Written by Rebecca (Havana team) & Ayla (Baracoa team)
There is something sweet about short-term mission trips – about having the opportunity to visit and encourage churches and care for people. Our priority in going always remains the same – to love our brothers and sisters in Christ and proclaim the truth of the Gospel. Gateway Church recently sent a team of 24 to Havana, and a few weeks later a team of 10 to Baracoa, with this goal in mind.
Havana
Our God is a God who always keeps his promises, and we were reminded on this trip that he is constant in character, always answering our prayers and delivering us from our fears. As we have served for many years alongside churches in Cuba, we have seen God’s faithfulness pouring out upon the people. In the fall of 2025, we lost a dear friend and pastor at one of these house churches. It would have been easy for this church to doubt God and give up in despair, but as our team returned to the church this year, we were overjoyed to see the way the Lord had blessed and provided for this congregation. Even through their grief and weariness, God is strengthening the pastor’s family to continue leading the church, and it was a joy to worship with a packed room Sunday morning!
Many of our Cuban friends are deeply suffering, but even through the hardest trials, God is still providing for and sustaining his people. They are struggling through extreme poverty, persecution of the church, nationwide blackouts, and other daily challenges that we in the States could never imagine. Yet, despite these testing times, God is at work. Our team was blessed to join in the work of several house church leaders during our week, and we were humbled to see how God had formed our team with exactly the right people – a perfect mix of personalities, skill sets, and gifts.
In one situation, a few members of our team visited a man who had recently come home after having a stroke. He was confined to his bed and hadn’t been able to get up and walk for some time. In a way that only God could orchestrate, there “happened” to be physical therapy and applied nursing students in our group. Because of their knowledge and skill, they were able to help him stand and taught him exercises to do to continue building his strength. What some may see as merely human training, we see as God’s providence. To the man being ministered to, these students were miracle workers, offering him healing and hope. What a joy to be able to use this opportunity to point to the true Healer and our only lasting hope, Jesus Christ!
Baracoa
Baracoa sits almost as far east as one can go in Cuba. It is a beautiful landscape filled with the wonders of God’s creation: mountains, ocean, tropical jungles, and breathtaking sunsets. It has it all, but it is also very secluded. It is about a seven-hour drive from the nearest, functioning airport. Only two roads lead in, both winding through rough mountain terrain that separates the far eastern tip from the rest of the country. Because of this, very few supplies or resources make it to Baracoa. Thanks to the generous support of our church and community, our team gathered enough supplies to fill twenty suitcases with medical supplies and food!
When our team landed in Holguín, Cuba on Monday, we were met by the pastor who oversees house churches across Cuba. But he did not just meet us, he came with two vans full of food. A few weeks earlier, Gateway’s team in Havana unloaded over 30,000 pounds of food from a humanitarian organization for the Cuban churches. This pastor wanted to deliver some of the food to Baracoa but had no way to secure the fuel for the journey. Because our team was entering Cuba as a humanitarian aid team, the government allowed him to purchase enough fuel for two vehicles to travel to Baracoa and back. Again, as only God can do, he used our arrival to multiply what we brought into two additional vans full of food.
When we arrived in Baracoa, we were greeted by many familiar faces from the previous year. A year ago, we left wondering if we had made much of an impact. This year, we had our answer.
A house church that we helped re-start last year was now thriving. People who had come to faith during our last visit were now faithfully involved in their local church. But what impacted them most was something simple. We came back. One woman told us, “Many people have come over the years, but no one ever comes back.” By returning, we were not just visiting, we were showing them they had not been forgotten. That we had not forgotten them. That God had not forgotten them. Some were brought to tears when we told them we had been praying for them all year. This is exactly why Gateway’s philosophy on short-term mission trips is to go when and where we are invited by our mission partners. We desire to form lasting relationships with those we serve, and this trip reminded us that our Cuban friends have become family to us in a way that only the Holy Spirit can create.
One of the most incredible stories was about a young man named David.* Last year, my dad met him and his brother in what could only be described as a divinely orchestrated encounter. Both brothers had trained with the Cuban Olympic track team until their father’s death forced them to leave and provide for their family. The loss hit David especially hard. Track had been his purpose, and suddenly it was gone. My dad shared the gospel with him and explained that he had a God-sized hole in his heart that only Christ could fill. We left the next day, unsure if anything had taken root and my dad continued to pray for him.
This year when we arrived, a Cuban friend mentioned that my dad’s “muscle friend” had started coming to church. We were excited at the prospect that it could be David. We went to the church to meet and deliver medical supplies and food. As my dad was talking to the pastor, David appeared, not as a visitor, but as a leader! Not only did David accept Christ and go to church after we left, but he was thriving! Just one year after being an unbeliever, he was now sharing the gospel alongside my dad.
As one of the younger members of the team, I was given the role of entertaining the kids, and I loved it. Soccer, basketball, hide and seek; we played it all. The boys became my brothers. The girls became my sisters. But this year, something changed. Last year I struggled with feeling like I was not doing “real ministry” enough. I thought we were there to bring people to Jesus and not just play games. This year, God showed me how wrong I was. Simply being with them, loving them, playing with them, and showing them our joy in Christ was ministry and it bore fruit. The kids began asking questions. They wanted to come to church with us. They wanted to be a part of what we were doing. One boy told me he was not a Christian, but he wanted to be. That day, I had the privilege of helping him accept Jesus as his Savior. To God be the glory!
Reflections coming home…
Both of Gateway’s teams left Cuba amazed at how God took our small human efforts and wove them into his eternal plan. When our supplies felt too small, he multiplied. When we were exhausted, he sustained us. When we felt like we were not doing enough, he reminded us that he is always enough. Gateway may only go to Cuba a few times a year. But God is always there and he is always working.
So, what does this mean for Gateway Church in Findlay, Ohio? First, rejoice! Even if you were not there, you are part of this story. Every team we send has both “goers” and “senders.” It would not have been possible to send these teams, nor almost 3,500 pounds of donations, without the support of our church family!
Second, ask yourself, is God calling you to go, to give, or to pray? Making disciples of all nations is not a one-team mission. It is something we are all called to.
And finally, look at your own life. Where has God placed you? Who can you love? How can you serve?
I will leave you with this verse our team reflected on after the trip:
“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” - 2 Corinthians 9:10
All praise to our great and mighty God, who has supplied, multiplied, and produced a harvest far greater than we could have imagined.
Havana Team
Baracoa Team
Specific ways to pray for Cuba:
* Name changed for security reasons
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