitamins, medications, and pregnancy tests. He often hops on buses for 14 to 16 hours in the humid, mosquito-ridden heat to transport food, rice, and beans to various centers across the island. Because Sandy is still allowed to travel to neighboring countries like Mexico, he acts as a conduit for supplies provided by doctors and supporters from abroad.
This relief effort is a shared joy. While we provide tools like the “tiny baby” model—which represents what a human looks like at nine weeks of age—to help mothers visualize their children, the real work of compassion is carried out by everyone, regardless of wealth. It is not just the rich who find joy in giving; poor people also have something to give. We have seen individuals in the United States take it upon themselves to ship 400 pounds of food and medicine in multiple boxes and suitcases to help their brothers and sisters in Cuba, often paying more in shipping costs than for the items themselves. This individual initiative mirrors the generosity seen within Cuba itself.
An Invitation to Fertile Ground
Cuba remains “real fertile ground” for the Gospel and for life-saving work because the need is so profound and the response of the church is so faithful. To partner with these believers is to participate in a biblical narrative where God is delivering His people and revealing His glory. We are not merely dealing with one issue, but a complex intersection of homelessness, lack of medicine, an oppressive government, and a moral crisis regarding the sanctity of life.
We believe that the Christians in Cuba have taken the lead in this movement, reaching out to the pregnant and the unprepared despite their own “meager resources”. Our role is to encourage and supply this local movement, allowing the “resplendent grace” of the believers there to continue overflowing into their communities. We invite others to join this effort by contributing to the shipping costs of supplies or by supporting the pregnancy help centers directly.
Conclusion: The Triumph of Grace
As we review the “unfolding grace” in Cuba, we are reminded that God has called us to bring relief to those who are suffering, to feed the hungry, and to rescue the innocent. The story of Cuba is not merely one of misery; it is a story of a church that refuses to be defined by its poverty. By continuing to support these 23 centers and the leaders who navigate 18-hour blackouts to save babies, we testify to the power of a God who works in the midst of extreme affliction.
The testimony of the Cuban church is stunning precisely because it proves that joy is not dependent on electricity, water, or wealth. Instead, it is found in the “wealth of generosity” that arises when people believe their starting point in life does not limit their ability to be a blessing. Until the day when the island sees total liberation, we will remain committed to our brothers and sisters in Cuba, celebrating the glory that drips from their ministry of generosity in the midst of affliction. By standing with these “miserables” who have become “heirs of grace,” we see the breathtaking reality of the Gospel in action.
This article is adapted from the episode transcript.